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Reveal Day Information and Links for Journalists

View the list of applied-for new gTLD strings.

Listen to the Event
Part 1 [MP3, 57.4 MB] | Part 2 [MP3, 129 MB]

Welcome to the Reveal Day Conference in London. Today is an exciting and evolutionary day for not only ICANN, but the Internet itself. The new gTLD program is one of the most profound changes the Internet will ever experience, and will have an amazing impact on the world of telecommunications. Below is a list of links that will help you get up to speed and learn even more about both ICANN and the new gTLD program.

Reveal Day Media Advisory [PDF, 211 KB]

Who applied for what?

This link provides a complete list of all applied for generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs). The list includes both the string and the applicant applying for that string.

Who will be speaking at the event?

Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer

Kurt Pritz, Senior VP of Stakeholder Relations

John Jeffrey, General Counsel

Brad White, Director of Global Media Affairs

I'm in a hurry and I'm browsing this from my smartphone. Is there a quick rundown of the new gTLD program?

http://archive.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/basics-new-extensions-21jul11-en.pdf [PDF, 1.06 MB]

This is a relatively brief PowerPoint-like presentation that covers the basics of new gTLDs. It's more smartphone friendly and should get you up to speed before the big reveal.

What exactly are gTLDs, and what was the process of applying for one?

http://archive.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/gtld-facts-31jul11-en.pdf [PDF, 1.15 MB]

This is a quick fact sheet about the new gTLDs, including the application process that took place prior to Reveal Day. This is a great primer if you're just beginning to learn about ICANN and the new gTLD program.

I have a more specific question about the new gTLDs.

http://archive.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/faqs-21oct11-en.pdf [PDF, 517 KB]

This extensive FAQ sheet covers just about anything you want to know about new gTLDs.

What exactly does ICANN do?

http://www.icann.org/en/about/welcome

http://archive.icann.org/en/factsheets/fact-sheet.html

The above links will give you a quick introduction to ICANN and how ICANN operates.

I don't understand a specific term or acronym being discussed. (e.g., EPP, ccTLD, GAC)

ICANN, like the rest of the tech world, uses a lot of acronyms and obscure terms. This glossary [PDF, 557 KB] covers just about everything that may be mentioned in one of the above links.

What is the next step, after Reveal Day?

This page gives a general overview of what comes after Reveal Day and the process that all gTLD applicants will go through to find out if their string has been approved.

What is the Trademark Clearinghouse?

Can the general public provide feedback about the program?

How is ICANN dealing with objections to strings?

Who is the Independent Objector?

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Domain Name System
Internationalized Domain Name ,IDN,"IDNs are domain names that include characters used in the local representation of languages that are not written with the twenty-six letters of the basic Latin alphabet ""a-z"". An IDN can contain Latin letters with diacritical marks, as required by many European languages, or may consist of characters from non-Latin scripts such as Arabic or Chinese. Many languages also use other types of digits than the European ""0-9"". The basic Latin alphabet together with the European-Arabic digits are, for the purpose of domain names, termed ""ASCII characters"" (ASCII = American Standard Code for Information Interchange). These are also included in the broader range of ""Unicode characters"" that provides the basis for IDNs. The ""hostname rule"" requires that all domain names of the type under consideration here are stored in the DNS using only the ASCII characters listed above, with the one further addition of the hyphen ""-"". The Unicode form of an IDN therefore requires special encoding before it is entered into the DNS. The following terminology is used when distinguishing between these forms: A domain name consists of a series of ""labels"" (separated by ""dots""). The ASCII form of an IDN label is termed an ""A-label"". All operations defined in the DNS protocol use A-labels exclusively. The Unicode form, which a user expects to be displayed, is termed a ""U-label"". The difference may be illustrated with the Hindi word for ""test"" — परीका — appearing here as a U-label would (in the Devanagari script). A special form of ""ASCII compatible encoding"" (abbreviated ACE) is applied to this to produce the corresponding A-label: xn--11b5bs1di. A domain name that only includes ASCII letters, digits, and hyphens is termed an ""LDH label"". Although the definitions of A-labels and LDH-labels overlap, a name consisting exclusively of LDH labels, such as""icann.org"" is not an IDN."