The Why How of IDN Generic Domain Names

The Why & How of IDN Generic Domain Names Presented by: Chuck Gomes Date: 13 May 2010 1 1

Introduction Personal Information – VP, Policy & Compliance, Veri. Sign, Inc. – Chair, ICANN GNSO Council – Involved in Internet domain name policy work since 1996 Outline 1. Why IDNs? 2. IDNs are a Global Issue 3. Early IDN History 4. GNSO IDN Policy Work 5. What’s next for g. TLD IDNs? 2 2

Why IDNs? § A better user experience – Over 60% of the Internet users in the world do not have English as their primary language. – ASCII names are hard to reproduce on keyboards and elsewhere. – Mixing 2 nd level IDNs with ASCII TLDs is an incomplete solution. § Why generic IDNs? – Organizations & individuals that interact across multiple countries & regions can use one generic IDN name versus multiple IDN cc. TLD names. – User demand: – There are nearly one million. com &. net 2 nd level domain names and that is only half a solution (IDN. ASCII). – From the beginning. com &. net registrants wanted a full IDN name. – The same is true for other g. TLDs. 3 3

IDNs are a Global Issue § IDNs are not a cc. NSO issue or a GNSO issue. § IDNs are a user issue. – g. TLD users – cc. TLD users § From the start, ICANN policy work has been handled as a cross SO issue involving both cc. TLD and g. TLD stakeholders. 4 4

Early IDN History § 2000: Introduction of 2 nd level IDN domain names – First cc. TLDs: . cn, . tw – First g. TLD: Veri. Sign 2 nd Level IDN Domain Name Test Bed § 2003: – IDNs in Applications (IDNA) standards for 2 nd level domain names – RFCs 3490, 3491, 3492 – IDN Guidelines version 1 § 2004: Introduction of IDN 2 nd level domain names in other g. TLDs –. museum, . info 5 5

2 nd Level IDN Example батя. com Punycode: xn--80 ab 6 c 9 b. com Script: Cyrillic English Meaning: “Dad” Description Being used by a dealership selling power tools, snowmobiles, boats, etc. 6 6

GNSO IDN Policy Work § IDN Working Group OUTCOMES REPORT (22 March 2007) – Group included members from the GNSO, the cc. NSO and others. – Provided input into the New g. TLD Policy Development Process § GNSO Council FINAL NEW GTLDS REPORT (8 August 2007) – Principle B: “Some new generic top-level domains should be internationalised domain names (IDNs) subject to the approval of IDNs being available in the root. ” – Recommendation 2: “Strings must not be confusingly similar to an existing top-level domain or a Reserved Name. ” § Joint IDN Working Group (ongoing) – GNSO & cc. NSO work on IDN TLDs (variants, 1 & 2 character names) 7 7

GNSO Input into the IDN cc. TLD Processes (28 Oct 07) Selected Comments § “IDN-labeled TLDs (both cc & g) should be introduced as soon as practicable after technical requirements and tests are completed. ” § “The user experience is one of the fundamental motivations for deployment of IDNs and should therefore be a guiding principle in implementation decisions. ” § “Confusingly similar strings should be avoided. ” § “Measures should be taken to limit confusion and collisions due to variants. ” 8 8

What’s Next for g. TLD IDNs? § New g. TLD Draft Applicant Guidebook version 4 is expected the end of this month. § It is hoped that the new g. TLD application process will begin early in 2011. § It is expected that there will be many applications for IDN g. TLDs. – IDN versions of existing g. TLDs. – IDN versions of new g. TLDs. 9 9

Conclusion § The main purpose of IDN domain names is to meet user needs. § As we work together to implement IDNs, our primary focus should be on a good user experience. 10 10

Thank You 11