ICANN Yokohama

The conference will have finished by the time this article appears, but a series of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) meetings will be held in Yokohama for five days on July 13 -17, 2000. Because the conference will be held in Japan, we are hoping that participation of Japanese organizations will dramatically increase. The agenda includes the following four major items:

1. Introduction of a new top-level domain
2. Amendment of ICANN Bylaws regarding ICANN At Large Membership
3. ICANN At Large member election
4. Regions as Defined by ICANN

In this section, we will explain each of the four items.

Introduction of New Top Level Domain

The reasons for introducing a new top-level domain include: promote competition in such areas as provision of registration services; to improve DNS expedience; and to increase the number of available domain names.

Regarding these discussion items, a "DNSO(Domain Name Supporting Organization)Names Council Recommendation to the ICANN Board" report was issued on April 18 and 19 as a statement regarding the new gTLD. The recommendation indicated the following, stemming from the need to maintain the stability of the Internet.

Points to Consider for Introduction

Policies for introducing the new gTLD in a well-coordinated and responsible manner must be established. Upon implementation of the policies, appropriate consideration must be given to the following to increase awareness of the needs:

1. Promote domain name registration service in order during the starting period,
2. Minimize the risk of the use of the gTLD in ways that infringe on intellectual property rights,
3. Obtain trust of users concerning the technical operations of the new TLD, as well as the entire DNS service.

The recommendation also suggests that the initial introduction should be made on a small, controlled scale in order to study the possibilities for future implementation. In the current situation, it is pointed out that several types of domains, as listed below, should be considered for the initial introduction:

• A completely open Top Level Domain
• A Top Level Domain with a charter, and ristrictions as to range of use
• Non-commercial domain
• Personal use domain

Supporters of a restricted TLD agree to a "Sponsor system," in which the responsibility to create policies regarding the said TLD will be deligated to an organ, which will decide which segments that are affected by related communities will be allowed to participate.

Names Council has received an understanding that Working Group B made a statement regarding famous trademarks and DNS operations on May 19, and the following three points have reached consensus.

1. Although details are unsettle, there must be some kind of scheme for operations related to famous trademarks and the domain name system.
2. At the moment it is safe to say that there is not yet a need to create a list of world-famous trademarks.
3. Levels of protection to be given to trademark owners should vary depending on the types of the Top Level Domain added to the root.

Suggested Schedule Leading to Introduction

The following schedule has been proposed for the introduction of the new Top Level Domain.

Amendment of ICANN Bylaws on ICANN At Large Membership

ICANN Bylaws on ICANN At Large Membership is to be amended. The outline of draft amendments is enumerated as follows;
　http://icann.org/yokohama/atlargebylaws-topic.htm

Regarding "At Large" Directors

With regards to At Large Directors, five persons who shall be selected by no later than November 1, 2000 shall be seated at the conclusion of ICANN's Annual Meeting in 2000, and shall serve terms that expire at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the Corporation in 2002.

Temporary Committee

A Temporary Committee will be set up to support the selection of At Large Trustees. This will consist of the "Nominating Committee," to be composed of the four incumbent Trustees and three individuals (one of whom is the chairman of IAB) who will nominate several candidates, and the "Election Committee," which will comprise of three incumbent Trustees and four individuals to administrate and supervise the election.

ICANN At Large Member Election

The process for the At Large Membership election is scheduled as follow.

Election Process

Rules for Self-Nomination (Proposal)

The rules for self-nomination for At Large Membership election can be accessed at the following URL:
　http://www.icann.org/at-large/self-nomination.htm

Public comments will be accepted until July 6, and will be deliberated at the Board meeting on July 16. There are two ways to apply for candidacy:

• Nomination by Nominating Committee
• Self-nomination, if not nominated by Nominating Committee
  • Collection of minimum support from regional At Large members through on-line petition.
  • Candidate must have the support of At Large members from at least two countries.

Definition of Regions by ICANN

ICANN divides the world into the following five regions in its Bylaws:

• Europe
• Asia/Australia/Pacific Rim
• Latin-America/Caribbean Islands
• Africa
• North America

Discussions will take place regarding whether the Middle East will be categorized as Africa or Asia/Australia/Pacific Rim, and whether Caucasus countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) belong to Europe or Asia/Australia/Pacific Rim. Currently, RIPE NCC is providing IP address allocation services for Middle Eastern countries and Caucasus countries, just as they are for North African companies. Please refer to the following URL (in Japanese) for the results of the ICANN Yokohama meeting.
　http://www.nic.ad.jp/jp/intl/organization/icann/meeting/materials/icann-yokohama.html
　(Japanese only)