22 May 2013

The ICANN Board New gTLD Program Committee (NGPC) held a discussion in Amsterdam on 18 May 2013 regarding how and when it could address the Beijing GAC advice. The NGPC structured the discussion around the attached GAC Advice Framework [PDF, 52 KB]. The Framework organizes the individual advice items into discrete groupings to allow the NGPC to prioritize its work. The NGPC's goal is to carefully consider GAC advice and community input and to make decisions that will allow the greatest number of new gTLD applications to move forward as soon as possible.

As mentioned in our last update, the NGPC is developing a scorecard for the advice, marking items as a "1A," "1B" and "2." In Amsterdam, the NGPC made progress on identifying the potential "1As," i.e., those items for which the NGPC has a tentative position that appears to be consistent with the GAC's advice. Final scoring of the items will not be possible until the applicant responses to the GAC Advice are summarized and reviewed. The NGPC anticipates that it will discuss these items further during its next meeting tentatively scheduled for early June.

The NGPC also began discussing the GAC Advice on Safeguards. Currently there is an open Public Comment Forum seeking input on how the NGPC should address the GAC's Safeguard Advice. The Public Comment Forum closes on 4 June 2013. As shown in the attached, the NGPC is evaluating the safeguard advice grouped as follows:

• Safeguard Advice Applicable to all strings
• Category 1 Safeguard Advice: Consumer Protection, Sensitive Strings, and Regulated Markets
• Category 2 Safeguard Advice: Restricted Registration Policies (Restricted Access and Exclusive Access)

Over the next few weeks, the NGPC will hold a series of calls to discuss applicant responses to the GAC advice, the Safeguard advice and related public comment, and other matters including responding to the GAC's advice on singular and plural strings, its questions in Annex 2, and its requests for briefing papers.

The New gTLD evaluation and objection processes remains on track while the NGPC continues its deliberations. As mentioned above, the NGPC is prioritizing its work in order to allow the greatest number of applications to move forward as soon as possible. We will continue to provide updates on the NGPC's progress in responding to the GAC Beijing advice.

14 May 2013

ICANN filed its Form 990 for the fiscal year ending 30 June 2012 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on 14 May 2013 in compliance with the extended due date of 15 May 2013. The Form 990 is the United States return for organizations exempt from income taxes under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. ICANN continues to provide accountability and transparency regarding its financial results and the filed Form 990 is available on the "Financial Information for ICANN" page of the ICANN.org site and is also included in this announcement.

ICANN's FY12 Form 990 is now posted [PDF, 800 KB] and is available to the community. The Community is invited to review ICANN's Form 990 and to provide commentaries and/or questions.

10 May 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 10 May 2013 Categories/Tags:

• Operations-Finances
• ICANN Board/Bylaws

Purpose (Brief): ICANN's annual operating plan and budget describes the planned activities and required resources for the fiscal year ending 2014. These activities are based on ICANN's strategic objectives, fiscal year priorities and community input. The posting period will commence on 10-May-2013 and conclude on 31-May-2013. During this period, the multiple stakeholders of the Internet community will have the opportunity to make inquiries and provide feedback on the various aspects of the proposed budget and implementation of ICANN resources for the coming fiscal year. Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/op-budget-fy14-10may13-en.htm

10 May 2013

The ICANN Board New gTLD Program Committee (NGPC) wishes to share with the ICANN community its progress in consideration of the GAC advice and what steps are still to be taken. The NGPC met on 8 May to consider a Plan for responding to the Governmental Advisory Committee's advice on New gTLDs, transmitted to the Board through its 11 April Beijing Communiqué. The Plan is in two parts: Part 1 shown below consists of actions for soliciting input from Applicants and from the Community.

  Item Resp. Start Date Compl. Date Status 1 Publish GAC Communiqué and notify applicants of 21-day GAC Advice Response Period Staff   18 April Complete 2 Applicants 21-day response period to GAC Advice Applicants 19 April 10 May In progress 3 Publish GAC Communiqué to solicit input on how the New gTLD Board Committee should address GAC advice regarding safeguards applicable to broad categories of New gTLD strings Staff   23 April Complete 4 Public comment period on how Board should address GAC Advice re: Safeguards Public 23 April Comment:
May 14
Reply:
4 June In Progress 5 Collect and summarize applicant responses to GAC Advice Staff 11 May 31 May Not Started 6 Summarize and analyze public comments on how Board should address GAC Advice re: Safeguards Staff 5 June 12 June Not Started 7 Review and consider Applicant responses to GAC Advice and Public Comments on how Board should respond to GAC Advice re: Safeguards New gTLD Program Committee 13 June 20 June Not Started

Part 2 consists of actions for responding to each advice given by the GAC. In so doing, the NGPC is developing a GAC scorecard similar to the one used during the GAC and the Board meetings in Brussels on 28 February and 1 March 2011.

Each GAC scorecard item will be noted with a "1A", "1B", or "2":

• "1A" indicates that the NGPC's proposed position is consistent with GAC advice as described in the Scorecard.
• "1B" indicates that the NGPC's proposed position is consistent with GAC advice as described in the Scorecard in principle, with some revisions to be made.
• "2" indicates that the NGPC's current position is not consistent with GAC advice as described in the Scorecard, and further discussion with the GAC is required following relevant procedures in the ICANN Bylaws.

