Internationalized Domain Names

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1 Panelists
2 Panel Description
3 Speaker Presentation Slides
4 Remote Questions for Panelists
5 Session Notes
6 Questions & Answers
7 Resources and papers

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Panelists

Speakers

Wei Mao - China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC)
Ram Mohan - CTO & VP Business Operations, Afilias Limited
Milton Mueller - - Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University
Hong Xue - Microsoft Fellow, Information Society Project, Yale Law School
Peter Yu - Associate Professor of Law and director of the Intellectual Property & Communications Law Program, Michigan State University College of Law

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Moderator

Robert Guerra - Managing Director, Privaterra

A2K2 Conference Organizer

Hong Xue - Microsoft Fellow, Information Society Project, Yale Law School

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Panel Description

If we borrow the three-step analogy from Dr. Vint Cerf, the Chair of the Board of Director of ICANN, then information society is like the universe, internet governance is only a planet, and internationalized domain names (IDNs) seems like an egg on the planet. When taking a view through such a "Universal Positioning System", we know the IDN issues cannot be separated from the context of internet governance and information society. Meanwhile, the IDNs issues, though as small and fragile as an egg in the universe, is containing the element of new life and may exert the butterfly effect to the whole system.

Domain names were originally limited to the letters A to Z, the numbers 0-9 and the hyphen. As the Internet has expanded, so has the number of users who use alphabets based on alternative scripts, such as Russian or Chinese. There is a strong interest in the existing and nascent Internet community to have the ability to register domain names written in the characters used in their preferred languages and therein lies a huge technical challenge. Such domain names are sometimes called "International Domain Names" (IDN).

The Internet Engineering Task Force has developed a system which converts domain names from other alphabets into Latin-script characters. This is already in use with several TLDs, such as ‘.com’, ‘.info’and ‘.cn’ within second level domains. ICANN is testing the use of IDNs within TLDs. Some have criticised ICANN for being too slow in implementing IDNs, and warn that others could create an alternative system, which could misdirect internet traffic.

The panel will discuss how IDN technologies may facilitate the users’ access to knowledge and bridge the digital divide and how to ensure an open, transparent, multi-stakeholder IDN policy making process, centered with the local internet communities of certain scripts or languages.

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Speaker Presentation Slides

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Remote Questions for Panelists

Dr. Wei Mao will present the bottom-up process for IDN development in the Chinese language community;

Mr. Ram Mohan will talk about the technical development and policy-making on IDNs in ICANN ambit;

Prof. Milton Mueller will comment on the IDNs' impact on internet governance;

Prof. Hong Xue will talk about particupation of Internet users and civil society in IDN processes;

Prof. Peter Yu will talk about between registration of IDNs and trademark rights.

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Session Notes

Drafts notes by : Robert Guerra

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Dr. Mao

- Presentation of what is taking place in china in regards to IDN - though invented in the US, character set did not include non ascii characters. -

1. Transition to ubiquitous internet society

* promote cultural and linguistic diversity
* to promote accessibility of internet to populations that don't read english

2. history of IDN in china

* strong demand by chinese internet community to express themselves in their own language an use their own character set.
* so that they could read and write on the internet in chinese
* dissatisfaction by the public that the domain names themselves where not in chinese. 
* Allowing for domain names to be used in the chinese character set the last fortress to conquer.
* believe that local people know the local demands better, and in 2000 cooperated with other domains that speak chinese to create a chinese domain name consortium.
* 2000 first national NIC to launch IDN service.
*  Roll of technology & policy framework allowing for IDN to be deployed
*  Working with standards bodies such as IETF to roll out technology and develop IDN email standards that can be used by others.

Comments:

* IDN is more than just a technical issue, but a cultural and linguistical issue.
* IDN can be implemented successfully . Certain vendors, such as Microsoft and others already support IDN

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Ram Mohan

* what are components on sustainable rollout of IDN in internet
* what is the link to A2K
* Policy framework

95% of internet users prefer accessing content in their own language

Technology can help

* Registration of IDN in .ORG TLD
* Growth of domain names in local language depends on the ability

IDN's important as:

* increases ability to popularize the internet in non english audience
* way to promote culture and linguistically diversity

IDN need to work everywhere, be backwards compatible, should not break software .

Case of India:

*  22 official languages
*  one of the interesting challenges is that there are  multiple languages, and use of multiple scripts.
* for a social perspective, schools teach in 58 different languages.

Adequate standards exists, however a full understanding of technology and policy frameworks needed are not yet developed.

Policy decisions have technical consequences.

Key principles

* build a list of valid characters
* Allow only one form of character set.
* Using a single root.

Don't try to build new experimental systems

On the policy side:

* when a name is suggested a the top level. try to make sure if doesn't overlap something already in ASCII
* need to have broad based support. involve those that have a relevant voice that bring a language online.
* a new UDRP process is not needed for IDN
* Retain the uniqueness of a single root
* maintain interoperability
* need to start thinking of future proofing solutions
* don't lock code sets into 8bits

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Milton Mueller

* Policy perspective of issues @ IDN
* is it multilingualism we are interested in, or internationalism?

* IDN - involves mixing semantics, geopolitics and technology

A global governance issue. We are trying to make sure the internet is truly compatible.

Issues:

* Standardization issues

what do you do about country codes. Multilingual country codes - how do you create them.

* Alternate DNS roots.
* Intellectual Property issues.

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Hong Xue

IDN - the perspective of individual users

IDN : For whom is it.

* have they been in the spotlight?
* users haven't been participating in the development of IDN.
* Users should be involved in the development, implementation and use of IDN

What are the users's concern:

* No further delay - Get it deployed now.
* No perfect solution may exist.

Language Communities

* Should play a central role in the technological development, policy making and implementation
* Mechanisms should be bottom-up & multi-stakeholder

Consumer Protection Issues

* Learn the lessons from the Registryfly registry debacle
* Provider's obligation of information.

Market Competition

* Any anti-competition effect should be prevented.

Balanced Protection

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Peter Yu

The interaction of domain names and trademark rights.

There are a variety of issues.

* Similarities - Domain names look similar
* Phonetics

Challenging issues with TM law:

* Different type of jurisdictions , laws are different
* Different meanings in different cultural contexts.

In the A2K Framework

* Promoting e-commerce.
* Access to information and knowledge.

What is the goal? Should we focus on domain names, or instead develop portal or software to promote local language. Is IDN the best way to go?

* Cultural and linguistic diversity

Allows one to have a voice on the internet.

Challenges:

* It is based on scripts, and not countries. 
* Dispute resolution processes. What law will be used to resolve the dispute. UDRP is a good process for cybersquating, but good for IDNs? Will US law prevail?
* Interaction between technology and usage.

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