Goldstein Report

Tag: Melbourne IT

  • ICANN Posts Tentative Roadmap for the Processing of New gTLD Applications by Philip Corwin

    ICANN Posts Tentative Roadmap for the Processing of New gTLD Applications by Philip Corwin

    by Philip Corwin, Internet Commerce Association

    Philip Corwin imageICANN has posted a “tentative roadmap” for the future direction of the new gTLD program. It is available at newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-17aug12-en .

    This August 17th notice explains that, now that pre-evaluation “batching” has been ruled out, the technical limit of adding a maximum of 1,000 domains per year will require the selection of a pre-delegation “metering” process. The notice provides six separate examples of potential metering techniques but goes on to state that no decision has yet been made, adding:

    Proposed solutions for Metering are being considered in coordination with the ICANN community. Solutions will take some time to implement, and the timeline is ultimately dependent on developmental work as well as the consultation process…at this stage it is only possible to provide a tentative roadmap for the processing of new gTLD applications. If community support emerges for a single Metering solution, the Board might be able to approve an approach after a single round of public comment. Otherwise, an additional round of community consultation might be necessary to develop community consensus.

    The notice includes a detailed but nonetheless tentative schedule. This tentative schedule projects that Initial Evaluation results of all new gTLD applications will be published in June 2013 and that the first delegation request will take place two months later, in August. Given the various activities that new registries will need to engage in prior to opening registrations to the general public, the first such registrations will likely occur as previously projected by ICANN in early 2014.

    The notice holds out some hope that the process can be accelerated, stating:

    The current Evaluation phase is estimated at eleven months. This has been significantly accelerated from previously posted timelines. Additional acceleration is being sought and will be reported if and when new timelines are agreed.

    However, the notice also indicates that both the schedule and the ultimate choice of metering solution could be negatively affected if the community is unable to quickly coalesce around a consensus approach to metering:

    A solution for the Metering technique must be implemented before the end of the Evaluation phase on May 15, 2013. There is, therefore, some “slack” in the schedule, but it would be preferable not to wait until the last moment, as some solutions may take longer than others to implement and may no longer be viable as time passes.

    While not mentioned in the notice, only those applications for new gTLD “strings” that face no issues will be added to the root at the beginning of the delegation phase. So, for example, applications for strings that attract GAC warnings or objections, that are subject to other types of objections, that face string similarity evaluations, or that have been applied for by multiple applicants and may be headed to auction, will face additional delays and would be delegated to the root later in 2014 or even 2015 or beyond.

    There is also the possibility that controversial subjects may be reopened and subject to extensive debate. For example, Melbourne IT has just proposed extensive policy changes to the two required Rights Protection Mechanisms – the Trademark Clearinghouse and Uniform Rapid Suspension – in regard to so-called High At-Risk Trademarks. If these divisive subjects are reopened that could well delay the launch of the first new gTLDs for an indeterminate period. (See www.melbourneit.info/news-centre/Releases/Melbourne-IT-Urges-ICANN-to-Consider-Stricter-Protections-to-Minimize-Consumer-and-Business-Harm-in-new-gTLDs)

    Finally, litigation retarding particular strings or the entire new gTLD program could also be filed and add to delay. Last week’s U.S. District Court ruling in California reaffirming that ICANN is subject to the antitrust laws, particularly in regard to defensive registrations, could well be cited by a potential litigant.

    Summing up, all that can be said with certainty about the schedule for new gTLDs is that ICANN has provided a roadmap subject to revision, and is seeking to expedite matters while gathering community input on a consensus metering mechanism – but that the actual schedule remains uncertain and subject to a variety of factors that are beyond ICANN’s control.

    This article by the Internet Commerce Association’s Philip Corwin was sourced with permission from:
    internetcommerce.org/Tentative_Roadmap

  • Melbourne IT Urges ICANN to Consider Stricter Protections to Minimize Consumer and Business Harm in new gTLDs

    Melbourne IT Urges ICANN to Consider Stricter Protections to Minimize Consumer and Business Harm in new gTLDs

    • Melbourne IT releases Community Discussion Paper to protect consumers and organizations from the misuse of well-known name
    • Concerned organizations invited to support and help develop policy proposal further

    Melbourne IT Group logo[news release] Melbourne IT today called on ICANN to provide greater consumer protection to reduce the risk of public confusion or fraud in new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) by strengthening safeguards for the use of well-known names at the second level before more than 1,000 new gTLDs are introduced on to the Internet from 2013.

    Melbourne IT supports more than 3,800 well-known organizations around the world with digital brand management services. The company has released a Community Discussion Paper, entitled ‘Minimizing HARM‘ which outlines a policy alternative whereby organizations with ‘High At-Risk Marks’ should be afforded greater protections at the second level (ie. names to the left of the dot), which ICANN could adopt to boost consumer protection. Melbourne IT has invited concerned organizations to help support and develop the proposal further.

    Melbourne IT CEO & Managing Director, Theo Hnarakis, said organizations were rightly concerned by the heightened potential for misuse of their names to defraud consumers in the many new proposed gTLDs with open registration policies similar to .com.

    “Well-known distinctive names have acted as a reliable signpost for consumers for centuries – they allow consumers to quickly identify the organization they are interacting with and carry implied trust or distrust based on those interactions. Trademark law was established to protect the use of these distinctive names. Domain name misuse abuses that consumer trust and the potential for misuse of well-known distinctive names among new gTLDs at the second level is significant. Affording greater protections to well-known names in new gTLDs will allow ICANN to provide greater protection to consumers online as well as helping organizations defend their reputations online,” Mr Hnarakis said.

    “In a new gTLD world, organizations will still need to be more proactive in monitoring for online infringements, that is not going to disappear; but what we are asking ICANN for is a stronger process to increase consumer protection by shielding high at-risk names that are regularly abused by cybersquatters, phishers and counterfeiters online. ICANN’s current guidelines and initiatives to protect trademark holders do not go far enough,” he said.

    “The Community Discussion Paper which Melbourne IT has developed aims to form the basis for a strong, credible, and balanced policy document developed by the community to put to the ICANN community for consideration at ICANN’s Toronto meeting in October. I encourage all concerned businesses, governments, non-profit organizations and consumer interest groups to join us in developing this policy into a compelling solution for what is likely to be a significant problem for consumers online.”

    Melbourne IT will hold a working group summit in Washington D.C. on September 18th to further discuss the proposal and the issues it raises. The details of the summit, including guest speakers and timings, will be announced shortly.

    To summarize, Minimizing HARM proposes:

    A list of ‘High At-Risk’ Trademarks

    • The creation of a list of ‘High At-Risk Marks’, or HARMs, that is based on a robust and credible scoring system to determine which brands qualify as a HARM and therefore are afforded greater protections

    Sunrise Privileges

    • HARMs may be protected through defensive registration during new gTLD Sunrise phases where the trademark owner can pay a one-off blocking fee to register the name, with no on-going renewal fee and the domain name not resolving (a process successfully used during ICM Registry’s .xxx Sunrise B process)

    Stronger registration requirements

    • New gTLD registries must validate at least two contact details (amongst Phone number, email address, or postal address) of registrants that register a name that matches a HARM
    • Registrants must warrant that their use of the mark will not infringe
    • Provisions for trademark claims, which are currently restricted to 60 days, be extended to an ongoing basis for HARMs

    Stronger suspension and recovery rules

    • Upon registration of a name that matches a HARM, the trademark owner is immediately notified
    • The domain name can be suspended with 48 hours’ notice by the trademark owner of domain name misuse
    • Registrant can pay a bond (equal to URS fee paid by complainant) to have the name reinstated while a URS process is underway
    • Registrant will lose the bond if the registrant loses the dispute. The Trademark owner will receive a refund of their fee from the dispute provider if they are successful. If the Registrant is successful, the bond is refunded. This is similar to the equal payment rules for the Legal Rights Objection process at the top level.

    A key distinction in this proposal is to balance the costs for registrants and owners of High At-Risk Marks in the dispute resolution process, and ensure appropriate accountability by the registrant for their actions.

    Melbourne IT invites all concerned organizations wishing to support this proposal and participate in its development to contact Tony Smith at Melbourne IT via email: tony.smith@melbourneit.com.au. Details of the Washington D.C. event in late September will be announced shortly.

    This Melbourne IT news release was sourced from:
    www.melbourneit.info/news-centre/Releases/Melbourne-IT-Urges-ICANN-to-Consider-Stricter-Protections-to-Minimize-Consumer-and-Business-Harm-in-new-gTLDs.xml

  • Melbourne IT urges brands to swiftly evaluate new Internet domain application risks

    [news release] With fewer than four weeks of ICANN’s official public-comment period for the 1,930 new Top Level Domain applications remaining, online brand specialist Melbourne IT Digital Brand Services (DBS) today urged brands to prioritize the assessment of potential risks and promptly respond before the comment window closes on August 12th.

    More than 1,400 unique domain names, or ‘strings,’ were applied for among the 1,930 applications for new Top Level Domains (TLDs) announced by ICANN on June 13, including strings such as .shop, .baby, .football, and .home. Melbourne IT CEO, Theo Hnarakis, said while many brands applied for their own trademarks as a new TLD, all organizations need to review and assess all of the submitted applications to see if any of the applications pose a risk to their own brands.

    “Every organization has a different risk profile and tolerance level in relation to their brand or online presence and strategy. We urge all brands to identify and carefully examine the top level domain strings which have been applied for that are relevant to their business, then judge whether they pose a business risk and take the opportunity to respond accordingly. For instance, financial institutions will be interested in who has applied for .bank, retailers should examine the applicants for .shop, and hoteliers will take a keen interest in applications for .hotel,” Mr. Hnarakis said.

    “It is not necessarily as simple as merely looking at the list and being confident in knowing which brands or entities are applying, and for what string, particularly with applications being accepted in languages other than English for strings using non-Latin characters,” he said.

    “With less than a month left to file a comment with ICANN during the public comment phase, the race against the clock has begun. In our experience, few runners are prepared to navigate the track, let alone the hurdles of the new gTLD Applicant Guidebook. There is a very short window for legal teams to wade through thousands of pages of detail to make sense of the data and translate raw facts into astute analysis and an actionable strategy. Time is running out.”

    Melbourne IT DBS’s risk-review services offer two options to help quickly analyze published applications and determine risk – within ICANN’s limited 60-day comment window.

    Tailored risk reports developed by an experienced Melbourne IT consultant, who analyzes new TLDs for potential risk and provides recommendations – such as whether or not public comments should be posted or whether or not an organization should consider filing a formal objection.
    A powerful self-service information database that combines the publicly available ICANN data with proprietary qualitative assessments to help brand owners make better informed decisions. Using the database, brand owners can rapidly scan new TLD application data under a number of different criteria, including IDN translations, trademark classifications, industry categorizations, string similarity and much more. Data is supplemented with qualitative assessments of the mission statements, abuse prevention provisions and proposed registration processes detailed in the applications.

    Both services are available immediately through Melbourne IT’s TLD Risk Assessment Center (TRAC).

    “Time is one of the most critical elements of the new TLD challenge. Tackling a complex, time-consuming project such as this and developing effective public comments in a matter of weeks, to either support or oppose a new TLD application, will challenge even the most well-resourced organization. Working with experts with many years of experience and a strong understanding of the Application Guidebook means companies can approach the challenge confidently,” Mr. Hnarakis said.

    Each TRAC risk report covers a list of up to 15 new TLD applications with a full analysis of the potential risks. Subsequently, a verbal debrief takes place with a Melbourne IT consultant to discuss the findings and recommended strategies to address any exposed risks – whether lodging a comment, formally objecting or determining whether a defensive second-level domain registration strategy is needed.

    For those organizations wishing to undertake their own risk assessment, the self-service TRAC custom search and analysis tool facilitates deep searches of TLD application data to assist legal teams be more efficient and effective in their response. For more information about Melbourne IT’s TRAC services, visit www.gtldscan.com.

