New gTLD Program Reviews
Karen Lentz | GAC Session | 20 October 2015
New gTLD Program Reviews & Related Activities
1
2
Competition,
Consumer Trust,
& Consumer
Choice Review
Trademark
Clearinghouse
Independent
Review
3
4
5
Root Stability
Study
GNSO Activities
Timelines
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Review: Competition, Consumer Trust and
Consumer Choice (CCT)

Evaluation based on Affirmation of Commitments

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https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/affirmation-of-commitments2009-09-30-en
Dimensions:
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Extent to which new gTLDs have promoted competition, consumer
trust and consumer choice
Effectiveness of application and evaluation processes
Safeguards put in place to mitigate issues

As provided in the Affirmation of Commitments, review will be
performed by a volunteer Review Team

Call for Volunteers published on 1 October 2015

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2015-10-01-en
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CCT Review Timeline
Call for volunteers published
1 October 2015
Deadline to apply
30 October 2015
Publication of applicants
2 November 2015
Deadline for SO/AC endorsements
2 November 2015
Review Team members announced
December 2015
1st Review Team meeting
January 2016
Final report issued
December 2016
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Preparation Work for CCT Review
• Consumer /
Registrant
Survey
• Economic Study
• Metrics portal
• Draft Program
Implementation
report open for
comment
• Draft report
published for
comment
• Revised report
published
incorporating
comment
CCT
Metrics
Program
Impl
CCT
Review
Team
Rights
Protection
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Preparation for CCT Review – Global
Consumer/Registrant Survey

Study conducted by Nielsen on behalf of ICANN is intended to measure:

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A total of 6144 consumers surveyed from 24 countries and 18
languages
Global consumer survey findings published on 29 May 2015

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Awareness of new gTLDs
Perceived sense of choice
Experience and trust related to the current gTLD landscape and DNS
Establish baseline measurements
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-05-29-en
A total of 3357 registrants surveyed from 24 countries and 17
languages
Global registrant survey findings published on 25 September 2015

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-09-25-en
Next steps:


Global consumer survey second comparison wave to be conducted in Q4
|
2015
7
Preparation for CCT Review – Economic Study

Study conducted by Analysis Group on behalf of ICANN is intended to:
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Results from phase 1 economic study released 28 September 2015


Asses the competitive effects associated with the New gTLD Program on the
marketplace for domain name
Establish baseline measurements
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2015-09-28-en
Public comment opened on study’s release date, and will close on
7 November 2015
Next steps:


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Phase II assessment will allow for a deeper analysis of the potential
competitive effects and will be conducted in Q2 2016
It will include an examination of changes in prices and registration volumes for
TLDs in our existing sample and of gTLDs introduced over the next year
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Preparation for CCT Review - Metrics Webpage

IAG-CCT recommended metrics by category:
Compliance
Registries
Registrars
Domain Name
Registrations
Domain Name
Navigation
Rights
Protection
Mechanisms

Metrics largely gathered from various publicly available sources (e.g.
IANA and ICANN databases)

Data will be used to support CCT Review Team

CCT data page now available:

https://www.icann.org/resources/reviews/cct/metrics
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Review: Program Implementation

ICANN staff’s assessment of the execution of New gTLD Program
processes is intended to:
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Main areas considered in the review include:
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Metrics collected from application processing
Feedback submitted throughout the Program from participants
Staff observations
Draft published on 23 September 2015:


Help inform the Review Team’s assessment of the effectiveness of the
application and evaluation process
Capture lessons learned as considerations for future application rounds
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2015-09-23-en
Public comment period open until 7 December 2015
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Review: Rights Protection Mechanisms

Areas of review:
Trademark
Clearinghouse
Uniform Rapid
Suspension
Post-Delegation
Dispute Resolution
Procedure

Revised RPM Report published on 11 September 2015
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-09-11-en

