Hello - NCSG members may be interested in the following letter from the Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association (APTLD) to ICANN, expressing concern over the possibility of user confusion and phishing in new IDN gTLDs that correspond to existing or new Latin-based gTLDs but operated by different entities, and other issues raised by the transliteration of Latin scripts into IDNs: http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/zhang-to-icann-01oct12-en 

Some of the main points that may be of interest include the fact that ICANN's current string review process deals only with confusion arising from visual (not phonetic) similarity, and uncertainty/confusion arising as a result either of a Latin-script-based gTLD operated by one entity, while the transliterated IDN gTLD is operated by a different entity. In addition, while not singling out Verisign, APTLD members were clearly also concerned about its application for .com in various scripts. Since the letter, Verisign has clarified that it will allow existing .com registrants to have their equivalent second-level registrations in the transliterated IDN version - an interesting business policy decision.



BTW, since NCUC elections have just concluded, I feel comfortable posting this so that it cannot be misinterpreted as me using my new ccNSO Council position to cadge for votes! :)


Cheers
Mary


Mary W S Wong
Professor of Law
Director, Franklin Pierce Center for IP
Chair, Graduate IP Programs
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE SCHOOL OF LAW
Two White Street
Concord, NH 03301
USA
Email: [log in to unmask]
Phone: 1-603-513-5143
Webpage: http://www.law.unh.edu/marywong/index.php
Selected writings available on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) at: http://ssrn.com/author=437584