    About Melbourne IT Digital Brand Services

    Melbourne IT DBS helps organizations manage, protect and optimize online brands to maximize the value of online assets. The Company helps clients minimize risk and make smarter decisions in managing online presence. The company’s 3,800 clients include some of the world’s most recognizable brands. Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, Melbourne IT DBS maintains 15 offices in 10 countries, and is a division of the listed Melbourne IT Group (ASX: MLB). For more information, visit www.melbourneitdbs.com.

    This Melbourne IT DBS news release was sourced from:
    www.melbourneit.info/news-centre/Releases/Melbourne-IT-urges-brands-to-swiftly-evaluate-new-Internet-domain-application-risks.xml

  • ARI Wins .SYDNEY, .MELBOURNE & .VICTORIA As Big Guns Wheel Out Announcements

    ARI Wins .SYDNEY, .MELBOURNE & .VICTORIA As Big Guns Wheel Out Announcements

    ARI Registry Services has been selected by the NSW and Victorian governments to assist with the application and operation of the .SYDNEY, .MELBOURNE and .VICTORIA top level domains.ARI Registry Services has engaged professional services firm Ernst & Young and digital brand management services provider Melbourne IT to assist its consultancy work in developing the application for three Top-Level Domains that adhere to ICANN’s strict requirements.It was a big week for Australia on the TLD front with ARI Registry Services also securing the rights to apply for the TLD for one of the country’s most popular sports, the Australian Football League – .AFL.Meanwhile, other providers of services for TLD applicants have been alerting us to their successes, even if they have not been trumpeting who their clients are.It was announced by Domain Incite that Minds + Machines parent Top Level Domain Holdings has registered for another 20 TLD application slots with ICANN, bringing its total to date to 40. And Melbourne IT announced in an investor presentation for its full year results that there are 120 global brands working with their Digital Brands Services as of 14 February and they expect to be handling 150 applications by the closing date for new applications on 12 April.Melbourne IT, like many others, believe there will be a total of 1000 to 1500 applications for new TLDs coming online in 2013.These announcements could spur potential applicants, in particular brands, into belatedly applying for their own TLDs, with ARI Registry Services’ CEO Adrian Kinderis saying on the announcement of the .SYDNEY, .MELBOURNE and .VICTORIA announcements that:
    “It’s great to see Australian governments and corporate entities embracing the opportunities presented by new Top-Level Domains and securing their identity as a digital asset for their constituents and stakeholders. Operating a Top-Level Domain is a significant undertaking and the governments of New South Wales and Victoria recognised the need for expertise, security and reliability in operating a core piece of Internet infrastructure. That’s why ARI Registry Services was selected for this critical project.””The introduction of new Top-Level Domains marks a sweeping evolution of the Internet. The appointment of ARI Registry Services by the governments’ of New South Wales and Victoria to provide strategic planning consultancy, application development support and technical registry operations will ensure the success of this ground breaking initiative. With world leading domain name industry experience and expertise, and the backing of our project partner, Melbourne IT and advisor Ernst & Young, we look forward to developing an asset that supports the needs of stakeholders and Internet users globally,” Mr Kinderis said.