Report updated based on:
 Community feedback
 Most recent data

Revised Report to support:
 CCT Review
 Trademark Clearinghouse Independent Review
 GNSO Issue Report (all RPMs)
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Independent Review of the Trademark
Clearinghouse
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GAC-recommended review intended to:
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Request for Proposals published on 7 August 2015
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Assess Clearinghouse processes + GAC specified areas
Outline issues for evaluation
Identify issues with most impact
Further clarify issues for policy development work
Informational study to support related reviews
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-08-07-en
Completing the procurement process
Next steps:

Project estimated to begin: Q4 2015
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Review: Root Stability

Using data from root server operators and historically available data, the
study should provide an understanding of the impact of adding new
gTLDs to the root, including:
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Request for Proposals published on 5 June 2015

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Consideration of the rate of change and coordination
Monitoring measures for the 2012 round of gTLD delegations
Identifying whether any new considerations should be applied to
support root stability
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2015-06-05-en
Contracting with qualified provider in process
Next steps:
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Project estimated to begin: October 2015
Draft report: May 2016
Public comment period: June-July 2016
Final report published: April 2017
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GNSO Policy Activities
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New gTLD Subsequent Rounds – open for comment until 30 October 2015
Rights Protection Mechanisms for All gTLDs – open for comment until 30
November 2015
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Program Reviews:
Estimated
Timeline Estimated Timeline
2014
Q1
Q2
Q3
2015
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2016
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
2017
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Program Implementation Reviews
Rights Protection Mechanisms Reviews
Trademark
Clearinghouse Review
Consumer Survey 1
Economic Study 1
Competition, Consumer
Choice and Consumer
Trust (CCT) Review
Consumer Survey 2
Economic Study 2
Security and Stability Reviews
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Engage with ICANN
Thank You and Questions
Reach us at:
Email: engagement@icann.org
Website: icann.org
twitter.com/icann
gplus.to/icann
facebook.com/icannorg
weibo.com/ICANNorg
linkedin.com/company/icann
flickr.com/photos/icann
youtube.com/user/icannnews
slideshare.net/icannpresentations
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Appendix: Key Findings from
Global Consumer/Registrant
Survey and Economic Study
Economic Study: Key Findings from Phase 1

The majority of domain name registrations are accounted for by legacy
TLDs
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Wholesale price dispersion is greater in new gTLDs than among gTLDs
that existed prior to the New gTLD Program's expansion
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When add-on products offered by registrars are considered, the cost of
registering a domain name is a relatively small part of the total cost of
creating a website

Among add-on products, some display very little price dispersion across
registrars (e.g., forwarding services) while others have much more
variation (e.g., services designed to assist customers in building
websites)
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Consumer Survey: Key Findings from First
Wave
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Awareness continues to be high for well-known legacy TLDs
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Consumer trust in the Domain Name Industry is high
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72 percent of respondents reported high levels of trust with entities that
offer domain names
Users aware and fearful of abusive Internet behavior, but taking
precautions
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COM, .NET and .ORG lead awareness with nearly 79 percent of
respondents reporting knowledge of these domains, on average
74 percent are familiar with malware, phishing or stolen credentials
Additional highlights include:
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64 percent of respondents report using a search engine as their preferred
way to find a website
Registering a domain is not hard, but could be easier
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Registrant Survey: Key Findings from First
Wave
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Awareness of new gTLDs high among registrants, particularly in Asia
 65 percent of registrants reported awareness of at least one new gTLD
versus 46 percent of general Internet users
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Registrants generally trust the Domain Name Industry
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Registrants are aware and cautious of abusive online

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70 percent of registrants versus 73 percent of general Internet users trust
that entities will take precautions regarding who gets a domain name
Across the board, registrants report more personal experience with abusive
behaviors than general Internet users
Additional highlights include:


61 percent of registrants find it very or somewhat easy to register a domain
name
About half of registrants would prefer a cheaper, quicker, less complicated
experience when purchasing a domain name
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