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Two for-profit groups are pushing for one. The Dot Gay Alliance (dotgay.org), out of New York City, is being led by a longtime gay activist. And dotGay (dotgay.com) is being spearheaded by a heterosexual German man in Riga, Latvia, who has incorporated a company in San Francisco.
In other words, there could be hotels.gay, provincetown.gay, match.gay and pride.gay Web sites. (Question: What would the popular Web site gay.com have as its .gay counterpart? Gay.gay? Gaydotcom.gay? Or does it not get a .gay counterpart?)
While both groups have left open the possibility of cooperating, they havent yet joined forces. Both groups say they plan on starting the application process with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, to create top-level domains, akin to .com, .edu, .org and .net.
Icann, which coordinates the Internet naming system, has encouraged the creation of other dot-whatever top-level domains (though only after an expensive application process that costs upwards of $400,000). Both groups will attend the Icann meeting in Seoul, South Korea, that is to start Monday.
The domain-registry business can be lucrative, potentially spinning off millions of dollars per year as each registered Internet site pays annual fees of $8 or so. While neither group is nonprofit, both say they plan on funneling those funds toward supporting gay causes. This could be a significant source of funding for organizations fighting, doing very good, important work, said Joe Dolce, founder and executive director of the Dot Gay Alliance, and a longtime gay activist.
Mr. Dolce said he got the idea for a .gay domain as a way to raise money when he was working with Minds and Machines, an Internet-domain consulting service that is helping with the creation of a .eco domain. He was intrigued when Al Gore, the former vice president, said he would support .eco only if half the proceeds from the registration went to environmental groups, and thought that model could be applied to gay causes as well.
Since June, he has been working with the parent company of Minds and Machines, which will provide the financial backing for the expensive application process. The plan is for 51 percent of the proceeds from domain registration to go to gay causes, he said.
Its a very novel way that doesnt involve putting your hand out, doesnt involve another benefit or charity function, said Mr. Dolce, 52, who saw many of his friends die from AIDS in the 1980s. He added: This is a community that has to sustain itself. There was very little help from the outside world, very little help from the government.
The AIDS crisis galvanized the gay community, leading to the creation of groups like Gay Mens Health Crisis and Act Up, both in New York. I think New York has trained an entire generation of people to be socially conscious and be activist, he said.
Among those is Paula Ettelbrick, a lawyer and longtime gay activist who is serving as a philanthropic adviser to the alliance. Both the City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, and State Assemblyman Daniel J. ODonnell, both Manhattan Democrats and openly gay, have written letters to support the Dot Gay Alliance.
In contrast, the chief executive of dotGay, Alexander Schubert, does not appear to have substantial local support. He was born in Berlin but now lives in Riga. He said he planned to move to San Francisco, where dotGay was incorporated, after he gets his visa sorted out. Currently dotGay lists the address 799 Castro Street, San Francisco, which is the office of his lawyer.
Mr. Schubert declined to say where he was getting his financing, but he noted that more than half of the proceeds perhaps as much as two-thirds would go to gay causes.
As to why he chose the Bay Area over, say, New York, he said: I thought it was best done from San Francisco. San Francisco is the gay capital of the world.
Mr. Schubert was the co-founder of a group which pushed for .berlin (which inspired the .nyc campaign here).
That experience made him think more broadly about domain names. All these years, I thought about the perfect top-level domain. I came to the conclusion that it should be community like the gay community, he said. I am personally not gay. I am born and raised in Berlin, which is the gay capital of Europe.
But Mr. Dolce was troubled by the fact that dotGay was founded by a man who was not gay. If you are launching a purely for-profit venture called dotGay and you are heterosexual, then you are in a way continuing a legacy of straight people earning a lot of money off of gay people that has gone on, he said. I want to create a community which is run by the community and gives money back to the community.
And why .gay and not say, .lgbt a commonly used short-hand term for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender? Mr. Dolce said one reason was that gay is an internationally recognized word, while the L.G.B.T. acronym differs across different languages. Also, he added, gay is a nice three-letter word, which fits Internet naming convention.
New gTLD Program ICANN Proposes Draft Expression of Interest / Pre-Registrations Model
18 December 2009
ICANN is publishing today for public comment a draft model for soliciting Expressions of Interest for new generic top-level domains (new gTLDs) [PDF, 192K]. According to this EOI / pre-registration model, entities interested in participating in the first round of the New gTLD Program are required to submit basic information about the participating entity and the requested top-level domain, also referred to as "string".
The model is a direct result of community recommendations for such an undertaking. The Board directed that a draft model be constructed based on public comment for additional discussion. A decision on whether to proceed and, if so under what model, will be taken after this round of public comment.
The public comment period opens on 18 December, 2009 and closes on 27 January, 2010. Details can be found at http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/public-comment-201001.htm#draft-eoi.
The proposed model published today is not an operationally complete plan, i.e., it is not intended to include all the details that would be needed for implementation of a functioning process. Rather, it is intended to convey the detail necessary for robust public discussion. After the end of this public comment period, the ICANN Board will convene to consider the community feedback and decide on the path forward. A decision is expected in the first quarter of 2010. If approved, the final process and the opening date for EOI will be published.
