ICANN Publishes New Draft Of Applicant Guidebook For The New Generic Top-Level Domain Program

Progression of the New gTLD Program

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) released a new draft of the Applicant Guidebook (AGB) for its upcoming new generic top-level domain (gTLD) program on April 15, 2011.  Following a number of delays, including negotiations with the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) regarding numerous program provisions, this program, which will allow organizations to secure their own customized Internet namespaces and become Internet registry operators, is now progressing steadily toward its scheduled launch later in 2011.  The revised AGB contains a number of updates that will be of interest to potential new gTLD applicants.  Specifically, brand owners will note that rights protections have been significantly improved as a result of ongoing advocacy efforts on the part of intellectual property organizations.  This update will provide a brief summary of key revisions contained in the April 15 AGB.