[council] Regarding Redrafted IDN ToR

["Bruce Tonkin" <Bruce.Tonkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello All,

I have updated Olof's last draft slightly - by adding in a few examples
to help clarify the meaning of the text.

See below.

Regards,
Bruce Tonkin


 

 

 

Preamble

The following terms of reference for further work are focused on GNSO
activities and therefore address gTLD considerations. Subsequent to
working group assessment of the Preliminary Issues Report, the terms of
reference were adopted by the GNSO Council on xx August 2006. In
addition, the GNSO Council resolved that policy development activities
relating to the introduction of generic Top-Level Domains with IDN
Labels (IDN-gTLDs) shall be guided by the following considerations:


I.  Given the urgency of current interest in fully localized domain
names, and the limited range of potential outcomes of the impending
technical tests of devices for entering top-level IDN labels into the
root zone, the policy for the inclusion of IDN-gTLDs can begin to be
assessed.

II. Policy development will proceed under the assumption that top-level
IDN labels will be added to the root zone, awaiting the outcome of the
requisite initial trials.

III.     Determining that a proposed new IDN label is adequately
differentiated from a pre-existing label requires comparison in graphic,
phonetic, and semantic terms.  Two levels of differentiation are
necessary, of which the one pertains to situations where the two labels
are being considered for delegation to the same organization, and the
other where the labels are to be delegated to independent organizations.
The former case can be further subdivided into two situations.  In the
one, the intention is for the same set of sub-domain names to appear
under multiple TLD labels (e.g given example.tld1, you will also find
the equivalent example.tld2), and in the other independent name trees
are to be established (ie given example.tld1, the label "example" may
not exist in .tld2).

IV.    It is necessary to be particularly mindful of detail which,
although initially considered in the IDN context, may otherwise be
relevant to the New gTLD PDP. The association of two separate TLD labels
with the same meaning is an example of this  (e.g .warm and .chaud, or
.lib and .bib), given that the linguistic justification for such action
can as easily be derived from two languages that can be adequately
represented using ASCII characters as it can from a situation where one
or both labels require IDN representation.

 V.     The implementation of policies based on an aliasing mechanism
(e.g where example.tld1 resolves to the same location as example.tld2)
may require the development of new technical resources if the tests of
the currently available alternatives (as referenced in I above)
determine that none are viable. In general, care should be taken to
recognize distinctions between technical and policy concerns, as well as
cultural and political considerations. Addressing their manifold
interdependencies should be approached as collaborative action with
other organizations as appropriate to any given case.

VI.     In view of the complexities and interdependencies involved in
the policy development task, the pre-determined standard PDP timeline
must be adapted to allow sufficient time for all the necessary
activities and interaction steps.  

 

 

Terms of Reference

 

1. Initial and General Provisions

 

a. As an initial task, in line with Consideration VI above, plan the
necessary activities and interaction steps for this PDP in cooperation
with ICANN staff, and develop a suitable timeline for the PDP that takes
into account the timeline for the technical tests.   Such interaction
would include interaction with the ccNSO, GAC, SSAC, RSAC, and ccTLD
managers as required.

 

b. In general, during this PDP, identify and document any policy issue
for which it is essential that policy is harmonized for all IDN-TLDs and
develop the related policy for IDN-gTLDs in interaction with other
relevant entities, including other ICANN Supporting Organizations and
Advisory Committees, in a way that ensures harmonization of the policy
outcome. 

 

2. Selection Criteria for Top-Level Domains with IDN Labels

 

a. Taking into account the background, considerations and findings
regarding selection criteria in the New gTLD PDP [PDP-Dec05], develop
modified or additional criteria for the inclusion of IDN labels in
subsequent action toward ICANN's goals of expanding the use and
usability of the Internet.

 

3. Allocation Methods for Top-Level Domains with IDN Labels

 

a. Taking into account the background, considerations and findings
regarding allocation methods in the New gTLD PDP [PDP-Dec05], develop
modified or additional allocation methods that may be applied to gTLDs
with IDN labels.

 

4. Policy to Guide Contractual Conditions for Top-Level Domains with IDN
Labels

 

a. Taking into account the background, considerations and findings
regarding contractual conditions in the New gTLD PDP [PDP-Dec05],
develop policies to guide the specific contractual criteria needed for
gTLDs with IDN labels, to be made publicly available prior to any
application rounds.

 

5. Additional Policy Aspects Regarding Top-Level Domains with IDN Labels

 

a. With specific regard to Consideration III above, determine whether
the script used for an IDN-gTLD label can, or should, be exclusively
propagated on all lower levels in the sub-domain tree (allowing for the
general exceptions attaching to that script as referenced in the ICANN
IDN Guidelines). If such a procedure is viable, intention to implement
it may serve as a differentiation criterion or otherwise be invoked in
the consideration of a request for a new label.