INTERNET-DRAFT Simon Higgs
draft-higgs-tld-cat-00.txt Higgs America
Category: April 1996
Expire in six months
New TLD Catagories
Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working
documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its
areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also
distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts.
Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six
months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other
documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-
Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as
''work in progress''.
To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check
the ``1id-abstracts.txt'' listing contained in the Internet-
Drafts Shadow Directories on ftp.is.co.za (Africa),
nic.nordu.net (Europe), munnari.oz.au (Pacific Rim),
ds.internic.net (US East Coast), or ftp.isi.edu (US West Coast).
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Top Level Domain Creation Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2a. Delegation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2b. TLD Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2c. Failure To Enforce Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3. New TLD Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3a. Corporate TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3b. Specialized TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3c. Openly Competitive TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4. Registry Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4a. Corporate TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4b. Specialized TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4c. Openly Competitive TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5. Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5a. Corporate TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5b. Specialized TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5c. Openly Competitive TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6. Appeals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7. Security Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
8. Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1. Introduction
This document is being distributed to members of the Internet
community in order to solicit their reactions to the proposals
contained in it. This document suggests some ideas for the
Higgs [Page 1]
INTERNET DRAFT New TLD Catagories April 1996
management of the establishment of new top level domains, some
procedures for domain name registries, and some constraints on top
level domain names.
Since the Internet's future is going to be driven by commercial
market forces (i.e. the use of domain names to identify corporate
business units which are known to the public as "brand names"), we
should think about how to use those commercial aspects to the net's
advantage. This document covers only the framework necessary to
define the function, delegation, and use of new top level domains.
This is achieved by the introduction of commercial, specialized,
and openly competitive TLD categories.
This document does not attempt to provide a direct solution for
preventing or resolving the domain name or trademark conflicts we
have recently witnessed, but it does create a foundation where
domain name conflict solutions can have maximum effect.
2. Top Level Domain Creation
2a. Delegation
As with existing top level domain policy, TLD's shall be
delegated to organizations or registries by the IANA.
2b. TLD Charter
Each TLD must be created with an identifiable purpose. A written
charter will identify and explain the function and purpose of
each TLD. One of the items that will be identified in the charter
is a procedure for dealing with domain name and trademark
conflicts. Provided these guidelines are followed, the legal
liability of each registry will be limited. This prevents any
registry from producing a self-serving policy which denies due
process to either the infinged or infringing parties.
In the case of the Corporate and Specialized TLD's, the
corporation or organization will be responsible for creating the
TLD's charter as part of the TLD application process. Guidelines
for charter creation will be made publically available by IANA.
2c. Failure To Enforce Charter
In processing registrations, each registry must observe the
procedures laid out in the charter for each TLD. Should a
delegated registry be unable or unwilling to enforce a TLD
charter, then the registry will no longer be able to accept or
process registrations for that TLD.
Higgs [Page 2]
INTERNET DRAFT New TLD Catagories April 1996
3. New TLD Categories
3a. Corporate TLD
Qualifying internationally known corporations may be identified
on the Internet by their own exclusive TLD. This is reminiscent
of earlier days before the .COM TLD was created.
This TLD category is subject to meeting specific criteria:
i) the company is readily identifiable by a suitable three
or four letter name
ii) the company is readily identifiable as an internationally
trading company with international trademarks
iii) the company operates at least one root nameserver in each
continent ensuring they have an international Internet
presence
iv) the company makes peering arrangements with NAP's if they
run their own backbones between NAP's
v) the company contributes substantially to the
infrastructure of the Internet by way of practical
assistance and goodwill in the form of education and
subsidy
vi) payment of a set up fee and annual license fee to operate
the TLD (proceeds would go directly to administration,
construction and operation of public areas of the
Internet infrastructure)
Existing domains that the company holds under the other TLD's
would be revoked, and, if necessary, placed under permanent
reservation in order to prevent trademark disputes arising. It
may be plausible to allow the corporation to retain certain
domain names under other TLD's if specific circumstances warrant
this. This decision should be made by IANA.
Using IBM as the example - the domains IBM.* would go into a
state of permanent reservation making them unusable under other
TLD's. IBM would be granted exclusive use of the TLD "*.IBM" for
all their worldwide corporate needs. They would be able to use
the secondary domains under "*.IBM" as they wished provided they
follow sensible guidelines.
