First Seminar on Arabizing Internet Names

April 1, 2001

Masanobu Katoh

ICANN理事、ICANN多语种域名小组（IDN）主席

一． Domain Name System (DNS)

（一） Generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs)

1． .com, .org, .net- Open for all people and entities on a global basis
2． .edu, .gov, .mil, .int - Limited users
3． New TLDs (Nov. 16, 2000)- .biz, .info, .name, .pro, .museum, .aero, .coop

（二） Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs)

1． .jp, .us, .uk, .cn, .kr, .tw, .tv, .nu, .am, .fm, etc. 

二． U.S. White Paper (June 6, 1998)

（一） Principles for a New System

1． Stability
2． Competition
3． Private, Bottom-Up Coordination
4． Representation
o Regional Diversity
o Different Interest Groups

（二） White Paper Recommendations

1． Registrants agree to jurisdictions of registry, registry database, registrar, or the "A" root server locations
2． Registrants agree to ADR
3． Registrants agree to the process to exclude, either pro-actively or retroactively, certain famous trademarks
4． No limitation on the rights under national laws
o White Paper Called for:
5． Creation of non-profit cooperation based on the four principles
6． WIPO Study and Recommendations
o Resolve trademark / domain name disputes involving cyberpiracy
o Protect famous trademarks in the gTLDs
o Evaluate the effects of adding new gTLDs and related dispute resolution procedures

三． ICANN DNSO Working Groups

（一） WG-A: Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) for gTLD registrars (finished)
（二） WG-B: Famous Trade-Marks
（三） WG-C: New gTLDs
（四） WG-D: Business Plan and Internal Procedures
（五） WG-E: Global Awareness and Outreach

四． Current DNS Legal Issues

（一） Cybersquatting

1．US Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) (Nov. 1999) 
1．１ Covers both registered and common law trademarks and service marks
1．２ Requirements:
o Plaintiff's mark is distinctive or famous
o Distinctive mark identical or confusingly similar Famous marks dilutive of such mark 
o Registers, traffics in OR uses the DN with a bad faith intent to profit from plaintiff's mark 
1． 3 Remedies
o In rem civil action forfeiture, cancellation or transfer
o Traditional monetary remedy + statutory damages ($1,000 - $100,000/DN)
o Temporary restraining order
1． 4 8 Examples of Factors Determining "Bad Faith"
o Trademark or other IP rights of the person in the domain name
o The use of a person's name (legal or common) in a domain name
o Prior use of the domain name in the provision of goods or services
o Legitimate noncommercial or fair use of the mark in a site accessible under the domain 
name. 
o Intent to divert consumers
o Offer to transfer, sell, or assign for substantial consideration domain name without
having used or intending to use the domain name
o Intentional provision of misleading contact information when registering the domain
name 
o Registration of multiple domain names that are identical or confusingly similar to 
famous trademarks or services prior to registration 
1．5 ACPA v. US Trademark Law
o Defendant 'warehouses" domain name and does not use it in commerce
o Even if the plaintiff's mark is not famous or the use is not likely to confuse as to origin
o Location of the cybersquatter cannot be identified, and 
o ACPA provides significant amount of statutory damages

2．Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
2．1 Covers the trademark or service mark in which the complainant has rights
2．2 Requirements:
o Identical or confusingly similar to the complainant's mark
o Registrant has no rights or legitimate interests 
o Registrants' DN has been registered AND is being used in bad faith
2．3 Remedy:
o Cancellation, transfer and change only
2． 4 ICANN Approved UDRP Providers
o World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO ----- Dec. 1, 1999) 
http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains/
o The National Arbitration Forum (NAF ---- December 23, 1999)
http://www.arbforum.com/domains/ 
o eResolution (Jan. 1, 2000) 
http://ersolution.ca/services/dnd/arb.htm 
o CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution (May 22, 2000) 
http://www.cpradr.org/ICANN_Menu.htm

（二） Famous Trademarks 

1．WG-B Report Presented on April 17, 2000
1．１ Consensus:
o No consensus on the need for universally famous trademarks list (Katoh's comment : 
How about regional or language specific lists?) 
o Trademark protection depends on the types of TLDs
e.g. Non-Commercial TLDs
No need for Sunrise Clause?
How to Define non-commercial TLDs?
Differences in levels of protection for non-commercial speech in each country.
1．2 Point of Agreement, but not Consensus:
o Sunrise Proposal- pragmatic way to bridge the gap between WG-B and responsible 
rollout of new gTLD
o Basic Principles of Sunrise Provisions
Trademark owner pre-registers DN in a select commercial TLD
Trademark owner pre-registers limited number of DN variations similar or nearly identical to the registered mark 
u Eliminates the need for Registrar to filter out infringing DNS 

（三） DN ADR Procedures
1．gTLDs UDRP
2．New TLDs Under Consideration (UDRP?)
3．ccTLDs Country based implementations (UDRP Compatibility?) 
（四） Internationalized DNS 
o Large segment of world population cannot read Latin characters
o Internationalized DNS will promote greater global Internet usage
o There may be serious technological and policy challenges that may threaten the unity 
and universality of the global public Internet
o Technical Standards- it is necessary to maintain interoperability of the global Internet
Discuss at Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) 
Block Certain ACE Identifiers for Future Registration?
Review TLD Agreements?
o Legal Issues- Same as conventional DNS with more complicated factors
e.g. Different characters in Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, etc. 
u Coordinate Sunrise Provisions for ccTLDs?
u Review "Jurisdiction" issues
1．Working Group Fact Finding Efforts
1．1 What are the possible technical problems/solutions surrounding IDNs, and what are
the pros and cons of implementing these solutions?
1．2 What are the possible legal and other policy questions / solutions? 
1．3 What are current IDN activities and how do they relate to the technical and legal 
issues?
2．The working group will report on its progress to the Board and the ICANN community at 
the Stockholm meeting in June, 2001.
3．The working group sees its charter as limited to fact finding for the purpose of educating 
the Board and the ICANN community. 
4．The working group will not develop standards.
5．Working Group Members:
o Masanobu Katoh (At Large--Asia /Australia / Pacific), chair
o Karl Auerbach (At Large--North America)
o Ivan Campos (At Large- Latin America / Caribbean)
o Vint Cerf (ICANN Chairman)
（五） First to File v. Sunrise Clause 
1．Adopt Sunrise or Not? 
o Famous trademarks are difficult to define
o All TLDs? What about non-commercial TLDs?
2．Who Gets Priority?
o Trademarks, tradenames, etc.?
o Registered only- or common law rights?
o Prior Use of other DNS?
3．How Long Should the Test Bed Period Be?
4．Priority for "Variations"- How Should Variations be Decided?
5．How to Deal with Multiple Legitimate Registrations?
6．Global Coordination