closed Phase 2 Final Report on the EPDP-IDNs for ICANN Board Consideration

Outcome

Under the ICANN Bylaws, before any action by the ICANN Board of Directors (hereafter “ICANN Board”) on proposed policies that substantially affect the operation of the Internet or third parties, it is required that a reasonable opportunity is provided for the community to comment on these policies. The Bylaws also obligate the ICANN Board to consider any timely advice that may be duly submitted by the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) as part of the ICANN Board’s decision-making.

For the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council-approved Phase 2 Final Report of the Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) on Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) (hereafter “EPDP-IDNs”) that included twenty Outputs (fourteen [14] policy recommendations and six [6] implementation guidance), the ICANN Board allowed for the community to provide relevant feedback during the Public Comment period. The Public Comment proceeding was open from 23 December 2024 to 03 February 2025. The ICANN Board received a total of three (3) submissions from groups and individuals, all supporting the Final Report as drafted and recommending the ICANN Board to adopt all recommendations.

ICANN would like to thank the community for its valuable input. This process will assist the ICANN Board in their decision-making process.

What We Received Input On

Following the GNSO Council’s approval, the ICANN Board is seeking the community’s input on the Phase 2 Final Report regarding the Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) on Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) (hereafter “EPDP-IDNs”). The GNSO Council’s approval on all twenty (20) Outputs, including fourteen (14) policy recommendations and six (6) implementation guidance, obligates the Board to adopt the recommendations under the ICANN Bylaws, unless, by a vote of more than two-thirds, the Board determines that the policy is not in the best interest of the ICANN community or ICANN.

For Phase 2, which covers issues pertaining to second-level variant management, the EPDP Team builds upon the “same entity” principle, where allocation is only possible to the same registrant using the same sponsoring registrar. The EPDP Team addresses questions included in the EPDP Team’s charter on the following topics:

• “Same entity” at the second-level and IDN Table harmonization
• Adjustments in Registry Agreement, registry service, registry transition process, and other processes/procedures related to the domain name lifecycle
• Adjustments in registration dispute resolution procedures and trademark protection mechanisms
• Process to update the IDN Implementation Guidelines

Input on all areas of the policy recommendations will be greatly appreciated to assist the ICANN Board in reaching a decision. As a reminder, the EPDP Team went through a comprehensive Public Comment review process for its initial report, factoring in all input received from the community to complete the Final Report.

Background

In May 2021, the GNSO Council initiated EPDP-IDNs to i) determine the approach for a consistent definition of all generic top-level domains (gTLDs); and ii) develop policy recommendations that will eventually allow for the introduction of variant gTLDs at the top level. This work was intended to build on other policy work related to IDNs and fill any gaps, specifically the outputs produced by the GNSO Council’s New gTLD Subsequent Procedures (SubPro) Policy Development Process (PDP).

In November 2022, the Council approved an EPDP Team request to divide its work into two phases; Phase 1 covering topics related to top-level gTLD definition and variant management; and Phase 2 covering topics pertaining to second-level variant management. The two-phased approach was intended to allow the EPDP Team to focus on the charter questions that are most likely to impact the implementation of the New gTLD Program: Next Round and avoid potential delays. Phase 1 work, which produced sixty-nine (69) Outputs (fifty-eight [58] final recommendations and eleven [11] implementation guidance), was approved by the GNSO Council on 21 December 2023, followed by the ICANN Board adopting fifty-six (56) of the fifty-eight (58) final recommendations by 7 September 2024.

The Phase 2 Initial Report was published for Public Comment on 11 April 2024. After a comprehensive review of all Public Comments received, the EPDP Team finalized its recommendations and submitted its Phase 2 Final Report to the GNSO Council on 7 October 2024. The Council approved the Final Report, including all twenty (20) Outputs with fourteen (14) policy recommendations and six (6) implementation guidance, which obligates the Board to adopt the recommendations under the ICANN Bylaws, unless, by a vote of more than two-thirds, the Board determines that the policy is not in the best interest of the ICANN community or ICANN.

Accordingly, this Public Comment proceeding seeks the community’s input on the Phase 2 Final Report recommendations that will be considered by the ICANN Board prior to taking action.

Supporting Information