 ICANN
glossary and acronym decoder |
| ICANN
glossary and acronym decoder |
| BC | Business Constituency
(of the Generic Name Supporting Organisation).
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| ccTLD | See Top Level
Domain, Country Code
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| Contact | Contacts are
individuals or entities associated with domain name records. Typically,
third parties with specific inquiries or concerns will use contact records
to determine who should act upon specific issues related to a domain name
record. There are typically three contact types: Administrative,
Billing, Technical.
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| Contact, Administrative | The
administrative contact is an individual, role or organization authorised
to interact with the registry or registrar on behalf of the Domain Holder.
The Administrative Contact is the authoritative point of contact
for the domain name, second only to the Domain Holder.
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| Contact, Billing | The
billing contact is the individual, role or organization designated to
receive the invoice for domain name registration and re-registration fees.
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| Contact, Technical | The
technical contact is the individual, role or organization who is responsible
for the technical operations of the delegated zone. This contact likely
maintains the domain name server for the domain.
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| Cybersquatting | Registering
or using a domain name in bad faith to profit from a trademark or
other reputational identifier of another. The cybersquatter either
offers to sell the name to the owner of the trade mark for an inflated
price or makes money from parking or from adult content.
|
| Deletes | When
a domain name is not renewed the registrar is obliged to delete the name
from its records and release the name back to the registry. Some registrars
are slow to do this perhaps hoping to sell the name to someone else. Such
practices frustrate the orderly reallocation of deleted or lapsed names.
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| DNS | See
Domain Name System
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| DNSO | Domain
Name Supporting Organisation. The former body within ICANN tasked with
developing policy for adoption and implementation by the ICANN Board.
Replaced by the GNSO.
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| Domain Holder | The
individual or organization that registers a specific domain name. They
are the legal entity bound by the terms of the relevant service agreement
with the registry operator for the TLD in question.
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| Domain Name | Domain
names are the familiar, easy to remember names for computers on the Internet
(such as bizconst.org). They correspond to a series of numbers (Internet
Protocol numbers) that are routing addresses on the Internet. In
order to ensure consistent resolution, domain names need to be unique.
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| Domain Name System | The
domain name system is a distributed database arranged hierarchically.
Its purpose is to provide a layer of abstraction between other Internet
services (web, email, etc.) and the numeric addresses (IP addresses) used
to uniquely identify any given machine on the Internet.
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| Dot net rebid | Prior
to 2005 Verisign was the unchallenged registry for . net as well as .com
. As part of an agreement with ICANN, Verisign agreed to the re-bidding
of the .net registry. The conditions of that re-assignment
touch on issues of competition and consumer confidence.
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| Dot org reassignment | Prior
to 2002 Verisign was the registry for . org as well as . com and .net.
As part of a 2001 agreement with ICANN, Verisign agreed to no longer be
the . org registry. The registry was re-assigned to www.PIR.org
The conditions of that re-assignment touched on issues of competition
and consumer confidence.
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| Dropcatcher | A
company or individual who rushes to register or catch popular domain
names as soon as their original registrations expire.
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| ERC | The
Evolution and Reform Committee established by the ICANN Board in 2002
to recommend structural and process reform.
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| Exclusive Registration System | A
domain name registration system in which registry services are limited
to a single registrar.
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| Funnel | The
Funnel Process is the result of a GNSO Policy Development Process in connection
with the launching of new registry services that has been specifically
incorporated into all ICANN registry contracts. The Funnel Process is
designed to provide the community and registries a more predictable process
for the launch of new registry services, while including safeguards to
identify potentially new registry services that raise security, stability
or competition concerns. ICANN maintains a list of these funnel requests
on its web site at the following URL: http://www.icann.org/registries/rsep/submitted_app.html |
| GA | General
Assembly (of the former Domain Name Supporting Organisation) and now maintained
as a open mail list administered by GNSO staff.
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| GAC | Government
Advisory Committee. Public sector advisory body to the ICANN board.
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| Generic
Names Supporting Organisation (GNSO) |
The body within ICANN tasked with developing policy for adoption and implementation
by the ICANN Board. Formerly the DNSO. For more information see also ICANN
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| GNSO Council | The
ruling body of the GNSO. Replaced the former Names Council. For more information
see ICANN
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| gTLD | See
Top Level Domain, Generic
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| ICANN |
Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. A non- profit organization
founded to assume responsibility for IP address space assignment, protocol
parameter assignment, domain name system management and root server system
management.
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| IANA | Internet
Assigned Numbers Authority (USA). The organization prior to ICANN
that was tasked with responsibility for IP address space assignment, protocol
parameter assignment, domain name system management and root server system
management. This function is now performed by ICANN and limited to performing
the technical delegation of TLDs.
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| IDNs | See
Internationalized Domain Names
|
| Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) | These
will allow use on the Internet of domain names in non-Roman scripts such
as Chinese and Arabic. In October2002, the Internet Engineering Steering
Group approved the publication of a standardized way of integrating IDNs
into the Internet's domain-name system and published a set of guidelines.