Example:
i) *.us.ibm Used by IBM USA
ii) *.ja.ibm Used by IBM Japan
iii) *.net.ibm Used by IBM Network/Routers/Backbone
iv) *.corp.ibm Used by IBM corporate HQ
Note that a user transferring from IBM US to IBM Japan would
ideally be able to change his/her email account from
"@sales.us.ibm" to "@sales.ja.ibm" to simplify the
moving logistics. Obviously, this responsibility would be
company's management.
Higgs [Page 3]
INTERNET DRAFT New TLD Catagories April 1996
This would obviously give this type of company a unique presense
on the net. It is important to realize that the TLD holder would
have to guarantee a level of service in its obligation to
running root nameservers plus a substantial investment in the
creation and operation of the Internet infrastructure in exchange
for the TLD.
3b. Specialized TLD
Specialized TLD's may created for the purpose of identifying
certain areas of business. It is proposed that these TLD's are
operated by a single registry in a monopoly situation and are
only open to organizations within the specific areas of business.
These TLD's could represent international trademark catagories,
or other market niches.
Creation of a TLD in this category is subject to meeting specific
criteria:
i) the area of business is readily definable and
identifiable in the form of a short name (ideally three
or four letters)
ii) the registry display direct expertise in the chosen area
of business and is able to constructively address
industry issues in the context of running a TLD registry
iii) the TLD namespace is international
Existing domains under the other TLD's that are held by
organizations qualifying for a specialized TLD may or may not
be affected, depending on the TLD's Charter.
Using the TLD "*.NEWS" as the example - news organizations would
be able to register secondary domains under "*.NEWS" provided
they follow the guidelines set by that TLD's registry.
Example:
i) *.ap.news Used by Associated Press
ii) *.bbc.news Used by BBC
iii) *.cnn.news Used by CNN
iv) *.reuters.news Used by Reuters
Note that each organization under this TLD may be international,
national, or regional. The defining criteria is based upon area
of business and not geography even though registration is
international.
This would obviously give an organization a unique presence on
the net by immediately identifying their area of business. The
cost of using this type of TLD would be reflected within the
industry itself by market forces.
Higgs [Page 4]
INTERNET DRAFT New TLD Catagories April 1996
Other examples for this catagory would be for TLD's such as .MIL
which are closely controlled.
3c. Openly Competitive TLD
Openly Competitive TLD's are TLD's which are represented to the
public by multiple registries. Most of the existing TLD's will
be included in this category. New TLD's may also be created in
this category. These may or may not address international
trademark space. These TLD's must be maintained by multiple
registries whose services are openly competitive.
This TLD catagory is subject to meeting specific criteria:
i) the TLD is readily definable and identifiable in the
form of a short name (ideally three or four letters)
ii) the TLD is EITHER open to international registrations
from organizations in any geographical location *OR* it
specifically limits registrations to organizations within
the geographic boundaries that the TLD identifies
There are two types of TLD in this category and they are defined
by:
i) geographical location (.US, .UK, .CA, etc.)
These TLD's will be served by multiple registries within
a reasonable geographical boundary (i.e. it would be
impractical, even though theoretically possible, for
the .UK TLD to be serviced by an Australian registry)
ii) type of service (.COM, .NET, .ORG, .EDU, etc.)
These TLD's will be served by multiple registries located
in any geographical area (i.e. these TLD's are
international and should be served by international
registries)
4. Registry Selection
The new registries (INPs) will be selected by the IANA, and given a
specific TLD "franchise". Note the use of the word "franchise" does
not in any way convey the legal implications of a franchised
operation, either to IANA, or the registry. It is merely a
convenient word to describe the scope of the registry.
Also, it is important to understand that the registries serve the
TLD's, and not the other way around. Without TLD's there are no
registries, so the function of the registry is to support and
maintain the TLD(s) that it is responsible for, by meeting the
TLD's charter. Therefore registries must be selected to meet the
needs of each TLD.
Higgs [Page 5]
INTERNET DRAFT New TLD Catagories April 1996
4a. Corporate TLD
Each Corporate TLD is operated by a single company who has
exclusive use of the TLD. It is that company's responsibilty
for all registrations under this TLD, including a charter.
