The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has highlighted 23 areas of disagreement when it comes to the approval of new top level domain names — including .xxx and .web.
ICANN is expected to launch the new domain name system later this year, but negotiations over the new Web address endings are becoming increasingly bogged down by national and international political wranglings.
ICANN chairman Peter Thrush has said that while the recent discussions held in Brussels were productive, further meetings will have to be held if ICANN and nations around the globe are to agree on a universal domain name system that limits the possibility for abuse.
In an open letter, Mr. Thrush said, “The Board looks forward to continuing to collaborate with the GAC [ICANN’s Government Advisory Committee] in order to conclude the consultation process on the new gTLD program during the Silicon Valley/San Francisco Meeting.”
Among the GAC’s requests are the introduction of a ‘loser pays’ system for domain name disputes.