Members of the Domain Tasting Ad Hoc Group met in teleconference today. Consensus emerged on a path forward -- ICANN Staff, in consultation with the ad hoc group, is to begin preparing a Request for Information (RFI) on the topic to be posted to ICANN's website. The initial questions cited in the Staff Issues report will be augmented/refined in the RFI by additional questions/observations provided by the constituencies. The initial questions were: • Who benefits from domain tasting, and who is harmed? • Who would benefit from cessation of the practice and who would be harmed? • How are registry operators being affected by domain tasting? • How are registrars being affected by domain tasting? • How are registrants being affected by domain tasting? Are there different categories of registrants affected differently? • What enforceable rules could be applied toward domain tasting activity? • What would be the impact (positive or negative) of establishing limitations, guidelines or restrictions on registrars’ use of the AGP? • What would be the impact (positive or negative) on registries, registrars, and registrants of eliminating the AGP? FYI, this Ad Hoc Group was constituted pursuant to the following Council resolution: The GNSO Council resolves: 1) To acknowledge the Issues Report on Domain Tasting; 2) To create a small, ad hoc group of GNSO representatives to direct and consider further research on domain tasting, including but not limited to the Questions posed by ICANN staff on page 30 of the Issues Report, and to draft terms of reference for a possible GNSO policy development process in a timely way; 3) To direct the ICANN staff to work with the ad hoc group to gather further information and data about the domain tasting issue and make further recommendations on effectively scoping a PDP; 4) To consider the further research and terms of reference, receive a status report on non-PDP mechanisms regarding domain tasting, and to consider whether to launch a policy development process on domain tasting at the September 2007 GNSO Council meeting. Links: Issues Report -- http://gnso.icann.org/issues/domain-tasting/gnso-domain-tasting-report-14jun07.pdf ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545433