ICANN just updated an explanatory memoranda papers today at their new gTLD program site. ICANN will also be releasing the draft RFP for new gTLD at this coming ICANN’s meeting in Cairo.

This set of papers is aim to assist gTLD applicants how gTLD process works and a better understanding how the implementation works. This is crucial for new gTLD applicants because this allows them to structure their gTLD application appropriately.

The following are the papers released by ICANN (click on the title to download the file):-

1) Resolving String Contention – a complete lifecycle including String Contention Resolution
Key summary points extracted from document
• This paper provides a summary of the string contention process.
• A detailed explanation is provided of how confusingly similar applied-for gTLDs are identified and how they are grouped together into contention sets.
• A detailed explanation is provided of how string contention is resolved when there is one or more community based applicants in a contention set.
• As a last resort, contention that is not resolved through negotiation among parties or by comparative evaluation must be resolved by other means.

2) Proposed Process for Geographic Names Applications
Key summary points extracted from document
• TLDs that are country, territory or counties and states names will require
documented support from a relevant government or authority.
• Applicants requesting a TLD that represents a city name will also require such
support unless the name is to be used only to represent a generic term or
brand.
• Multiple applications for the same city name will require applicants to resolve
the contention among themselves (as with existing practice regarding
contested country code TLDs).
• Objection is available for misappropriation of language and people
descriptions.
• IDN strings will be evaluated by linguistic panels.

3) Update to DNS Stability Paper – additional Technical Criteria Requirements, including Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)
Key summary points extracted from document
• Amongst other things, a label must have no more that 63 characters and
upper and lower case characters are treated as identical. It must not consist
entirely of letters, digits and hyphens, must not start or end with a hyphen or a
digit, must not be able to be confused with an IP address and must not be
wholly comprised of digits between 0 and 9.
• All applied-for TLD ASCII strings must meet the technical requirements in
Names: Implementation and Specification (RFC 1035), and Clarifications to
the DNS Specification (RFC 2181).
• All applied-for non-ASCII strings (Internationalized Domain Name TLDs) must
meet the technical requirements in Internationalizing Domain Names in
Applications (RFC 3490).
• The applied-for IDN TLD string also must meet the relevant criteria of the
ICANN Guidelines for the Implementation of Internationalized Domain Names.
• The IDNA protocol used for IDN TLDs is undergoing revision through the
Internet standardization process. Thus, additional requirements may be
specified or requirements here may change or be removed as the protocol
revision is being completed.

4) Protection of Rights of Others in New gTLDs
Key summary points extracted from document
• An objection process will enable rights holders to assert that proposed gTLD
strings would infringe their legal rights.
• The new gTLD registry agreements will provide for post-delegation dispute
mechanisms to deal with claims of infringement that might arise after a new
gTLD is delegated and begins operation.
• At the second-level, applicants for new gTLDs will be required to describe in
their applications a proposed rights protection mechanism, which will be
published when its agreement is made public.
• All new gTLDs must ensure that all second-level registrations will be subject to
ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).