IRT Draft Report on Trademark Protection Issues Now Available for Public Comment

The Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT) (Members of the IRT are listed here [PDF, 88K]) was formed by ICANN’s Intellectual Property Constituency in accordance with the 6 March, 2009 ICANN Board resolution (http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-06mar09.htm). The resolution was in response to the request by the community seeking solutions for potential issues for trademark holders in the implementation of new gTLDs. The team reflects experiential and geographic diversity and is comprised of 18 members and two alternates.The IRT team has participated in numerous teleconferences and a two-day face-to-face meeting resulting in a draft recommendations report on Trademark Protection Issues and have identified several proposed solutions that are described in:

• Introduction
• IP Clearinghouse, Globally Protected Marks List and other top and second rights protection mechanisms;
• Draft Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS) Procedure;
• Post delegation dispute resolution mechanisms at the top level;
• Thick Whois model requirements for new TLDs; and
• Use of algorithm in string confusion review during initial evaluation.

This Draft IRT Report [PDF, 431K] will be posted for a thirty (30) day comment period that closes on 24 May, 2009. However, those wishing to have the IRT consider their comments in connection with its final report should submit comments by 6 May, 2009. Comments can be sent to irtp-draft-report@icann.org and reviewed at http://forum.icann.org/lists/irtp-draft-report/.

The final report is expected to be published by 24 May 2009. The community will have additional opportunity to discuss the IRT proposal in an open forum discussion at the Sydney Meeting and in public consultations conducted by ICANN to be announced in the near future.

For additional information:

WIKI for Overarching Issues discussions: https://st.icann.org/new-gtld-overarching-issues/index.cgi?new_gtld_overarching_issues

New gTLD Page: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm