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<nettime> Registration and Administration of Internet Domain Names |
>[The filing date of this Notice is July 1, 1997 and the publication date in >the Federal Register is July 2, 1997.] > >Billing Code 3510-60 > >DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE > >[Docket No. 970613137-7137-01] > >Request for Comments on the Registration and Administration of Internet >Domain Names > >AGENCY: Department of Commerce. > >ACTION: Notice; request for public comment. > >SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce requests comments on the current >and future system(s) for the registration of Internet domain names. The >Department invites the public to submit written comments in paper or >electronic form.(1) > >DATES: Comments must be received by August 18, 1997. > >ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to Patrice Washington, Office of >Public Affairs, National Telecommunications and Information >Administration (NTIA), Room 4898, 14th St. and Constitution Ave., NW, >Washington, DC 20230. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for electronic >access and filing addresses and further information on submitting >comments. > >FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paula Bruening, NTIA, (202) 482-1816. > >SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: > >Electronic Access and Filing Addresses > >The address for comments submitted in electronic form is >dns@ntia.doc.gov. Comments submitted in electronic form should be in >WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, or ASCII format. Detailed information >about electronic filing is available on the NTIA website, >http://www.ntia.doc.gov. > >Further Information on Submitting Comments > >Submit written comments in paper or electronic form at the above >addresses. Paper submissions should include three paper copies and a >version on diskette in the formats specified above. To assist >reviewers, comments should be numbered and organized in response to >questions in accordance with the five sections of this notice >(Appropriate Principles, General/Organizational Framework Issues, >Creation of New gTLDs, Policies for Registries, and Trademark Issues). >Commenters should address each section on a separate page and should >indicate at the beginning of their submission to which questions they >are responding. > >Background > >The rapid growth in the use of the Internet has led to increasing >public concern about the current Internet domain name registration >systems. According to Internet Monthly Report, registration of domain >names within a few top-level domains (.com, .net, .org) has increased >from approximately 400 per month in 1993 to as many as 70,000 per month >in 1996, the overwhelming majority in the >.com category. The enormous growth and commercialization of the >Internet >has raised numerous questions about current domain name registration >systems. In addition, the present system will likely undergo >modification when the National Science Foundation's cooperative >agreement (NSF agreement) with Network Solutions Inc. to register and >administer second-level domains for three top-level domains expires in >1998. Resolution of these issues will also affect the future operation >of the National Information Infrastructure (NII) and the Global >Information Infrastructure (GII). > >The United States Government played a central role in the initial >development, deployment, and operation of domain name registration >systems, and through the NSF agreement as well as Defense Advanced >Research Projects Agency (DARPA) agreement(s) continues to play a role. >In recent years, however, Internet expansion has been driven primarily >by the private sector. The Internet has operated by consensus rather >than by government regulation. Many believe that the Internet's >decentralized structure accounts at least in part for its rapid >growth. > >The Government has supported the privatization and commercialization of >the Internet through actions such as the transition from the NSFNET >backbone to commercial backbones. The Government supports continued >private sector leadership for the Internet and believes that the >transition to private sector control should continue. The stability of >the Internet depends on a fully interconnected and interoperable domain >name system that must be preserved during any transition. > >Various private sector groups have proposed systems for allocating and >managing generic top level domains (gTLDs). The Government is studying >the proposals and the underlying issues to determine what role, if any, >it should play. The Government has not endorsed any plan at this time >but believes that it is very important to reach consensus on these >policy issues as soon as possible. > >The United States Government seeks the views of the public regarding >these proposals and broader policy issues as well. Specifically, the >Government seeks information on the following issues: > >A. Appropriate Principles > >The Government seeks comment on the principles by which it should >evaluate proposals for the registration and administration of Internet >domain names. Are the following principles appropriate? Are they >complete? If not, how should they be revised? How might such principles >best be fostered? > >a. Competition in and expansion of the domain name registration system >should be encouraged. Conflicting domains, systems, and registries >should not be permitted to jeopardize the interoperation of the >Internet, however. The addressing scheme should not prevent any user >from connecting to any other site. > >b. The private sector, with input from governments, should develop >stable, consensus-based self-governing mechanisms for domain name >registration and management that adequately defines responsibilities >and maintains accountability. > >c. These self-governance mechanisms should recognize the inherently >global nature of the Internet and be able to evolve as