The guidelines call on IDN-implementing registries to employ common language-specific
registration and administration rules. After the proposed technical standard
was published in March 2003, the ICANN Board endorsed an approach for
implementation of the technical standard. Registries seeking to deploy
IDNs under their agreements with ICANN have been authorized to do so on
the basis of the guidelines.
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| InterNIC | The
InterNIC, a registered service mark of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
is a concept for an integrated network information center that was developed
by several companies, including Network Solutions, in co-operation with
the U.S. Government.
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| IP | Internet
protocol (see IP address) or intellectual property, depending on the context.
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| IP Address | Internet
protocol address. A numeric address of the form 123.45.67.89 which, within
the Internet space, is the unique numeric equivalent of a record in a
zone file, underlying a domain name.
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| ISO-3166-1 | A
list maintained by the International Standards Organization that
gives coded representations of more than 230 names of countries or areas.
The two-code entries (such as fr for France) were adopted by IANA to create
ccTLD entries.
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| Kiting | See
Taste Testing
|
| Names Council | Former
ruling body of the DNSO. Replaced by the GNSO Council.
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| Nameserver | A
computer running software that authoritatively looks up the numeric equivalent
(IP Address) of a record in a zone file, usually for the purpose of allowing
remote client access to remote server resources over a network.
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| Namespace | All
combinations of Domain Names and Top Level Domains existing below
the Root System.
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| NIC |
Network Information Center (USA). |
| NIC Handle | A
NIC Handle is an identifier in use by some registrars and registries that
is assigned to various records in the domain name database. They are not
globally unique.
|
| Nominating Committee | The
Nominating Committee or NomCom is an appointed committee responsible
for the selection of all ICANN Directors except the President and those
Directors selected by ICANN's Supporting Organizations. The committee also selects three
members of both the GNSO Council and the CCNSO Council. Appointments are
made annually to the nominating committee by various bodies within ICANN
including each of the GNSO Constituencies. The Business Constituency provides
two members each year - to represent small and large business respectively.
2004 BC reps were Grant
Forsyth (large) and Mike Roberts (small). |
| NTEPPTF | New
TLD Evaluation Process Planning Task Force. An obsolete task force established
by ICANN in 2002 to make recommendations on how to evaluate the first
expansion of top-level domain names.
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| Parking | Also
domain parking. An advertising practise where the resulting web site is
typically used to display advertising and links related to the
domain name. The owner of the domain may be paid a small amount each
time a user clicks on an advertisement.
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| Picket Fence | This
is an informal term for the limit put into Registry Contracts on the scope
of issues that are considered to be "Consensus Policies". The
importance is that issues within scope may result in changes to contract
during the life of the contract. The "picket fence" scope in the first .jobs agreement is an example favoured by ICANN staff and includes five categories: (1) issues for which uniform or coordinated resolution is reasonably necessary to facilitate interoperability, Security and/or Stability of the Internet or DNS. (2) functional and performance specifications for the provision of Registry Services. (3) Security and Stability of the registry database for the TLD. (4) registry policies reasonably necessary to implement Consensus Policies relating to registry operations or registrars. (5) resolution of disputes regarding the registration of domain names (as opposed to the use of such domain names). Such categories of issues referred to in the preceding sentence shall include, without limitation:
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| Redemption Grace Period | See
Transfers
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| Registrant | See
Domain Holder
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| Registrar | An
entity that, via contract with Domain Holders and a registry, provides
domain name registration services. The Domain Holder (the Registrant)
pays a fee to the registrar.
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| Registrar, Accredited | A
gTLD Registrar that has been certified by and under contract to ICANN
as meeting certain minimal criteria. Some ccTLD registries also accredit
registrars, so the term must be seen in context
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|
Registry
|
A
Registry is the entity responsible for providing registry services. Each
TLD has an associated registry. A part of the fee paid by a registrant
to the registrar is transferred by the registrar to the registry. Registry
services include customer database administration, zone file publication,
DNS operation, marketing and policy determination. A registry may outsource
some of these services.
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| Registry, Thick | A
registry which administers both the technical information (information
needed to produce zone files) and social information (information needed
to implement operational, business, or legal practices).
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| Registry, Thin | A
registry in which some element of the social information is shared with
a registrar.
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| Registry Operator | Usually
synonymous with the term registry, however a registry operator may also
be an organization merely operating the registry under an outsourced technical
services management contract.
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| Registry Services | Services
offered by the Registry to its users. In order to avoid interruption to,
or other problems with, the Domain Name System the GNSO has developed
a policy whereby a Registry has to provide notice and receive permission
before introducing a new service.
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| Root System | The
Domain Name System is a hierarchal naming structure, the top of which
is the root.
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| SLD | Second-level
domain of the DNS, e.g. .com.au (.com is the SLD in the .au (Australia)
ccTLD.
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| SLD Holder | See
SLD and Domain Holder
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| Shared Registration System | A
domain name registration system in which registry services are shared
among multiple independent registrars.
