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PDP – AGP (Add Grace Period) Limits Policy (also known as Domain Tasting)

Last Updated:

Summary:

The practice of domain tasting (using the add grace period to register domain names in order to test their profitability) became a substantial community concern in the 2006-2007 time frame. ICANN community stakeholders became increasingly concerned about the negative effects of domain tasting and in the spring of 2007 the At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) asked that the domain tasting issue be studied further by the GNSO Council. In May 2007, the GNSO Council called for an Issues Report on domain tasting from ICANN staff.

A "grace period" refers to a specified number of calendar days following a gTLD registry operation in which the operation may be reversed and a credit may be issued to a Registrar. The Add Grace Period (AGP) is typically the five-day period following the initial registration of a domain name. AGP appears as a contractual term in some, but not all, gTLD registry agreements.

In 2007, when a domain name was registered through a Registrar, that Registrar could delete the domain name at any time during the first five calendar days of the registration (the Add Grace Period or AGP), and receive a full credit for the registration fee from the Registry Operator. Once a domain name was deleted by the Registry at this stage, it was immediately available for registration by any Registrant through any Registrar.

AGP was intended to allow for the no-cost cancellation of domain name registrations resulting from typos and other errors by Registrars and Registrants as well as some types of fraudulent registrations.

**Note: The status image below is for illustration purposes only. This particular effort followed an older PDP model rather than what is currently outlined in the ICANN Bylaws (circa 2014).

Status:

Implementation Status

Web Presence:

Responsible Staff Member:

  • GNSO Policy Team

GNSO Council Resolution for Issue Report:

Adopted on: 24 May 2007

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
Council acknowledged receipt of the request from ALAC for an issues report. It was proposed that the completed Issues Report would be posted on the ICANN website so that there could be additional feedback from the ICANN community and the GNSO Constituencies. It was generally agreed to table the report until the Council meeting in San Juan, and possibly have Staff present it at the GNSO public forum.

Issue Report on Domain Tasting:

Submitted on: 14 June 2007

GNSO Council Resolution on the Initiation an Ad-hoc Group on Domain Tasting:

Adopted on: 27 June 2007

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
2. To create a small, ad hoc group of GNSO representatives to direct and consider further research on domain tasting, including but not limited to examination of questions posed on page 30 of the issues report, and to draft terms of reference for a possible GNSO policy development process in a timely way; [See full resolution]

GNSO Council Resolution to Redirect WG:

Adopted on: 08 August 2007

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
The GNSO Council redirects the small ad hoc group on domain name tasting to complete its work and deliver its report to the Council by 4 October 2007 for consideration at the GNSO Council meeting on 11 October 2007. In extending the mandate the Council would like to specify that 'small' in this instance, is defined as, at most 2 representatives from among each of the constituencies, the Nominating Committee appointees and the Advisory Committees.

Working Group Outcomes Report on Domain Tasting:

Submitted on: 04 October 2007

GNSO Council Resolution to Postpone:

Adopted on: 11 October 2007

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
The GNSO Council resolved to postpone the decision to initiate a policy development process (PDP) on the Domain Name Tasting issue until the open meeting on 31 October in Los Angeles.

GNSO Council Resolution on the Initiation of the PDP:

Adopted on: 31 October 2007

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
The GNSO council resolves to initiate a PDP to address the issues set forth in the Issues Report by Staff and in the Outcomes Report of the ad hoc group and encourages staff to apply ICANN's fee collections to names registered and subsequently deregistered during the add-grace period.

Working Group Initial Report:

Submitted on: 07 January 2008

Working Group Draft Final Report:

Submitted on: 08 February 2008

GNSO Council Resolution on Motion to ICANN Board & Public Comment:

Adopted on: 06 March 2008

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
The GNSO Council recommends to the ICANN Board of Directors that: 1)The applicability of the Add Grace Period shall be restricted for any gTLD which has implemented an AGP; 2) Implementation and execution of these recommendations shall be monitored by the GNSO.

Whereas, the Design Team has met and agreed on a Draft Motion attached to be set out for public comment and for Constituency Impact review; [See full resolution]

GNSO Call for Public Comment on Domain Tasting Draft Motion:

Adopted on: 07 March 2008

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
The GNSO Council is considering the issue of "domain tasting", a term used to describe the case when someone registers a domain name and then tests to see if the name has sufficient traffic to provide more income than the annual registration fee (usually through pay-per-click advertising). If the name is deemed sufficiently profitable, it is kept.

Working Group Final Report:

Submitted on: 04 April 2008

GNSO Adoption of the Final Report:

Adopted on: 17 April 2008

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
The GNSO Council recommends to the ICANN Board of Directors that: 1)The applicability of the Add Grace Period shall be restricted for any gTLD which has implemented an AGP; 2) Implementation and execution of these recommendations shall be monitored by the GNSO.

Public Comment Prior to ICANN Board Consideration:

Submitted on: 30 April 2008

ICANN Board Resolution Text Approving the GNSO Recommendations:

Adopted on: 26 June 2008

The following is an extract from the GNSO Council resolution page:
Resolved (2008.06.26.06), the Board adopts the GNSO policy recommendation on domain tasting, and directs staff to implement the policy following appropriate comment and notice periods on the implementation documents. [see link for details]

Implementation Details: