Proposed TLD Sponsorship Agreement: Attachment 8 (.museum) Posted: 21 August 2001 Start-Up Plan This Attachment specifies the start-up plan for the .museum Sponsored TLD. Phase 0: Naming Convention Development and Demonstration Period This period began on 30 June 2001. The Sponsor, MuseDoma, will use reasonable commercial efforts to complete it by a date no later than three months after the Effective Date. (Note: In this attachment, the notation "ED + n" refers to a period after the Effective Date, where n is a time period in days or months.) In any event it will conclude no later than ED + 5 months. The Naming Convention Development and Demonstration Period is intended to allow the Sponsor, working with the participation of the Sponsored TLD Community, to develop and demonstrate the initial naming conventions for the Sponsored TLD. Names inserted into the .museum zone during the Naming Convention Development and Demonstration Period will be strictly under MuseDoma's control (except as inclusion or exclusion of names may be required by ICANN under the TLD Sponsorship Agreement) and will not be registered to third parties. For demonstration purposes, however, names included in museums' expressions of interest may be deployed in the .museum zone. Inclusion of these names is strictly for demonstration purposes, and the names may be removed at any time with or without notice because of changes in the naming conventions or for other reasons. The procedures followed during the Naming Convention Development and Demonstration Period are: Phase 0.1: Familiarization/consultation period (30 June 2001 to ED + 14 days): Publicize the .museum TLD within the Sponsored TLD community. Promote community discussion of proposed naming conventions for the .museum TLD using the MUSEDOMA-DISCUSS e-mail discussion list and hold an initial public presentation at the ICOM General Conference in Barcelona, 1-6 July 2001. Receive expressions of interests from museums and professional associations of museums for the registration of names within the .museum TLD. These are being received at http://www.musedoma.org/name_requests/. On ED + 1 day, MuseDoma will announce to the museum community that the deadline for expressions of interest that will be included in the initially demonstrated naming convention (NC1) is ED + 14 days. Phase 0.2: NC1 preparation period (from ED + 14 to ED + 28 days): Based on the expressions of interest, MuseDoma will compile a list of names and IP addresses to be included in NC1. The purpose of NC1 is to demonstrate to the museum community the initial naming conventions and to receive feedback from the community on how they can be enhanced to meet the community's needs. On ED + 21 days, publish on the MuseDoma web site a detailed explanation of NC1 and a list of the names to be initially included in NC1. By ED + 26 days, a master (primary) nameserver will be established with the initial NC load, with four slave (secondary) nameservers configured to pick up the .museum zone through Notify/AXFR. MuseDoma will be responsible for providing and operating the primary nameserver; ICANN will assist with finding of volunteers to provide the secondary nameservers. Phase 0.3: NC1 demonstration period (beginning ED + 28 days for at least 28 days): On ED + 28 days, .museum will be delegated in the Authoritative Root-Server System to the five nameservers that have been established. During Phase 0.3, MuseDoma will promote discussion in the museum community, using the MUSEDOMA-DISCUSS e-mail discussion list and otherwise, concerning evaluation of NC1 and suggestions for a second demonstrated naming convention (NC2). Beginning on ED + 31 days, additional names may be added to the NC1 demonstration based on a rolling basis as expressions of interest are received. During Phase 0.3, the registry function will be performed manually by MuseDoma, as will zone-file assembly. The number of Registered Names included in Phase 0.3 may be limited based on workload considerations. No later than seven days before the conclusion of Phase 0.3, MuseDoma will publish on the MuseDoma web site a detailed explanation of NC2, a description of the adjustments made to NC1 in establishing NC2, and a list of the names to be initially included in NC2. Phase 0.4: NC2 demonstration period: Phase 0.4 (the NC2 demonstration period) will begin at the conclusion of Phase 0.3. Phase 0.4 will have elements similar to Phase 0.3, including discussion on the MUSEDOMA-DISCUSS mailing list and otherwise of the merits of NC2 and suggestions for adjustments. If a significant adjustment to NC2 is determined by MuseDoma to be appropriate, MuseDoma may implement demonstration periods (Phases 0.5, etc.) for subsequent naming conventions (NC3, etc.) following similar procedures as for Phase 0.4. If no further adjustment seems necessary or purposeful at the conclusion of Phase 0.3, Phase 0.4 will not be conducted and Phase 0 will be brought to a close. It is anticipated that differences between NC1 and NC2 may be significant, but that subsequent naming conventions will involve diminishing degrees of changes. MuseDoma will give ICANN thirty days written notice of the conclusion of Phase 0. Also during Phase 0, the following activities will occur: Selection and negotiation of registry agreement with