A three-tier allocation method is planned. First a “request for proposals” similar to the pioneer-type programmes seen recently in .MOBI and .ASIA. Prospective applicants would have at least 6 weeks to submit their requests. A non-refundable fee of US$500 maximum would be charged.

Afilias then plans auctions for those names not requested during the RFP. And should some names not receive any bids during the auction process, they would then simply be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

The names themselves are the last remnants of the 20,000+ requests that were blocked during the 2001 .INFO Sunrise when the registry discovered multiple cases of abuse.

Most of the names were reallocated in 2002, but some required more review and have stayed locked until now.

We contacted ICANN to obtain the list of these names and learned that Afilias had not told ICANN whether such a list would be made public before the start of the reallocation process.

Original article : http://www.domainesinfo.fr/english/222/info-names-locked-since-2001-set-to-be-released.php