Next new TLD guidebook due early November
The next version of ICANN’s Applicant Guidebook for wannabe new top-level domain registries could be published as early as the first week of November, and it could be proposed as the “final” draft.
In a note to the GNSO Council’s mailing list yesterday, ICANN senior vice president Kurt Pritz wrote:
There is a Board meeting on the 28th with new gTLDs as an agenda item, and right around that time, maybe a week later, the work on the Guidebook will be wrapped. Those two events will indicate both a Board and staff intent on whether to propose the Guidebook version as final.
In order for a 30-day public comment period to be completed prior to the start of ICANN’s meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, the Guidebook would have to be published before November 5.
That said, version four of the DAG had a 60-day comment period (and ICANN staff have yet to publish a summary and analysis of those comments three months after it closed).
As I’ve previously blogged, outstanding issues include humdingers such as the cross-ownership of registrar/registry functions, and the objections procedure formerly known as “morality and public order”.
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How likely do you think it is that this fifth version will be the final one?
I expect whatever is published next will almost certainly get some revisions before it is declared “final”. Whether they change the version number is probably moot.
Thanks Kevin,
I will rephrase the question as surely you are right and there will be some changes from the publication of that fifth version.
What do you think about the likelihood that either a partial or full new gtld process will be approved in ICANN San Francisco, March 2011? Some mentioned ICANN Cartagena in Dec 2010 for that but i think it is highly unlikely.
San Francisco is more likely than Cartagena, I reckon, but you never know if something could jump out of left field to add more delays.
Eg, what if somebody in the IP lobby sues?
“Eg, what if somebody in the IP lobby sues?”
I am assuming you are referring to what Philip Corwin wrote about on CircleID?
“ICANN should not be intimidated by brand owners who were not given their DNS policy wish list in DAG v4, notwithstanding rumors that some are exploring litigation to enjoin ICANN from accepting applications for new gTLDs—especially when it’s not clear what irreparable harm could be posited to overcome the U.S. Constitution’s bar against advisory opinions rendered on the basis of hypothetical future injury.”
I am not sure how much of a delay anyone can cause at this point and time. DAG V1 was published two years ago in five days, sufficient time to anyone’s perspective to act.
Agreed on your last point.
I was actually thinking of the report I blogged about at the below link, rather than Corwin’s article. I guess he was probably referring to the same rumor.
http://domainincite.com/could-litigation-delay-icanns-new-tlds/
Thanks for the link Kevin, I missed that article and the M&M Timeline in it. I hope that the timeline is pessimistic strictly speaking of IDN gTLD’s (A little strange to call .com/.net a new gTLD but that’s a different story)
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