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<p class="title">New gTLD Draft Applicant Guidebook, Version 4
Available for Public Comment</p>
<p class="docdate">31 May 2010</p>
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<p style="text-align: center; font-size: large;"><strong>Quick Links</strong></p>
<ul><li style="font-size: 1.15em;"><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/comments-4-en.htm" style="color: rgb(4, 59, 78);" onmouseover="this.style.color='#eeeeee';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#043B4E';">Review & provide feedback
to Applicant Guidebook</a></li><li style="font-size: 1.15em;"><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/explanatory-memoranda-4-en.htm" style="color: rgb(4, 59, 78);" onmouseover="this.style.color='#eeeeee';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#043B4E';">Read Explanatory Memoranda
& Related Reports</a></li><li style="font-size: 1.15em;"><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/summaries-4-en.htm" style="color: rgb(4, 59, 78);" onmouseover="this.style.color='#eeeeee';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#043B4E';">Read Comments Summaries &
Analyses</a></li></ul>
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<p>A fourth draft of the Applicant Guidebook that describes the process
of applying for new generic top-level domains was released today along
with explanatory memoranda and detailed analysis of comments received.
The program continues to improve and moves toward completion thanks to
the outstanding collaboration from the ICANN Community working groups
whose expertise helped to address and bring toward closure several
challenging issues.</p>
<p>Also posted are the <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/summaries-4-en.htm">summaries
and analysis of the public comment period</a> on topics such as:
trademark & community protections, potential for malicious conduct,
IDN issues and registry operations & agreement.</p>
<p><strong> Public Participation </strong></p>
<p> The evolving product is the successful result of countless hours of
proactive participation and thoughtful feedback not only from the
general public, but particularly from the ICANN stakeholder community
members. A special thanks to the following groups for responding to the
challenge of working on difficult issues in a brief period of time:</p>
<ul><li><strong> IRT</strong> (Implementation Recommendations Team)
trademark protections</li><li><strong> STI</strong> (Special Trademark Issues group) Uniform
Rapid Suspension and Trademark Clearinghouse</li><li><strong> ZFA</strong> (Zone File Access group) -- standardized
zone file access model</li><li><strong> HSTLD</strong> (High Security Top-Level Domains)
special designation for high security TLDs</li><li><strong> TDG</strong> (Temporary Drafting Group) registry
agreement and post-delegation dispute resolution procedures</li><li><strong> VI-WG</strong> (Vertical Integration Working Group)
Registry/Registrar separation</li></ul>
<p><strong> Whats new in Draft Applicant Guidebook</strong><strong>
Version 4</strong>?</p>
<p> The new version has important new content, for example:</p>
<ul><li>Incorporation of trademark protections, including improvements to
the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS), the Trademark Clearinghouse (TM
Clearinghouse), and the Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Proposal
(PDDRP);</li><li>Changes to rules for geographic TLDs, including a prohibition on
country names as gTLDs;</li><li>A new gTLD Registry transition process model, including provisions
for emergency transition in the case of prolonged Registry technical
outages;</li><li>A model for providing centralized zone file access (ZFA) to aid in
combating malicious conduct;</li><li>A revised base Registry agreement, the contract future registries
must sign with ICANN, including new features such as:
<br>
<ul><li>Registry-Registrar cross-ownership language -- proposed
position pending the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO)
policy-development work;</li><li>Emergency Registry transition provision -- to be used for
protection of registrants in the event of prolonged Registry technical
outage;</li><li>Special new agreement provisions for governmental and
inter-governmental organization (IGO) applicants -- based on
negotiations with Universal Postal Union (UPU) for .post (subject to
modification for different circumstances of other similar
organizations);</li><li>New "hybrid" process for future amendments -- based on
consultations with Registries and others;</li><li>New provisions for centralized registry zone file access
(ZFA).</li></ul>
</li></ul>
<p> Among the accompanying materials, also open for comments are:</p>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/public-comment-201007-en.htm#draft-new-gtld-budget">Proposed
New gTLD Program Budget</a></li><li>Market/Economic Study: an initial analysis of the costs and
benefits of the introduction of new gTLDs <em>to be released shortly</em></li></ul>
<p><strong>Upcoming Program Events</strong></p>
<p> During the June <a href="http://brussels38.icann.org/"> ICANN
Meeting in Brussels</a> there will be several program sessions,
including:</p>
<ul><li>General New gTLD Program update, including highlights of the Draft
Applicant Guidebook, version 4.</li><li>Reducing Barriers to gTLD Creation for Developing Regions</li><li>Brand Management in the Age of New gTLDs - Trademark Protection
mechanisms discussed.</li></ul>
<p> For final schedule and remote participation access information see: <a href="http://brussels38.icann.org/">http://brussels38.icann.org/</a>.</p>
<p><strong> Resources:</strong></p>
<ul><li>New gTLD Program: <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm">
http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm</a></li></ul>