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ICANN own a Generic Top-Level Domain |
The Intellectual Property Constituency of ICANN's Generic Names Supporting Organizations June 24 released a new guide aimed at helping applicants operate new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and set up rights protection mechanisms.
TLDs are the right-hand part of a web address. For example, in the domain "bna.com," the ".com" part is the TLD. Generic TLDs, of which there are currently 20, are so named because they often identify what kind of organization has the website. For example, an .edu site is likely to be an educational institution.
Nick Wood, editor of the guide, said the IPC had advised gTLD applicants in previous rounds in 2000 and 2004. "We suspected that there are going to be many applicants for the rounds that are coming up and it will be impossible for us to advise everyone. Our aim was to assist potential applicants [prospective registry operators] to identify and to assess prelaunch rights protections mechanisms," he said.
"There is no agreement within the Internet community that would allow organizations that register domain names to pre-screen the filing of problematic names," WIPO says in the IPC guide. "The reasons vary, ranging from allowing easy registrations to stimulate business, to the practical difficulties involved in determining who holds the rights to a name."
Whichever approach you choose, go for clarity, said Zbynek Loebl, UDRP project manager in the Czech Arbitration Court. "You should have your sunrise tools and sunrise policy as consistent as possible. From our experience, the more consistent your sunrise policies are, the more consistent the dispute resolutions decisions you can expect," he said. |
