auDA canvasses options for implementing direct registration in .au

Posted On October 3, 2017
In Domain Names, Governance of Cyberspace / Reply

The regulatory authority for the .au domain space, auDA, has published an Issues Paper seeking stakeholder input on implementation of direct registration.

Background: In late 2015, the auDA Names Policy Panel recommended, by majority, that direct registration (i.e. registration at the 2LD) be permitted in the .au domain space. Despite a strong dissenting report highlighting multiple problems with direct registration, the majority recommendation was adopted by the auDA Board in April 2016. Recently, the auDA Board established a Policy Review Panel to, among other things, recommend a mechanism for implementation of direct registration.

Developments: The Policy Review Panel has now released an Issues Paper canvassing options for a range of matters relating to implementation of direct registration, including: establishing priority registration rights; resolving competing claims; and reserving names. The Issues Paper seeks stakeholder views on the following questions:

  1. What date should be chosen as the cut-off date for determining registrant eligibility for priority registration of the second level domain name, and why?
  2. Should registrants of domain names at the fourth level within edu.au and gov.au be eligible for priority registration? If so, what rules should apply?
  3. What process should be implemented to resolve competing claims to the same .au name and why? Should registrants whose claim is unsuccessful be given priority to register another second level domain name?
  4. How much time should priority registrants have to exercise their right to register the matching second level name before it is made available to the public for registration?
  5. Should certain names be reserved for future use as 2LDs? Please indicate which names and why they should be reserved as future 2LDs?
  6. Are there names whose use is not prohibited at law that should be reserved?
  7. Should names that are potentially confusing or misleading when registered at the second level be reserved (ie not available for registration)?
  8. Should names that are a deliberate misspelling of the existing 2LDs be prohibited from being registered at the second level?
  9. Should direct registration be implemented in .au using a staged process or concurrent reservation and open availability process, and why?
  10. Should other registrants or rights holders be given priority during the landrush or reservation period to register a second level domain name (trademark owners)?

Responses to these questions are sought by Friday 10 November 2017.

 

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