Domain name policy models

1

• Domain name policy models
• among CENTR members
• Hilde Thunem

2
Categorizing policies

• Two central aspects shapes the domain name
  policy
• Requirements for the applicant
• Provide documentation that he has a right to the
  name
• Have a local presence in the area of the ccTLD
• Be an organization
• Number of domain names allowed per applicant
• Limited/Unlimited

3
The upper categories

• Priority placed on preventing domain name
  registrations by applicants who have no rights to
  the name
• Requires the applicant to provide documentation
  that he has a right to the word he wants to
  register
• Results in lower potential for conflicts, but at
  the same time restricts the applicants' ability
  to freely choose their domain names

4
The lower categories

• Freedom of choice for the applicant is given a
  higher priority than the prevention of illicit
  registration of domain names
• No prescreening of applicants by requiring
  documentation whoever applies first gets the
  name
• Potential for conflict is higher, but there is
  greater flexibility for the applicant
• Domain name warehousing may be a problem in the
  unregulated area

5
Changing categories

• All categories have their advantages and
  disadvantages, and which model is chosen for a
  specific top-level domain depends on what the LIC
  judges to be the most important criteria
• Strict or weak requirements Desire to stop
  illicit registrations vs. freedom of choice for
  applicant
• Limit on the number of domains Desire to
  restrict warehousing vs. flexibility for
  applicant
• One-way change Liberalizing a restrictive policy
  is easy, going back again and restricting a
  liberal policy is very hard

6
Handling of conflicts

• Conflicts regarding the right to a domain name
  may arise under all domain name policy models
• Irrespective of the extent of the
  pre-registration evaluation performed by the
  registry, the final responsibility for the choice
  of domain name resides with the applicant
• Usual conflict procedure of most registries is to
  inform the parties how to get in touch with one
  another, but otherwise refrain from any
  involvement in the conflict
• Court system
• Alternative dispute resolution

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A mapping of the policies of some CENTR members
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A summary of the mapping

• While many once started here, none of the
  respondents are currently in the strictly
  regulated category. This reflects the general
  move towards more liberalized domain name
  policies that has taken place within Europe
• Most respondents prefer a domain name policy with
  no limits on the number of names an applicant may
  hold
• While the majority of the respondents allows an
  unlimited number of domains per applicant, the
  degree of requirements for the applicant varies.
• A few requires the applicant to document rights
  to the domain name (bureaucracy category)
• Majority in the unregulated category does not
  require any documentation of rights. Some require
  either a local presence, or that the applicant is
  an organization (or both), hence the spreading
  within the category.

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More information

• A description of domain name policy models
• www.norid.no/bakgrunn/navnepolitikkmodell.en.html
• www.norid.no/
• Hilde.Thunem_at_uninett.no