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| Taste testing | Domain
Name Taste Testing (aka Domain Name Kiting) refers to a practice within
the domain name marketplace in which registrants abuse a registry's five
day period of grace after which payment will not be refunded. Specifically,
large volumes of domain names are registered to test the volume of traffic
associated with these names. If the economics associated with these tested
names are favourable, the registrant keeps the name. However, the far more
likely outcome is that the majority of these names (upwards of 99%) are
deleted and the registrant refunded his registry fees in full. This practice
results in substantial cost increases to business owners that must monitor
the Internet for phishing and trademark infringement, and negatively impacts
consumers that might be looking for available domain names.
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| TLD | Top
Level Domain. A term used to describe both gTLDs and ccTLDs that exist
within the domain name system.
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| Top Level Domain, country code | A
TLD that corresponds to an entry in the ISO-3166-1 list. Note there are
exceptions: UK, .GG, .JE are ccTLDs but not in the ISO-3166-1 list
|
| Top Level Domain, generic | A
TLD created to act as a globally relevant resource. Examples of these
include .COM, .NET, .ORG, .INFO, .BIZ and .AERO.
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| Transfers | Domain
name holders may choose to change their registrar for better price or
improved service. The registrar is instructed to transfer the name to
another registrar. Some registrars historically insisted on procedures
that were not in the name holder's interest. Agreeing to a procedure that
balances speed with security was the objective of a debate started
in 2002 on this issue resulting in an ICANN policy change. A standard
"Redemption Grace Period" now helps holders resolve the legitimate
right to hold a name registered by someone else.
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| Typosquatting | A
form of cybersquatting that relies on mistakes made by internet
users when typing a website address into a web browser - eg myspac.com
rather than myspace.com.
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| UDRP | Uniform
Dispute Resolution Policy (see below)
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| Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy | A
fast-track process that enables a trade mark owner or similar rights owner
to take over ownership of a domain name registered in bad faith by someone
else. The policy created by the DNSO and ICANN is administered by certain
organisations such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)
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| Waiting List Service | A
service proposed by Verisign Global Registries in Q1 2002 to allow potential
domain holders to reserve domain names, currently owned by a third party,
should that third party choose not to renew the name. WLS would have eliminated
the use of existing reservation services, thus there were issues of competition,
as well as issues of intellectual property. The Names Council recommended
against allowing the service but in Q3 2002 the ICANN board rejected this
recommendation.
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| Whois | A
server that provides a directory service. Whois is not purely a domain
name or IP address directory service, but has been deployed for a wide
variety of uses. It is the first place to visit to check on a bad faith
registration, though data accuracy remains a problem. In 2002 the Names
Council launched a review of Whois. This work continued under the
GNSO and the various issues are slowly resulting in ICANN policy changes.
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| Whois, Bulk | A
data retrieval mechanism required by ICANN that specifies that all ICANN
accredited Registrars must make their Whois dataset available as a single
machine readable file.
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| Whois Record | The
information returned to the client as a result of a Whois query.
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| Whois, Referral | RWhois
(Referral Whois). An enhanced Whois service.
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| Whois, Registrar | Whois
services made available by specific registrars for the domain names that
they sponsor at the Registry.
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| Whois, Registry | Whois
services made available by specific registries for the domain names that
they are authoritative for. Registry Whois often do not provide the comprehensive
contact information that Registrar Whois services do.
|
| WIPO II | A
2003 request from UN agency the World Intellectual Property Organisation
WIPO to extend the UDRP (see above) to cover the names of international
organisations and the names of countries. This request was resisted
by the GNSO because of a fundamental difference to the trade mark UDRP.
Under that a losing party can always go to a national court but that option
was not a part of the new WIPO request.
|
| WGIG | Working
Group on Internet Governance. The first phase of the World Summit
on the Information Society (see WSIS below) requested the United Nations
Secretary-General to establish a Working Group (WGIG) on Internet Governance.
The WGIG presented the result of its work in a report "for consideration
and appropriate action for the second phase of the WSIS in Tunis 2005."
|
| WLS | See
Waiting List Service
|
| WSIS | World
Summit on the Information Society. Endorsed by the UN general assembly
in 2001 WSIS seeks to answer questions and propose actions concerning
the digital revolution and the digital divide. It is held in two phases.
The first phase of WSIS took place in Geneva hosted by the Government
of Switzerland from 10 to 12 December 2003. It addressed the broad range
of themes concerning the Information Society and adopted a Declaration
of Principles and Plan of Action. The second phase (implementation of
the plan of action) took place in Tunis hosted by the Government of Tunisia,
from 16 to 18 November 2005. More information from http://www.itu.int/wsis
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| Zone File | A
file that contains data describing a portion of the domain name space.
Zone files contain the information needed to resolve domain names to Internet
Protocol (IP) numbers.
|
| Zone Transfer | The
process by which nameservers request and replicate Zone File data from
remote nameservers.
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| Other glossaries and faqs | www.icann.org/general/glossary.htm
|
| The above is intended to guide BC members through the key issues of relevance to commercial users. |