necessary over >time. > >d. The overall framework for accommodating competition should be open, >robust, efficient, and fair. > >e. The overall policy framework as well as name allocation and >management mechanisms should promote prompt, fair, and efficient >resolution of conflicts, including conflicts over proprietary rights. > >f. A framework should be adopted as quickly as prudent consideration of >these issues permits. > >B. General/Organizational Framework Issues > >1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of current domain name >registration systems? > >2. How might current domain name systems be improved? > >3. By what entity, entities, or types of entities should current domain >name systems be administered? What should the makeup of such an entity >be? > >4. Are there decision-making processes that can serve as models for >deciding on domain name registration systems (e.g., network numbering >plan, standard-setting processes, spectrum allocation)? Are there >private/public sector administered models or regimes that can be used >for domain name registration (e.g., network numbering plan, standard >setting processes, or spectrum allocation processes)? What is the >proper role of national or international governmental/non-governmental >organizations, if any, in national and international domain name >registration systems? > >5. Should generic top level domains (gTLDs), (e.g., .com), be retired >from circulation? Should geographic or country codes (e.g., .US) be >required? If so, what should happen to the .com registry? Are gTLD >management issues separable from questions about International >Standards Organization (ISO) country code domains? > >6. Are there any technological solutions to current domain name >registration issues? Are there any issues concerning the relationship >of registrars and gTLDs with root servers? > >7. How can we ensure the scalability of the domain name system name and >address spaces as well as ensure that root servers continue to >interoperate and coordinate? > >8. How should the transition to any new systems be accomplished? > >9. Are there any other issues that should be addressed in this area? > >C. Creation of New gTLDs > >10. Are there technical, practical, and/or policy considerations that >constrain the total number of different gTLDs that can be created? > >11. Should additional gTLDs be created? > >12. Are there technical, business, and/or policy issues about >guaranteeing the scalability of the name space associated with >increasing the number of gTLDs? > >13. Are gTLD management issues separable from questions about ISO >country code domains? > >14. Are there any other issues that should be addressed in this area? > >D. Policies for Registries > >15. Should a gTLD registrar have exclusive control over a particular >gTLD? Are there any technical limitations on using shared registries >for some or all gTLDs? Can exclusive and non-exclusive gTLDs coexist? > >16. Should there be threshold requirements for domain name registrars, >and what responsibilities should such registrars have? Who will >determine these and how? > >17. Are there technical limitations on the possible number of domain >name registrars? > >18. Are there technical, business and/or policy issues about the name >space raised by increasing the number of domain name registrars? > >19. Should there be a limit on the number of different gTLDs a given >registrar can administer? Does this depend on whether the registrar has >exclusive or non-exclusive rights to the gTLD? > >20. Are there any other issues that should be addressed in this area? > >E. Trademark Issues > >21. What trademark rights (e.g., registered trademarks, common law >trademarks, geographic indications, etc.), if any, should be protected >on the Internet vis-a-vis domain names? > >22. Should some process of preliminary review of an application for >registration of a domain name be required, before allocation, to >determine if it conflicts with a trademark, a trade name, a geographic >indication, etc.? If so, what standards should be used? Who should >conduct the preliminary review? If a conflict is found, what should be >done, e.g., domain name applicant and/or trademark owner notified of >the conflict? Automatic referral to dispute settlement? > >23. Aside from a preliminary review process, how should trademark >rights be protected on the Internet vis-a-vis domain names? What >entity(ies), if any, should resolve disputes? Are national courts the >only appropriate forum for such disputes? Specifically, is there a role >for national/international governmental/nongovernmental organizations? > >24. How can conflicts over trademarks best be prevented? What >information resources (e.g. databases of registered domain names, >registered trademarks, trade names) could help reduce potential >conflicts? If there should be a database(s), who should create the >database(s)? How should such a database(s) be used? > >25. Should domain name applicants be required to demonstrate that they >have a basis for requesting a particular domain name? If so, what >information should be supplied? Who should evaluate the information? On >the basis of what criteria? > >26. How would the number of different gTLDs and the number of >registrars affect the number and cost of resolving trademark disputes? > >27. Where there are valid, but conflicting trademark rights for a >single domain name, are there any technological solutions? > >28. Are there any other issues that should be addressed in this area? > > > >William M. Daley > >Secretary > > > >1. This request for public comment is not intended to supplant or >otherwise affect the work of other public advisory groups, established >under law. > > > --- # distributed via nettime-l : no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a closed moderated mailinglist for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: majordomo@icf.de and "info nettime" in the msg body # URL: http://www.desk.nl/~nettime/ contact: nettime-owner@icf.de