4b. Specialized TLD
Each Specialized TLD is operated by a single registry who is
granted a monopoly status within a specific area of business,
and is responsible for registering all secondary domains.
The registry must meet specific criteria:
i) the registry displays direct expertise in the chosen area
of business and is able to constructively address
industry issues in the context of running a TLD registry
for that industry
ii) the registry must have the ability to operate at least
two root nameservers
iii) the registry makes peering arrangements with NAP's if
they run their own backbones between NAP's
iv) the registry contributes substantially to the
infrastructure of the Internet by way of practical
assistance and goodwill in the form of education and
subsidy
v) payment of a set up fee and annual license fee to operate
the TLD (Proceeds would go directly to administration,
construction and operation of public areas of the
Internet infrastructure)
vi) the registry must observe and enforce the charter of
each TLD
4c. Openly Competitive TLD
Each openly competitive TLD must be operated by multiple
registries. Each registry is responsible for registering
secondary domains in a competitive marketplace alongside other
registries. A single registry may not provide registration
services for all TLD's due to limitations imposed on the
geographical TLD's.
Each registry must meet specific criteria:
i) the registry must qualify in an openly competitive
bidding process as defined by IANA
ii) the registry has the ability to operate at least two
root nameservers
iii) the registry makes peering arrangements with NAP's if
they run their own backbones between NAP's
iv) the registry contributes substantially to the
infrastructure of the Internet by way of practical
Higgs [Page 6]
INTERNET DRAFT New TLD Catagories April 1996
assistance and goodwill in the form of education and
subsidy
v) payment of a set up fee and annual license fee to operate
the TLD (Proceeds would directly to administration,
construction and operation of public areas of the
Internet infrastructure)
5. Fees
The INPs may be charged a fee by the IANA.
5a. Corporate TLD
The fee paid by the international company should be based upon
the market value of having an internationally recognized TLD,
and the contribution of the company to the growth and well being
of the public Internet infrastructure.
A set-up fee and an annual renewal fee will be required in order
to obtain exclusive use of a top level domain. These fees should
be high enough to deter companies from licensing their own TLD,
and to ensure that there is a direct contribution back to the
Internet community. It would be ideal to make this in direct
proportion to the benefits the company enjoys from the exclusive
use of a TLD. These fees would be used to fund the growth of the
public Internet infrastructure.
5b. Specialized TLD
The fee paid by the Specialized TLD registry for its exclusive
franchise should be based upon the market value of redistributing
domains within the applicable industry, and the contribution of
the registry to the growth and well being, of the public Internet
infrastructure. The registry may set its prices accordingly
within its area of business provided it does not abuse its
monopoly power.
It is assumed that most Specialized TLD registries will be in
start-up mode so a start-up fee will be minimal. An annual
registry fee will be proportional to the number of domains
issued. The registry fee should be 100% tax deductable as a cost
of doing business, and will allow a decent-sized profit margin.
The fees are to ensure that the registry contributes back to the
Internet in direct proportion to the benefits they enjoy from the
exclusive distribution rights of a TLD. These fees would be used
entirely to fund the growth of the public Internet
infrastructure.
5c. Openly Competitive TLD
The fee paid by the each registry in this category should be
based upon the market value of redistributing multiple TLD's in
an open market, and the contribution of the registry to the
Higgs [Page 7]
INTERNET DRAFT New TLD Catagories April 1996
growth and well being of the public Internet infrastructure. The
registry will set its prices competitively but will be required
to guarantee a minimum level of service.
A set-up fee and an annual renewal fee will be required. An
annual registry fee will be proportional to the number of domains
issued. The registry fee should be 100% tax deductable as a cost
of doing business, and will allow a decent-sized profit margin.
The fees are to ensure that the registry contributes back to the
Internet in direct proportion to the benefits they enjoy from
the distribution rights of multiple TLD's. These fees would be
used entirely to fund the growth of the public Internet
infrastructure.
6. Appeals
The IANA's decisions may be appealed to the IAB.
7. Security Considerations
This document does not address any security issues.
8. Author's Address
Simon Higgs
Higgs America
P.O. Box XXXX
XXXXXXXX, XX XXXXX-XXXX
Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Email: XXXXX@XXXXX.XXX
Higgs [Page 8]
