[council] DRAFT text of letter from Council to Board RE: singular and plural new gTLD applications

[john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

All,
Here is my take on the text of a letter from Jonathan to Steve on the subject 
of singular and plural new gTLD applications as we agreed ought to be written 
and sent.
Cheers,
Berard

In the course of our meetings this week in Beijing, we have heard and share the 
concerns expressed about the undesirable consequences of allowing both singular 
and plural forms of the same word to be delegated in the news gTLD program.   
On the basis of policy recommendations of the Council to avoid consumer 
confusion, this letter asks for clarity on why that policy was, effectively, 
set aside by the panelist that ICANN enrolled to conduct string similarity 
tests.
Specifically, in the new gTLD Report that was adopted by the GNSO Council was 
“Recommendation 2 Discussion -- Strings must not be confusingly similar to an 
existing top-level domain” (see 
http://gnso.icann.org/en/issues/new-gtlds/pdp-dec05-fr-parta-08aug07.htm). The 
effect of singular and plurals is already embedded in practice. Note that WIPO 
mediation rules include this: “Words used in the singular include the plural 
and vice versa, as the context may require.”
At a minimum, the Council requests fuller disclosure about the process by which 
the panelist made their determination and why the Board accepted this variance 
from existing practice and gTLD policy.  
Greater transparency will help the Council evaluate whether the criteria for 
string similarity were properly conveyed to the panelist, whether the panelist 
followed that policy advice and how we can address the concerns of the 
community.