Protection of International Olympic Committee (IOC) / Red Cross Names (RCRC) Drafting Team – Recommendations

• Top-Level Domains
• Second-Level Domains
• Policy Process
• Intellectual Property

As a result of IOC/RCRC being granted top level protections for the first round of the new gTLD program, the IOC/RCRC Drafting Team was further tasked to consider whether the same protections should be afforded at the second level prior to the first delegation of a new gTLD. Since the beginning of 2012, the IOC/RCRC Drafting Team (DT) has deliberated about possible second level protections and how to respond to the GAC's request for protections. The DT now submits the recommendations formulated by the DT and makes them available for public comment before final submission to the GNSO Council.

Note from the IOC/RCRC Drafting Team Chair:
These recommendations are being posted at the request of the Drafting Team. Although some members of the Drafting Team believe that a PDP is not necessary at this time to grant second level protections for the IOC/RCRC, a consensus of the DT does in fact agree that a PDP represents an appropriate compromise on this issue. With respect to the Recommendations #2 and #3 (temporary protection at second level), there is strong support amongst the Drafting Team for those recommendations with opposition from the Non-commercial Stakeholder Group and Thomas Rickert. A copy of statements from certain constituencies, stakeholder groups, and/or individuals is attached as appendices to the recommendations.

The ICANN Board had requested policy advice from the GNSO Council and the GAC on whether special protections should be afforded to the RCRC, IOC and/or IGOs. Specifically, in its Singapore resolution, the Board authorized the President and CEO to implement the New gTLD Program "which includes the following elements: "the 30 May 2011 version of the Applicant Guidebook, subject to the revisions agreed to with the GAC on 19 June 2011, including: ...(b) incorporation of text concerning protection for specific requested Red Cross and IOC names for the top level only during the initial application round, until the GNSO and GAC develop policy advice based on the global public interest....."

During September 2011, the GAC also sent advice to the GNSO with a proposal for granting second level protections based upon the protections afforded to IOC/RCRC at the first level. In the same month, section 2.2.1.2.3 was added to the latest version of the new gTLD Applicant Guidebook dated 19 September 2011.

As a result of the GAC proposal submitted to the GNSO, the GNSO Council created a call for volunteers to form a drafting team about creating a response to the GAC. The IOC/RCRC Drafting Team was formed has since created a set of recommendations for protecting the IOC/RCRC names at the second level and includes an outline for a response to the GAC from the GNSO. The Drafting Team now wishes to solicit feedback from the community prior to submission of the recommendations to the GNSO Council.

See the IOC/RCRC Drafting Team page for more detail at: http://gnso.icann.org/en/group-activities/red-cross-ioc.htm