Part 2 of the Plan is not yet finalized and, with respect to some of the advice, cannot be finalized until after the review of the Public Comments due to be completed on 20 June.

The NGPC will next meet in Amsterdam on 18 May and will provide a further update following that meeting.

10 May 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 10 May 2013 Categories/Tags:

• Top Level Domains
• Policy Processes
• Contracted Party Agreements

Purpose (Brief): ICANN is opening a Public Comment Period for the proposed Whois Information Status Policy. Members of the Internet Community are asked to provide feedback on the proposed document. The proposed Policy is based on a recommendation from the Generic Names Supporting Organization Council related to the display of statuses in the Whois output by registry operators and registrars. Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/wisp-10may13-en.htm

3 May 2013

ICANN is actively seeking locations for its three public meetings to be held 8-12 February 2015 in Africa, 21-25 June 2015 in Latin America/Caribbean Islands, and 18-22 October 2015 in Europe. Those in the geographic regions are invited to submit recommendations for specific locations to hold the events. These recommended venues, along with others in the region that meet the selection criteria, will be considered. The final location for the ICANN Meetings will then be selected through the evaluation of both community-recommended and ICANN-identified locations.

Interested parties are encouraged to review the Meeting Selection Criteria, which will be used to guide the evaluation of both community-recommended and ICANN-identified meeting locations. Elements such as cost of the meeting for ICANN and the community, convenience to international airports, availability of sufficient hotel guest rooms in or near the venue, meeting facilities, network infrastructure, personal safety of meeting participants, and total level of financial support will be considered by ICANN in making its final selection of a meeting site.

Those interested in submitting a recommendation for a location to host the Meeting, or a proposal for host-level financial support in the region, are encouraged to submit the online Meeting Location Recommendation Form.

Meeting No. Official Dates Geographic Region (?) Submission Deadline No. 52 8-12 February 2015 AF 5 July 2013 No. 53 21-25 June 2015 LAC 5 July 2013 No. 54 18-22 October 2015 EUR 5 July 2013

2 May 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 2 May 2013 Categories/Tags:

• Policy Processes
• Reviews/Improvements

Purpose (Brief): The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council is proposing a modification of the GNSO Operating Procedures to make the deadline for the submission of reports and motions more precise and uniform. Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/gnso-op-procedures-02may13-en.htm

1 May 2013

How Do I Apply for the Fellowship Program

The Fellowship Program has demonstrated success in its mission to build capacity in the ICANN multi-stakeholder environment through focused interactive engagement between newcomers to ICANN and community members at each of the ICANN meetings. The program seeks to identify members of the Internet community who either have not previously been able to participate in ICANN processes and constituent organizations, or those who require further exposure to the Internet community and its work but cannot travel and attend a meeting without financial support. This outreach program seeks participants from developing regions and countries of the world, in order to help create a broader base of knowledgeable constituents who will become the new voice of experience in their regions and beyond.

Applications to become an ICANN Fellow are assessed for each meeting by an independent selection committee. Priority is given to applicants who: meet minimum program requirements; are current residents of developing and least developed nations; and are interested in participating in the ICANN multi-stakeholder process and its supporting organizations, advisory committees or stakeholder groups. An effort will be made to include participants from the region where each particular ICANN meeting takes place, once minimum requirements have been met per the selection committee.

All confirmed fellowship participants must comply with the terms and conditions of the Fellowship program, as outlined at http://www.icann.org/en/about/participate/fellowships/terms-conditions. As stated within these terms and conditions, ICANN is a California non-profit public benefit corporation and must therefore comply with all the laws and regulations of California and the United States. Fellows are responsible for obtaining all travel visas once accepted into the program. ICANN will purchase tickets for Fellows after all necessary documentation has been obtained and Fellows demonstrate that they have obtained all necessary travel visas.

Once all of the requirements for travel are met, the Fellowship program arranges for and covers the costs for airfare and hotel, as well as providing a stipend to assist with some meeting and subsistence costs. The stipend is provided after each selected candidate successfully completes the requirements of the Fellowship program. Recipients will be expected to actively participate in and contribute to ICANN processes during and after the meeting. As always, registration for ICANN's meetings is free for anyone wanting to attend.

Find out more »

30 April 2013

Join ICANN Staff and members of the Registrar Negotiating Team for an update on the Proposed Final 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement that was posted for public comment on 22 April 2013.

Webinar Details

Date: Monday, 6 May 2013

Time: 15:00-16:30 UTC

Adobe Connect: http://icann.adobeconnect.com/raa-dt

You are invited to an overview of the proposed final 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) that was posted for public comment 22 April 2013. This is an opportunity to learn more about the proposed changes to the RAA that are expected to come about now that the negotiations between ICANN and the Registrar Negotiating Team have drawn to a close. ICANN is hosting this webinar in support of the ongoing public comment forum. ICANN staff and members of the Registrar Negotiating Team will walk you through, and will respond to questions on, the enhancements in the proposed 2013 RAA and the differences from the 2009 RAA that is currently in force for most ICANN-accredited registrars today.

Please join this webinar on Monday, 6 April at 15:00 UTC (duration 90 minutes). The meeting will be run in an Adobe Connect room with a slide presentation. The session will be conducted in English.

Participants will have the opportunity to offer comments and ask questions during the Q&A section. During the course of the webinar, these may be submitted using the chat function of Adobe Connect. If you cannot join the live session, the recording of the session will be made available shortly after the meeting.

Please register via email to peg.rettino@icann.org by Friday, 3 May 2013 at 20:00 UTC to receive the dial-in details. If you are not able to obtain the dial-in details prior to the start of the webinar, the dial-in details will be posted in the Notes section of the Adobe Connect room during the webinar.

Update on 8 May 2013: The recording of the webinar can be accessed here and the presentation from the webinar can be accessed here.

Background documents:

• All portions of the Proposed Final 2013 RAA are available in the public comment forum

30 April 2013

ICANN is issuing today two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to identify potential providers of Registry Restrictions Dispute Resolution Procedure (RRDRP) services and Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (Trademark PDDRP) services. These Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedures have been developed to provide those harmed by a new gTLD Registry Operator's conduct an alternative avenue to complain about that conduct. The RRDRP is intended to address circumstances in which a community-based New gTLD Registry Operator deviates from the registration restrictions outlined in its Registry Agreement. The Trademark PDDRP generally addresses a Registry Operator's complicity in trademark infringement on the first or second level of a New gTLD.

Candidates for operating the RRDRP or the Trademark PDDRP are expected to meet the requirements outlined in the respective RFPs. Some are common for both, for example, experience of handling dispute resolutions and serving as globally diverse and highly qualified neutral panelist. For each procedure there are also specific requirement. For the Trademark PDDRP, candidates need for example to demonstrate understanding of the issues concerning global intellectual property rights and the Internet, and for the RRDRP candidates should demonstrate an understanding of priorities, needs and vulnerabilities of communities 1 in an expedited online context. Full information is given in the respective RFPs – for the RRDRP see http://www.icann.org/en/news/rfps/rrdrp-30apr13-en.pdf 2 [PDF, 157 KB] and for the TM PDDRP see http://www.icann.org/en/news/rfps/tm-pddrp-30apr13-en.pdf 3 [PDF, 158 KB]. ICANN seeks candidates with a proven ability to manage and support processes in a global context, in addition to fulfillment of the technical requirements.

RFP activities schedule at a glance: Requests for Proposals issued by ICANN 30 April 2013 Respondents' Q&A – Teleconference 28 May 2013 Written responses due 10 June 2013 (23:59 UTC) Selected providers published Not later than 30 June 2013

The deadline for responses is 10 June 2013 at 23:59 UTC. Responses should be submitted to: rrdrp-eoi@icann.org regarding RRDRP or tmpddrp-eoi@icann.org regarding Trademark PDDRP.

Announcement revision note 2 May 2013:

1 Word replace from proceedings with communities for clarity.

2 & 3 PDF files replaced with corrected links for the procedure texts.

Announcement revision note 21 May 2013:

Dates for the Q&A – Teleconference and response due dates have been revised.

30 April 2013

In order to provide additional time for candidates to apply, ICANN's 2013 Nominating Committee (NomCom) has extended the deadline for Statements of Interest until 15 May 2013 at 23:59 UTC.

The 2013 NomCom is actively seeking qualified candidates for the following key positions within ICANN:

• Three members of the Board of Directors of ICANN
• Three members of the At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) (one each from the Africa, Asia/Australia/Pacific Islands and Latin America/Caribbean Islands regions)
• Two members of the Council of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO)
• One member of the Council of the Country-Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO)

More information about the positions is available at: http://nomcom.icann.org/positions-2013.htm.

Statements of Interest for the positions described above can be submitted through an on-line application form at http://nomcom.icann.org/apply. Applications will be considered in confidence and should be received by 15 May 2013 for full consideration. Selections will be announced by early September 2013. Successful candidates will take up their positions following ICANN's Annual Meeting in November 2013.

The 2013 NomCom began its work in October 2012 after the ICANN Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, and has since then organized outreach events in multiple locations. The NomCom holds regular conference calls to plan and follow-up its work. More information regarding the Nominating Committee can be found at: http://nomcom.icann.org/.

Candidate recommendations, questions or comments may also be emailed to nomcom2013@icann.org.

29 April 2013 Forum Announcement: Comment Period Opens on Date: 29 April 2013 Categories/Tags: Top-Level Domains Purpose (Brief): ICANN is seeking public comment on a revised draft of the New gTLD Registry Agreement that will serve as the contractual document between successful New gTLD Applicants and ICANN, and will govern the rights and obligations of new gTLD registry operators. ICANN has made certain updates and changes to the New gTLD Registry Agreement in response to community feedback on the version of the New gTLD Registry Agreement posted for public comment on 5 February 2013 and discussions of the New gTLD Registry Agreement at the ICANN 46 meeting in Beijing, China 7-11 April 2013. Public Comment Box Link: http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/base-agreement-29apr13-en.htm