  • Brands Owners Expected To Defy US-Based Trade Associations And Apply For TLDs

    ICANN is to begin accepting applications for new generic Top Level Domains from tomorrow (12 January) with indications being that there will be somewhere between 1000 and 1500 applications during the three month application window.Defying attempts by largely US-based advertising and marketing organisations such as the Association of National Advertisers to stop or delay the programme, both Melbourne IT and ARI Registry Services (formerly AusRegistry International) have said they expect around two-thirds of applications to be from brand names.”Big brands from around the world have already engaged with Melbourne IT Digital Brand Services to help them apply for more than 100 new TLDs,” said Theo Hnarakis, Melbourne IT CEO and Managing Director.”Big name companies in the financial sector, plus the retail and consumer goods industries have shown the most interest in applying so far, and roughly a quarter of the companies we are assisting are members of the Fortune Global 500. Applicants working with Melbourne IT also include members of the U.S. Association of National Advertisers. We expect more brands to follow now the application window has opened and the program’s final application deadline of April 12 looms nearer,” Hnarakis said.Entrepreneurs seeking to profit from generic terms like .shop or .hotel are expected to make up around 30 per cent of applications while the remaining ten per cent will come from governments and other groups wanting to represent their city or region online with a geographic TLD like .sydney, .paris or .tokyo.”Analysis of more than 400 clients we’ve engaged with globally over the past year shows technology and finance companies in Asia Pacific and the US lead the pack,” said Adrian Kinderis, CEO of ARI Registry Services.Strongest interest has come from businesses in the Asia Pacific region (52%), followed by the United States (29%), Europe (10%), Middle East (7%) and Africa (2%).”The first round of new domains will be dominated by technology brands (20%), as the IT industry recognises the huge opportunity to innovate. This will be closely followed by banks and other financial service providers (11%) who are jumping at the opportunity for the increased online security and trust that comes with a .brand domain,” Kinderis said.Demand for new TLDs is likely to driven in part due to the difficulty in obtaining desirable domain names for new businesses and brands.”It takes about an average of 50 attempts until you actually secure a domain name that might exist because so many of them have already been registered,” Hnarakis told Sky News.”Now’s the perfect time for brands to consider a new Top-Level Domain as part of their long-term digital marketing strategy,” said Kinderis.Speculating on the results, Kinderis said the attractive sales and marketing benefits of new TLDs has likely appealed to the IT, finance and retail industries as a way to differentiate themselves -especially important in light of the economic downturn.”A .brand new Top-Level Domain will deliver improved trust, leadership, customer engagement and message recall by providing a direct connection between the customer and the brand experience online. The rapid growth of e-commerce and online retail also complements the move to a .brand domain name. For example, in the near future we may see short, relevant and memorable domain names such as iphone.apple, creditcards, .hsbc and shoes.nike.”However, both Kinderis and Hnarakis warn that potential applicants need to act quickly if they want to reap these benefits as it is unlikely there will be another round of applications for at least two or three years.

  • New gTLDS Provide “Significant Opportunity” For Melbourne IT

    Melbourne IT’s half year results for the six months ending 30 June, released this week, show an 11 per cent year-on-year decreased in revenue to $87.6 million and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of $7.0 million, down 30% year-on-year. But the organisation predicts brighter days ahead with 17 companies confirming they will apply for a new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) in 2012.It was a disappointing result for the internet-based technology services company, severely impacted by the high currency valuation of the Australian dollar, that assists more than 350,000 customers around the world, including domain name registration services.”We remain confident of a much improved second half. The domain name industry’s decision to allow companies to register a wave of new, high-value, Top Level Domains provides a significant opportunity for Melbourne IT DBS, and we also expect improved performances from our Enterprise Services (ES) and ForTheRecord (FTR) divisions,” Melbourne IT CEO and Managing Director, Theo Hnarakis said.Melbourne IT say 17 customers have already signed to apply for their gTLD when ICANN opens the three month application window on 12 January and that more than 230 expressions of interest from large companies have been received in relation to obtaining a ‘.brand’ domain.New customers added in the six months to 30 June included Virgin Enterprises Limited, The Body Shop Australia, Australian Red Cross and Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, and one or more of these companies could be included in the 17.In an interview with ZDNet, Hnarakis said “That [figure] doesn’t include all the other things we can charge for in the future.””We believe that we can generate a reasonable amount of applications [for gTLDs] and I’ve indicated pricing is between $45,000 and $75,000. That doesn’t include management or any other activities.”Even a modest number of applications will bring a substantial impact.”Hnarkis, however, was playing full revenue forecasts for TLD sales close to his chest in his ZDNet interview, indicating only that they would be in the millions.”I don’t want to give you the absolute detail. We are in a competitive environment. We don’t want to be sharing this with our competitors,” he said.On the drop in earnings, Hnarakis said “Melbourne IT’s first half result was disappointing, being particularly severely impacted by the succession of post-float highs registered by the Australian Dollar in the past six months and continued soft conditions in the United States and Europe. On a constant currency basis using 2010 foreign exchange rates, revenues were down 6% to $92.1 million and deferred revenues down 4% to $52.1 million.”The full Melbourne IT announcement is available from:
    www.melbourneit.info/assets/announcements/Melbourne-IT-H111-Results-Release-230811.pdf