SEVEN NEW TOP LEVEL DOMAIN NAMES ARE ADDED FOR INTERNET ADDRESSES AND UP TO 28 NEW REGISTRARS PLANNED

WASHINGTON, DC, February 4, 1997 -- The number of names available to specify Internet locations, such as web sites and email addresses, will increase and more firms will be allowed to act as registrars for the names, under a plan announced today by the International Ad Hoc Committee (IAHC).

Internet users will have 7 new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), in addition to the existing ones (.com, .net, and .org), under which they may register Internet names, when the plan is implemented. The new gTLDs and the intended fields of use are:

• .firm for businesses, or firms
• .store for businesses offering goods to purchase
• .web for entities emphasizing activities related to the WWW
• .arts for entities emphasizing cultural and entertainment activities
• .rec for entities emphasizing recreation/entertainment activities
• .info for entities providing information services
• .nom for those wishing individual or personal nomenclature

In addition, up to 28 new registrars will be established to grant registrations for second-level domain names under the new gTLDs. The new registrars will be selected by lottery from applicants who fulfill specific requirements established by the IAHC. All the new gTLDs will be shared among the new registrars, meaning that each registrar may effect registration of second-level domain names under all the new gTLDs. It is intended that the three existing gTLDs (.com, .net, and .org) would also be shared upon conclusion of the cooperative agreement between Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI) and the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), which allows NSI to act as the registrar for those gTLDs.

The plan announced today is a result of efforts by an international group named to resolve questions critical to the current and future growth of the Internet. The eleven-member International Ad Hoc Committee, chaired by Donald M. Heath, president and CEO of the Internet Society, received input from individuals, organizations and government agencies from around the world.

To guide future registrar developments, an association comprising all the registrars, the Council of Registrars (CORE), to be established under Swiss law will create and enforce requirements for registrar operations. These requirements are spelled out in a separate legal instrument to which each registrar must agree.

The IAHC plan includes the establishment of a non- regulatory policy framework in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which both the public and private sector will be invited to sign. The MoU will provide a mechanism for signatories to advise on future policy evolution of the global Internet domain name system.

"I am pleased that the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has agreed in principle to act as the depository of the MoU and to periodically publish an updated list of its signatories," Heath said in releasing the IAHC report. "The structure we have established for the operation and oversight of domain name administration insures that we will have stability and continuing input from a broad spectrum of organizations and individuals."

Heath pointed out that the IAHC will continue to function for the period until the new registrars are named and the MoU has entered into force. At that time, the IAHC will change to act as the committee to conduct oversight of CORE until a permanent gTLD DNS Policy Oversight Committee (POC) is established to perform that function. The POC will determine, in consultation with CORE and a gTLD DNS Policy Advisory Body (PAB), the evolution of gTLDs, registrars, and any fees that CORE may collect from its members, the registrars, for services it may perform.

The POC and CORE will be advised by the gTLD DNS Policy Advisory Body (PAB) that will consist of all of the signatories to the MoU and will provide input and recommendations for general policy matters relating to gTLDs and the Domain Name System (DNS). Signatories will include representatives from governments, independent governmental organizations, non-government organizations, and industry.

An earlier draft proposal by the IAHC had recommended a mandatory 60 day waiting period before activation of new domain names, in order to alleviate what is considered to be a major source of instability in the DNS, namely widespread piracy of famous trademarks by certain domain name holders. In the final report, that recommendation has been replaced by a more comprehensive solution that addresses the needs of all classes of stakeholders. In addition to making the 60 day waiting period optional for registrants, the final report institutes a system for dispute settlement involving on-line mediation, mandatory arbitration (if a domain name challenger chooses to initiate arbitration), and a fast-track on-line administrative domain name challenge procedure.

The administrative domain name challenge procedure would be conducted on-line, and would allow an intellectual property right holder to petition a panel of international experts to determine if a second-level domain name violates the policy that a domain name which contains an internationally known trademark may only be held by the trademark owner. The dispute settlement procedures would be administered under the aegis of the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center, located in Geneva.

"During the public comment period, we received over 4000 submissions from the interested public, including 100 submissions from organizations around the world and we are very pleased with the acceptance and broad consensus that we have achieved in this process," Heath stated. "To attain its fullest potential, the Internet requires true self-governance. The Internet Society's role is to facilitate that requirement," he added.

The IAHC is a coalition of participants from the broad Internet community, working to satisfy the requirement for enhancements to the Internet's global Domain Name System (DNS). Organizations naming members to the committee include: Internet Society (ISOC), Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), Internet Architecture Board (IAB), Federal Networking Council (FNC), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Trademark Association (INTA), and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The full text of the IAHC report is being published at the Internet site: http://www.iahc.org.

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Internet Society
12020 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20191-3429
TEL 703-648-9888
FAX 703-648-9887
E-mail info@isoc.org
http://www.isoc.org
http://www.iahc.org

1997 Electronic Recruiting Index

• Detailed planning for placing online Employment ads
• A section written for managers of Internet Projects
• Pricing comparisons of 75 key Recruiting sites
• A detailed analysis of the Top 100 websites
• A Directory of over 5800 Online Recruiters
• A solid look at the Recruiting Industry in 1996
• Forecasts and Trends for 1997and beyond
• The Impact of Demographics on Recruiting
• Motivations and Entry costs for the Various Market segments

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