Highlights of the draft EOI / pre-registration model:
Participation in the EOI is mandatory for eligibility to submit a gTLD application in the first round. Subsequent application rounds will be open to any eligible applicants.
A deposit of US$55,000 is required for the EOI, and will be used as a credit against the US$185,000 evaluation fee.
The deposit is refundable if the New gTLD Program does not launch within a specific time period. Details will be outlined in the final EOI model.
Participants are notified that there may be subsequent amendments to the Draft Applicant Guidebook. It is the intention to conclude many current open issues prior to initiation of the EOI process.
A fully executed communications campaign, intended to ensure global awareness about the EOI, will precede the opening of the process.
Participants will be required to provide specific information concerning the participating entity and the requested string.
The participant and string information will be made public.
The EOI launch is conditional on the conclusion of many of the outstanding issues, for example, issues concerning vertical separation and the IDN three-character string requirements. Solutions for these and other issues are expected to be included in the Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 4.
Below is a short Q&A regarding the proposed EOI draft model. For details, please refer to the http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/eoi-model-18dec09-en.pdf [PDF, 192K].
What is the value in conducting an EOI / pre-registration process?
An EOI process could provide ICANN and the Internet community important information that will contribute to a better understanding of, for example: the economic demand for new gTLDs; the number and kind of strings requested; certainty as to root-zone delegation rates; and inform the program's operational readiness plan. It is also believed that the draft EOI model may assist with the resolution of outstanding issues.
The impetus for publishing an EOI model began at the ICANN Seoul Meeting where a significant number of community members expressed interest in evaluating a process that calls for "expressions of interest" from organizations that have a serious interest in applying for a new gTLD. The Board subsequently directed staff to develop a model, and in order to facilitate consideration of these issues, staff posted a set of conceptual questions relating to the EOI for community feedback. The analysis of these comments helped in the development of the current proposed model.
Are there any pre-conditions for the launch of the EOI?
Yes, if the Board approves this path forward, there are a few pre-conditions to the EOI launch, for example: t he resolution on issues regarding vertical separation of registries and registrars; resolution on the three-character string requirements; the publication of Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 4; the execution of a communication campaign that will work to ensure that all parties wishing to participate are knowledgeable of the opportunity.
How does the EOI impact the continuing development of the program?
ICANN and the community continue to work on the program's development and the resolution of open issues, including the next iteration of the Draft Applicant Guidebook, and the program's operational readiness.
Who can participate in the EOI process?
As outlined in the Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 3, any public or private organization from any part of the world can apply. As described above, certain key provisions that significantly affect an entity's ability to participate would have to be settled prior to the EOI launch.
When will the EOI application period open?
The ICANN Board will be considering the draft EOI model and the community feedback during its meeting in February, 2010. If the Board decides that this is the path forward, staff will publish the final model along with instructions for a specific launch date.
How will EOI applications be submitted?
Entities will be able to apply on-line. ICANN will use the TLD Application System (TAS) that is already in development for the program. The TAS system will be accessed through ICANN's website.
What information will be required from participating entities?
The proposed draft model requires participants to answer questions 1 through 14, which are currently outlined in the Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 3: Evaluation Questions and Criteria (http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/draft-evaluation-criteria-clean-04oct09-en.pdf [PDF, 741K]). These include: contact information of the participating entity; proof of legal establishment and good standing; disclosures concerning the participant's background, and; the requested string and associated IDN information, if applicable.
Can an entity that does not participate in the EOI still be eligible to apply when the New gTLD Program officially launches?
Yes, but not in the first round. According to the proposed draft model, participation in the EOI is mandatory for eligibility in the first new gTLD application round. There will be future opportunities to apply, however, the dates are not yet available.
Why is a deposit required and how was the US$55,000 determined?
One of the objectives of the EOI process is to generate data that will drive validation of implementation work and operational readiness. The deposit is one means of giving weight to the process and the submissions. Absent a deposit of a sufficient amount, participants could provide false or misleading information, which would undermine the reliability of the data to be used for the purposes intended.
The proposed US$55,000 EOI deposit is the non-refundable portion of the evaluation fee (currently US$185,000 as per Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 3). This amount strikes a balance between two negative outcomes, that a low amount could result in speculation and a high amount could be a barrier to entry. The US$55,000 deposit is would be considered as a credit against the eventual fee that accompanies submission of an application.
Is the deposit refundable?
Under the current proposed draft model, the US$55,000 deposit is non-refundable, except in specified, limited circumstances, for example, if the first application round does not start within a defined time period (currently, 18 months from the closing date of the EOI submission period).
What happens to the EOI information collected by ICANN?
ICANN plans to publish on its website the information collected from the participants along with the requested strings submitted during the EOI.
Related Resources :
For Program details, go to: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm
Full Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 3: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/draft-rfp-clean-04oct09-en.pdf (PDF, 1,980K)
Related previous announcement and public comment: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-11nov09-en.htm