Highlights from the ICANN meeting no. 38 Brussels, Belgium

Ascio 30.06.2010
The ICANN meeting was once again a busy week and attendees from all over the domain industry participated to network and to create new business opportunities and not at least to witness the decisions on business highlights in the domain industry which were as followed;  

Closer to the approval of .xxx
The .xxx resolution was first approved in 2005 and then rejected two years later by the ICANN board. Afterwards an independent review found that the decision to reject .xxx was unfair and should be reconsidered and so the ICANN board reconsidering the entitlement of .xxx. On the last day the board passed a resolution that called for the expedited reconsideration for ICM Registry to run .xxx as a sponsored Top Level Domain. The vote was unanimous with the exception of two abstentions. ICM Registry expects .xxx domains to go live at the start of 2011, if not sooner. ICM Registry has 110,000 pre-reservations and expects the number to increase now that ICANN Board has approved the .xxx top-level domain.

Find out more about ICM registry here.

Chinese internationalised domain names (IDNs) for China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are underway
ICANN gave the green light to internationalised domain names (IDNs) for China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. With this approval it is more likely to see more Chinese-language internet users online and easier access for those already online.

The new IDN country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and the associated organizations approved by the Board are:

•   CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center)
•   HKIRC (Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited)
•   TWNIC (Taiwan Network Information Center).

"This approval is a significant change for Chinese language users worldwide," said Rod Beckstrom, president and chief executive of ICANN.

"One fifth of the world speaks Chinese, and that means we just increased the potential online accessibility for roughly a billion people."

This approval is a significant change for Chinese language users worldwide and an enormous opportunity for firms hoping to reach potential customers in the region.  

New gTLDs
The new generic Top Level Domain process continues to move gradually forward, only trademark holder groups seems to be unhappy with propositions which is slowing the decision process. ICANN have not given dates as to when they expect to take applications for new gTLDs such as .BERLIN and .CANON, but it is expected that there will be a board retreat around September 2010 to finalise the application process.

The Ascio booth
Many existing and potential partners took the opportunity to visit our booth and to meet with representatives from Ascio. The ICANN meeting was also a good opportunity to discuss everything from industry news, new Ascio product launches, new business opportunities etc.  
 
With this successful event the Ascio sales team welcomes the continuing of good relationships for both existing as well as new partners to come. Did you miss the chance to speak with one of our account managers at the ICANN meeting; you are more than welcome to contact us. Please find contact details here or send an email at sales@ascio.com and we will contact you.