<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>I think we should submit comments on this proposal from a GAC Sub-group on Geographic Names in future gtld rounds to "respect national sensitivities". </div><div><br></div><div>In short, the GAC proposal calls for a change in the policy in the applicant guidebook to require applicants to obtain the permission of governments before they can use a word that could be considered a country, territory or place name, and country, territory or regional language or people descriptions. </div><div><br></div><div>GAC wants to override the GNSO's policy from 2008 and the AGB. GAC relies heavily on the presumption that restricting gtlds in this fashion is automatically in the public interest and therefore ICANN must do it. Of course it will have the effect of dramatically restricting speech in tlds and further empowering governments over people's use of the Internet. Unfortunately the GACification of ICANN continues apace. Sigh.</div><div><br></div><div>Robin</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/Governmental+Advisory+Committee">https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/Governmental+Advisory+Committee</a></div><div><h4 id="GovernmentalAdvisoryCommittee-DraftdocumentfromGACSub-grouponGeographicNames-Communityinputsought" class="p1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.2em; "><strong style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">Draft document from GAC Sub-group on Geographic Names - Community input sought</strong></h4><p class="p1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em; ">The GAC Sub-group on Geographic Names (a Sub-group of the GAC Working Group on Future New gTLDs) has developed a draft document for future New gTLD rounds outlining several public policy aspects related to geographic names and is currently seeking community input on this document:</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><a href="https://gacweb.icann.org/download/attachments/27132037/Geo%20names%20in%20new%20gTLDs%20Updated%20%20V3%20%2029%20august%202014%5B4%5D.pdf?version=1&modificationDate=1411549935692&api=v2" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-decoration: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">The protection of geographic names in the new gTLDs process</a>.</font></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em; ">A previous version of this draft was presented in a public session during the London ICANN/GAC meetings and a similar session is planned for the October ICANN/GAC meetings in Los Angeles. The Working Group believes the receipt of community input on the current draft document would be beneficial to the October discussions, and further welcomes comments from all interested parties by October 31, 2014. </p><p class="p1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Comments may be submitted to <a href="mailto:future-geo-doc-comments@gac.icann.org" class="external-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-decoration: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">future-geo-doc-comments@gac.icann.org</a> .</p><p class="p1" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Comments received will be posted on the Community Input page at: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/nc4knhn" class="external-link" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans', Arial, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; text-decoration: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; ">http://tinyurl.com/nc4knhn</a>.</p><div>-----------------------</div></div><div>
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<div class="column"><p><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'Tahoma,Bold'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><b>Paper's Conclusion:</b></span></font></p><p><span style="font-size: 12.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'"><b>... Suggested changes in the Applicant Guide Book
</b></span></p>
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<div class="column"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">Taking into consideration that the Durban Communiqué states that “The GAC recommends
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">that ICANN collaborate with the GAC in refining, for future rounds, the Applicant
Guidebook with regard to the protection of terms with national, cultural, geographic and
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">religious significance, in accordance with the 2007 GAC Principles on New gTLDs”, </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">a new
text is suggested regarding the geographic names, in the case that the same text of the
present AGB will be used as ground document:
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">To include in the paragraph 2.2.1.4 of the AGB the following sentence:
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">“ICANN should avoid country, territory or place names, and country,
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">territory or regional language or people descriptions, unless in
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">agreement with the relevant governments or public authorities”.
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">Also the following </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">paragraph appears in the section “2.2.1.4.2 </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">Geographic Names
Requiring Government Support” </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">of the AGB. </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">It should be a general statement or
principle regarding geographic names, in order to clarify and reinforce the importance of
the previous communication between the Applicants and the Governments, even in case of
any doubt.
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">“Nevertheless, in the event of any doubt, it is in the applicant’s interest
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">to consult with relevant governments and public authorities and enlist
</span></p>
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<div class="column"><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">their support or non-objection prior to submission of the application, in
order to preclude possible objections and pre-address any ambiguities
concerning the string and applicable requirements.”
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">A specific reference to the Geographic Names Repository described in section 6.b of this
document must be also included.
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">The suggested changes in the Applicant Guide Book, paragraph 2.2.1.4 of the AGB should
read as follows:
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">“2.2.1.4 Geographic Names Review
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">Applications for gTLD strings must ensure that appropriate consideration is given to
the interests of governments or public authorities in geographic names, </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">taking
into consideration that, according with the 2007 GAC Principles
regarding New gTLDs, ICANN should avoid country, territory or place
names, and country, territory or regional language or people
descriptions, unless in agreement with the relevant governments or
public authorities. </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma'">The requirements and procedure ICANN will follow in the
evaluation process are described in the following paragraphs. Applicants should
review these requirements even if they do not believe their intended gTLD string is
a geographic name. All applied-for gTLD strings will be reviewed according to the
requirements in this section, regardless of whether the application indicates it is for
a geographic name.
</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">“Nevertheless, in the event of any doubt, it is in the applicant’s interest
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'">to consult with relevant governments and public authorities and enlist
their support or non-objection prior to submission of the application, in
order to preclude possible objections and pre-address any ambiguities
concerning the string and applicable requirements.”</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Tahoma,Bold'"> </span></p>
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