Latest news of the domain name industry

Recent Posts

New ccTLDs may have to block name collisions

Kevin Murphy, January 26, 2015, 14:58:35 (UTC), Domain Registries

ICANN is thinking about expanding its controversial policy on name collisions from new gTLDs to new ccTLDs.
The country code Names Supporting Organization has been put on notice (pdf) that ICANN’s board of directors plans to pass a resolution on the matter shortly.
The resolution would call on the ccNSO to “undertake a study to understand the implications of name collisions associated with the launch of new ccTLDs” including internationalized domain name ccTLDs, and would “recommend” that ccTLD managers implement the same risk mitigation plan as new gTLDs.
Because ICANN does not contract with ccTLDs, a recommendation and polite pressure is about as far as it can go.
Name collisions are domains in currently undelegated TLDs that nevertheless receive DNS root traffic. In some cases, that may be because the TLDs are in use on internal networks, raising the potential of data leakage or breakages if the TLDs are then delegated.
ICANN contracts require new gTLDs to block such names or wildcard their zones for 90 days after launch.
Some new gTLD registry executives have mockingly pointed to the name collisions issue whenever a new ccTLD has been delegated over the last year or so, asking why, if collisions are so important, the mitigation plan does not apply to ccTLDs.
If the intent was to persuade ICANN that the collisions management framework was unnecessary, the opposite result has been achieved.



Tagged: , , , , ,

Comments (3)

  1. Adrian Kinderis says:

    I expect you’ll now have a few more voices in the conversation to say how ridiculous the name collision issue is once ccTLDs are impacted. Having the ccTLDs join the gTLDs will be important. They wont join until they are impacted.
    Also, why does it matter that they are contracted or not? I am always perplexed by this non issue. The ccTLD’s apply to ICANN for the name and have to fulfil certain criteria. Their request is not a given. Given that ICANN is responsible for “granting” their TLD surely this can be one of the prerequisites. Of course, enforcement is an issue but the ccTLD shoudl be made to confrim it will comply in order to be granted the name in the first place.

    • Michele says:

      Adrian
      that’s a very valid point. ICANN can and has rejected requests related to ccTLDs in the past.
      Regards
      Michele

    • Daniel Kalchev says:

      It is not ICANN that is “creating” ccTLDs, but IANA. A subtle difference for some and a big one for others.
      It was ccTLDs who warned ICANN this issue is real long ago. The ccTLDs were/are already impacted and suffer from these issues for many, many years (before gTLDs started coming in in droves).

Add Your Comment