Registry Operator. MuseDoma will select a Registry Operator and negotiate appropriate contractual arrangements with it to assume responsibility for all Registry Services (other than ENS Services) at the commencement of Phase 1. Commencement of ENS Services. MuseDoma will commence providing ENS Services in Phase 0. These services will involve verifying the eligibility of museums, professional associations of museums, and individual members of the museum profession to register Registered Names within .museum; compiling a list of such institutions; and, once the naming conventions become sufficiently stable, determining the names to be assigned to eligible registrants. MuseDoma may charge for providing ENS Services during Phase 0 consistent with Attachment 2. There shall be no charges made for registration services during Phase 0, inasmuch as names are placed in the .museum zone for demonstration purposes only, with museums, professional associations of museums, and individual members of the museum profession not having any right to inclusion (or continued inclusion) of their names in the .museum zone during Phase 0. Selection of ICANN-Accredited Registrars for Phase 1. No later than ED + 14 days, MuseDoma will announce that at least five ICANN-Accredited Registrars will be selected to provide registrar services for .museum during Phase 1. MuseDoma will distribute an application for interested registrars and a proposed agreement between MuseDoma and registrars no later than ED + 28 days. MuseDoma will accept applications until ED + 56 days. MuseDoma will announce its selection of registrars for Phase 1 on approximately 21 days before the conclusion of Phase 0. MuseDoma will use reasonable commercial efforts to select at least five ICANN-Accredited Registrars for inclusion in Phase 1. Phase 1: Start-Up Registration Period The Start-Up Registration Period (Phase 1) will begin at the conclusion of the Naming Convention Development and Demonstration Period (Phase 0) and will last for approximately four months. During the Start-Up Registration Period, registration activities will be conducted by the Registry Operator through the authorized ICANN-Accredited Registrars. The Registry Operator will provide Registry Services (including nameservice but not including ENS Services) for the .museum TLD in compliance with functional and performance requirements beginning at the commencement of Phase 1. Whois service (Subsection 3.11) and zone-file access (Subsection 3.10) will begin no later than the commencement of Phase 1. Data escrow (Subsection 3.12) will begin no later than thirty days after commencement of Phase 1. Only registrations that are in strict conformity with the naming conventions and related policy requirements that are posted on the MuseDoma web site at the conclusion of Phase 0 will be accepted in Phase 1. Registration agreements (Subsection 3.7) must be in place for all Registered Names during Phase 1 and thereafter (other than Registered Names not sponsored by ICANN-Accredited Registrars under Subsection 3.9). During Phase 1, fees for Registry Services will be paid by registrars to the Registry Operator. During Phase 1, MuseDoma will continue to provide ENS Services. It may charge for providing ENS Services during Phase 1 consistent with Attachment 2. Also during Phase 1, MuseDoma will entertain applications by additional ICANN-Accredited Registrars to be selected to provide registrar services for .museum for Phase 2, with the goal of having at least ten approved ICANN-Accredited Registrars at all times during Phase 2. MuseDoma will give ICANN thirty days written notice of the conclusion of Phase 1. Phase 2: Full Operations Phase 2 will commence at the conclusion of Phase 1 and shall continue for the remainder of the Term of the Agreement. During Phase 2, registration activities will be conducted by the Registry Operator through the authorized ICANN-Accredited Registrars. The Registry Operator will provide Registry Services for the .museum TLD, other than ENS Services. In addition to offering registrations in strict conformity with the naming conventions and related policy requirements that are posted on the MuseDoma web site, in Phase 2 the .museum TLD may offer registration of domain names in strictly limited exception to the posted naming conventions. For all registrants, MuseDoma will provide ENS Services at the commencement of Phase 2. It may charge for providing ENS Services during Phase 2 consistent with Attachment 2. The processing of requests for exception from the naming conventions will be included in the ENS Services. Later in Phase 2, MuseDoma will consider, in consultation with the Sponsored TLD Community, whether the provision of ENS Services should be distributed on a broader collaborative basis among appropriate organizations selected by MuseDoma. MuseDoma's goal is to have at least ten approved ICANN-Accredited Registrars serving .museum at all times during Phase 2, and MuseDoma will use reasonable commercial efforts to maintain at least five ICANN-Accredited Registrars throughout Phase 2. Comments concerning the layout, construction and functionality of this site should be sent to webmaster@icann.org. Page Updated 21-Aug-2001 (c) 2001  The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. All rights reserved.