New TLD contracting

The following is an outline of the Contracting process as defined by ICANN, it is our goal to supplement this with actual contracting timelines and action items that are encountered by new TLD applicants. Information can be edited directly, or contact Andrew Merriam, andrew[at]tldesign.co

Steps & Timeline

1. CIR (approx. 8 days)
   1. CIR Review
2. Sign Registry Agreement
3. Pre-Delegation Testing (approx. 6 weeks)
4. Transition to Delegation (approx. 2 weeks)
5. Delegation
6. Registry Onboarding
   1. Sunrise (min. 60 days)

Contracting Information Request

• See Contracting Information Request summary and example.
  • ICANN's CIR Guide, with examples
• ICANN suggested timeline: 8 days
• Applicant timeline examples: _ days

Registry Agreement

• See Summary on Signing Registry Agreement
  • Downloads of the executed RAs
• ICANN suggested timeline: 7 days, based on the following weekly schedule :
  • Thursday-Monday: draft RAs
  • Tuesday-Wednesday: send the RA out for signature
  • Thursday: execute RA
  • Friday: post RA
  • Note: ICANN's estimate of 7 days represents how long it takes ICANN to create and process the RA internally. However, because applications are processed by priority number, this step may take longer with additional time added if there are multiple negotiations between ICANN and the registry.
• Applicant timeline examples: ____ days
• Some Post RA provisioning can be done simultaneous to other phases, see Registry Onboarding.

Pre-Delegation Testing

• See Pre-Delegation Testing for summary
• ICANN suggested timeline: 2-3 weeks
  • In prior documents, ICANN has broken this down as 2 weeks for testing, and an additional 2-3 weeks for reporting the PDT results. This seems to have been recently conflated and changed to a 6 week process, according to slides from ICANN 48 in Buenos Aires.
• Applicant timeline examples:
  • 21 days, Aug 5-Aug 26; DotShabaka. Yasmin Omer has explained that as the first applicant to go through PDT, their experience should not be taken as indicative of current ICANN processes.
• ICANN's Self-Test Tools

Transition to Delegation

• ICANN suggested timeline: 2 weeks
• Applicant timeline examples: ___ weeks

Delegation

• ICANN suggested timeline: within 30 business days
• Applicant timeline examples: 5 days, Oct. 19-24; dotShabaka.

Delegation Process

Below is an overview provided by the dotShabaka Registry:

• "Notification of eligibility for Alternate Path to delegation and report
• Request for Delegation POC
• Delegation token sent through CSC portal
• Delegation PIN sent to Delegation POC
• Token and pin entered into RZM system to initiate process
• Following information entered:
  • Manager: also know as the "Registry" or "Sponsoring Organization"
  • Administrative and Technical Contacts
  • Authoritative Name servers maintained to serve the TLD
  • Registration Information: additional information including location of whois server"

Tips

dotShabaka also had some recommendations and tips for the delegation process, such as making sure that the Delegation POC and Primary Contact are the same and ensuring that whois is located at whois.nic.tld. Additionally, the whois server needs to be established to continue through the RZM system, which can become an issue. Hosting the whois server at a different location during the process can solve this problem.

Registry Onboarding

• ICANN suggested timeline: 30+ days
• Applicant timeline examples: ____ days
• Parts of registry onboarding can be done concurrently with PDT, Delegation, and Sunrise.
  • Contact Sheet - Establishes appropriate contacts for various contingencies.
  • Delegation Info - Can be established concurrently with PDT, but must be completed prior to Delegation. Includes information on Zone File Access; Bulk Thin Registration Data Access; Data Escrow Registry Reporting; URS; EPP; IDN Tables; SLA Monitoring.
  • Launch Program Application - Can be completed anytime after the contracting process has begun and needs to be submitted to ICANN before the Sunrise Period starts.
    • Launch Program Application (PDF) provided by ICANN.
    • A sample (pdf) of dotShabaka's Launch Policy

Sunrise Period

• See Sunrise Period summary, (min. 60 days)
  • ICANN mandated timeline for Start Date Sunrise: 30 day notice period with a minimum of 30 days running
  • ICANN mandated timeline for End Date Sunrise: no notice period, minimum of 60 days running
• ICANN's current list of Sunrise and Trademark Claims Periods
  • A sample (pdf) of Donuts Inc.'s Complete Registry Policy for .guru
  • A sample (pdf) of dotShabaka's Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy

Trademark Clearinghouse

• Registries can send a Trademark Clearinghouse TLD Startup Information Form to ICANN after delegation. This form outlines the Sunrise, Claims, and other registration periods for the new TLD, in addition to describing the registry's policies, such as any specific restrictions on registration during the Sunrise and Claims Periods. ICANN then will schedule dates that fit the TMCH requirements with IBM. Both the registry and IBM will the confirm the dates.
  • A sample (pdf) of Donuts Inc.'s Trademark Clearinghouse TLD Startup Information Form for .gallery
  • A sample (.docx) of dotShabaka's Trademark Clearinghouse TLD Startup Information Form

Applicant Examples

Applicant Timelines

This timeline shows the experience of dotShabaka, beginning with the execution of their registry agreement.

Top-Level Domain

Internationalized Domain Name