The GNSO Council has initiated a Policy Developmenty Process (PDP) on the protection of names and acronyms of certain international organizations in the top and second levels of all gTLDs including, International Government Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations such as the Red Cross/Red Crescent (RCRC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Recent Developments
The GNSO Council initiated a PDP at its public meeting in Toronto to evaluate the need for, and to develop any policy recommendations to provide additional special protections at the top and second level in all gTLDs for the names and acronyms of certain international organizations. These organizations are International Government Organizations (IGOs) and International Non-Government Organizations (INGOs).
This PDP specifically includes the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the American Red Cross (collectively, the “RCRC”) and the International Olympic Committee (“IOC”). Currently, there are no permanent special protections available for these international organization names beyond the general Rights Protection Mechanisms established for existing and new gTLDs. The PDP will be considering possible permanent protections in all gTLDs, including at the second level of the first round of new gTLDs, for the IOC and RC names, as well as additional special protections for the names of IGOs and other INGOs that are protected by international treaties and national laws in multiple jurisdictions.
Next Steps
A PDP Working Group will be formed after the GNSO Council adopts the PDP WG Charter. After considering specific issues as outlined in its charter and the Final Issue Report, the Working Group is expected to make recommendations to the GNSO Council for any specific necessary additional special protections for the names of certain international organizations. The Working Group is expected to publish its Initial Report for public comment in early 2013.
More Information
- GNSO Resolution on the Initiation of the PDP
- Final GNSO Issue Report on the Protection of International Organization Names in New gTLDs [PDF, 675 KB]
This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
https://www.myicann.org/news/topics/1197/page/1/articles/17409