[council] New gTLD Board Committee Consideration of GAC Safeguard Advice - Comment/Reply Periods

[Glen de Saint Géry <Glen@xxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/gac-safeguard-advice-23apr13-en.htm
New gTLD Board Committee Consideration of GAC Safeguard Advice

Comment / Reply Periods:
Comment Open Date: 23 April 2013
Comment Close Date: 14 May 2013 - 23:59 UTC
Reply Open Date: 15 May 2013
Reply Close Date: 4 June 2013 - 23:59 UTC
Important Information Links
Public Comment 
Announcement<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-23apr13-en.htm>
To Submit Your Comments 
(Forum)<mailto:comments-gac-safeguard-advice-23apr13@xxxxxxxxx>
View Comments 
Submitted<http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-gac-safeguard-advice-23apr13/>
Brief Overview
Originating Organization:
New gTLD Board Committee
Categories/Tags:

 *   Contracted Party Agreements
 *   Second-Level Domains
 *   Top-Level Domains
Purpose (Brief):

To solicit input on how the New gTLD Board Committee should address GAC advice 
regarding safeguards applicable to broad categories of New gTLD strings.
Current Status:

GAC Beijing Communiqué issued on April 11, 2013 includes GAC Advice on New 
gTLDs.
Next Steps:

New gTLD Board Committee will consider how to address GAC advice on New gTLD 
safeguards.
Staff Contact:
Jamie Hedlund
Email Staff 
Contact<mailto:jamie.hedlund@xxxxxxxxx?subject=More%20information%20on%20the%20New%20gTLD%20Board%20Committee%20Consideration%20of%20GAC%20Safeguard%20Advice%20public%20comment%20period>
Detailed Information
Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose:

On 11 April 2013, the Governmental Advisory Committee issued its Beijing 
Communiqué in which it provided advice on New gTLDs. The Board New gTLD 
Committee, acting on behalf of the full Board, will now consider how to address 
the GAC Advice. To help inform this process, the Committee has directed staff 
to solicit comment on how it should address one element of the advice: 
safeguards applicable to broad categories of New gTLD strings. Accordingly, 
ICANN seeks public input on how the Board New gTLD Committee should address 
section IV.1.b and Annex I of the GAC Beijing Communiqué.
Section II: Background:

One of ICANN's key responsibilities is introducing and promoting competition in 
the registration of domain names, while ensuring the security and stability of 
the domain name system (DNS). Below are major milestones in the program leading 
up to the GAC Beijing Communiqué:

 *   ICANN's Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) begins a policy 
development process to consider the introduction of new gTLDs in 2005
 *   The "GAC Principles Regarding New gTLDs" is presented to the ICANN Board 
in 2007
 *   ICANN Board adopted 19 specific GNSO policy recommendations for 
implementing new gTLDs in 2008
 *   ICANN undertakes implementation process to address stakeholder concerns, 
such as the protection of intellectual property and community interests, 
consumer protection, and DNS stability during 2008-2011. This work includes 
public consultations, review, and input on multiple draft versions of the 
Applicant Guidebook
 *   The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and the ICANN Board engage in 
intensive consultations regarding the GAC's "scorecard" advice on new gTLDs 
during first half of 2011
 *   In June 2011, ICANN's Board of Directors approved the Guidebook 
incorporating most of the GAC's scorecard advice and authorized the launch of 
the New gTLD Program
 *   ICANN opens the New gTLD application window on January 12, 2012. On June 
11, 2012, ICANN reveals the 1,930 New gTLD applications received and posted 
them for public comment
 *   On October 12, 2012, the GAC issues its Toronto Communiqué, indicating 
that "[t]he statements and commitments detailed in individual gTLD applications 
are a critical input to the GAC's work" and advised the ICANN Board "that it is 
necessary for all of these statements of commitment and objectives to be 
transformed into binding contractual commitments, subject to compliance 
oversight by ICANN."
 *   On November 20, 2012, the GAC files and publicly posts 242 Early Warnings 
on individual New gTLD applications.
 *   On February 5, 2013, in response to advice provided in the Toronto GAC 
Communiqué, the New gTLD Program Board Committee approves a public comment 
period on a proposed "Public Interest Commitments Specification" as a mechanism 
to transform application statements into binding contractual commitments, as 
well as to give applicants the opportunity to voluntarily submit to heightened 
public interest commitments. On March 6. 2013, ICANN posts the 499 PIC 
Specifications submitted by applicants.

The GAC met during the ICANN Beijing Meeting and provided additional advice to 
the ICANN Board regarding the New gTLD program. Relevant to this public forum 
is Section IV.1.b of the GAC Beijing Communiqué, which states, "To reinforce 
existing processes for raising and addressing concerns the GAC is providing 
safeguard advice to apply to broad categories of strings." The safeguard advice 
appears in Annex I of the Beijing Communiqué.

ICANN officially notified applicants of the publication of GAC Advice on April 
18, 2013, triggering the 21-day applicant response period per the Applicant 
Guidebook Module 3.1. The applicants' responses and the input received in this 
Public Comment Forum will serve as important inputs to the New gTLD Board 
Committee's consideration of the GAC Advice.
Section III: Document and Resource Links:

 *   ICANN Announcement on GAC Advice Issued on New 
gTLDs<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-18apr13-en>
 *   GAC Beijing 
Communiqué<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/gac-to-board-18apr13-en.pdf>
 [PDF, 156 KB]
Section IV: Additional Information:

N/A

________________________________

(*) Comments submitted after the posted Close Date/Time are not guaranteed to 
be considered in any final summary, analysis, reporting, or decision-making 
that takes place once this period lapses.


Glen de Saint Géry
GNSO Secretariat
gnso.secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:gnso.secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
http://gnso.icann.org<http://gnso.icann.org/>