[Newgtld-input] MarkMonitor Comments on the Processing of New gTLD Applications

Elisa Cooper Elisa.Cooper at markmonitor.com
Wed Aug 15 16:45:48 UTC 2012


MarkMonitor requests that the Initial Evaluation results for all applications be released at one time, which is now expected to be in June / July 2013.
 
If all applications pass Initial Evaluation, allow all 1179 uncontested applications to move through contract negotiations. It should be noted that the number of uncontested applications may actually decrease as examiners identify additional contested strings and applications are withdrawn.
 
Continue processing these uncontested applications on a first-come, first-served basis, so that if no changes to the contract are negotiated, uncontested applicants may continue through the process. We request that additional legal resources be identified to alleviate any potential bottlenecks. This could be accomplished by either adding additional staff or relying on the services of outside legal counsel.
 
If contracts for all 1179 applications are quickly signed, it is possible that more than 1000 extensions could be added to the root in a year, although based on recent guidance from the SSAC, this does not seem to pose a threat to Stability or Security but rather a risk to current service levels which could likely be addressed by increasing the necessary resources. Again, we recommend that additional technical resources are identified to alleviate any bottlenecks that might occur as a result of pre-delegation testing or the delegation of the gTLD into the root zone database.
 
The remaining 751 contested applications will need to move through the contention process, which will take up to another 6 months post Initial Evaluation results, according the Guidebook.
 
MarkMonitor opposes the arbitrary metering of applications. And while we appreciate that processing 1930 applications represents complexities that are new to ICANN, we urge ICANN to add additional headcount or supplement staff with outside resources where necessary to ensure that bottlenecks do not ensue at any stage of the process.
 
We believe that this is the only equitable solution. 

Regards,
Elisa
 
Elisa Cooper
Director of Product Marketing
MarkMonitor





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