Changes

After a year of discussions, the Lebanese Internet community ratified general bylaws and internal bylaws for a not-for-profit association to manage the .lb top-level domain. On 2 June 2014, the Lebanese Internet Center (LINC) was established as an association for this purpose at the Ministry of Interior. On 13 June 2014, LINC’s first board was elected and it appointed Mr. Bukhalid as its CEO. LINC intended to submit a transfer request to IANA and apply for an Arabic-script ccTLD. However, it informed IANA it was ultimately unable to operate in Lebanon due to recognition issues within the country under government regulations.  

After a year of discussions, the Lebanese Internet community ratified general bylaws and internal bylaws for a not-for-profit association to manage the .lb top-level domain. On 2 June 2014, the Lebanese Internet Center (LINC) was established as an association for this purpose at the Ministry of Interior. On 13 June 2014, LINC’s first board was elected and it appointed Mr. Bukhalid as its CEO. LINC intended to submit a transfer request to IANA and apply for an Arabic-script ccTLD. However, it informed IANA it was ultimately unable to operate in Lebanon due to recognition issues within the country under government regulations.  

On 16 June 2017, AUB notified Mr. Bukhalid that it did not want to continue hosting .LB’s servers and associated infrastructure. Subsequently, AUB provided IANA with a letter of consent for the transfer of the .LB top-level domain from AUB to either LINC or ISOC-LB.

On 16 June 2017, AUB notified Mr. Bukhalid that it did not want to continue hosting .lb’s servers and associated infrastructure. Subsequently, AUB provided IANA with a letter of consent for the transfer of the .lb top-level domain from AUB to either LINC or ISOC-LB.

In October 2018, a new law was ratified and published in the official gazette, and two articles concerned the management of .lb:“Under the present Law, a body shall be established under the name of the ‘Lebanese Domain Name Registry’ (LBDR). LBDR's mandate is to manage and register the names of websites, including websites featuring the Lebanese domains (.lb) and (.‫ (ﻟﺒﻨﺎن‬in their names."

In October 2018, a new law was ratified and published in the official gazette, and two articles concerned the management of .lb:“Under the present Law, a body shall be established under the name of the ‘Lebanese Domain Name Registry’ (LBDR). LBDR's mandate is to manage and register the names of websites, including websites featuring the Lebanese domains (.lb) and (.‫ (ﻟﺒﻨﺎن‬in their names."

On 3 January 2023, Mr. Bukhalid passed away unexpectedly and the request to transfer .lb to LBDR LLC was withdrawn. Known associates of Mr. Bukhalid notified IANA that they would continue operating the domain. As circumstances clarified, ISOC-LB was identified as a potential place to rehome these operations on a permanent basis.

On 3 January 2023, Mr. Bukhalid passed away unexpectedly and the request to transfer .lb to LBDR LLC was withdrawn. Known associates of Mr. Bukhalid notified IANA that they would continue operating the domain. As circumstances clarified, ISOC-LB was identified as a potential place to rehome these operations on a permanent basis.

On 7 March 2023, the Minister of State for Administrative Development sent a request to the attention of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers regarding the continuity of managing and hosting the data of Lebanese domain names. The request noted that Mr. Bukhalid, a Vice President of ISOC-LB, had managed .lb from its inception until he passed away. It also noted that the circumstances in Lebanon have prevented the establishment of a committee to manage .lb. Given these circumstances, she suggested the extraordinary approval of transferring the duties of managing .LB to Mr. Jacques George Bakaev, the Secretary of ISOC-LB. On 4 May 2023, the Prime Minister of Lebanon approved this request.

On 7 March 2023, the Minister of State for Administrative Development sent a request to the attention of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers regarding the continuity of managing and hosting the data of Lebanese domain names. The request noted that Mr. Bukhalid, a Vice President of ISOC-LB, had managed .lb from its inception until he passed away. It also noted that the circumstances in Lebanon have prevented the establishment of a committee to manage .lb. Given these circumstances, she suggested the extraordinary approval of transferring the duties of managing .lb to Mr. Jacques George Bakaev, the Secretary of ISOC-LB. On 4 May 2023, the Prime Minister of Lebanon approved this request.

AUB wrote to IANA again and asked to be removed from the .lb delegation record. In response, IANA explored with ICANN and key community stakeholders how such a request could be implemented in compliance with policies. ICANN approved IANA's proposal in May subject to some additional engagement with stakeholders. On 13 July 2023, ISOC-LB formally submitted its transfer request to IANA.

AUB wrote to IANA again and asked to be removed from the .lb delegation record. In response, IANA explored with ICANN and key community stakeholders how such a request could be implemented in compliance with policies. ICANN approved IANA's proposal in May subject to some additional engagement with stakeholders. On 13 July 2023, ISOC-LB formally submitted its transfer request to IANA.