Garrett SaundryThe Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is in the midst of a public consultation http://idnconsultation.ca on the use of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) in the .CA domain. Specifically, CIRA is proposing to support the use of French characters in .CA domain names.
After making an initial proposal and conducting an extensive consultation in 2011, CIRA has recently published a revised proposed policy. In a nutshell:
[…] CIRA is proposing the “bundling” of character variants. This means that the holder of a particular domain name would have the exclusive right to register all of the variants of that domain name, and that no one else could register any of those domains. For example, only the holder of preside.ca would have the option to register préside.ca, prèsïdë.ca, prësîdê.ca, etc. In addition, only the holder of the domain name préside.ca would have the option to register preside.ca. A Registrant could also choose to only register an IDN domain name (e.g. grâce.ca) and not the ASCII version (grace.ca). As all variants of the same domain name could only be registered by the same Registrant, in the event a domain name transfer takes place, whether voluntary or involuntary (e.g. as a result of a dispute), all variants of the same domain name would have to be transferred at the same time.
The revised policy ensures that the registrant holding the rights to the bundle of accented variants of a .CA domain name will be free to choose which, if any, variants to register and how to use them. It protects existing and new domain holders from possible exploitation of the IDN versions of .CA domain names, while imposing no required additional costs. It eliminates the need for any sort of start up process involving Sunrise/Landrush periods, deadlines, etc. to protect existing .CA domain holders. Also, CIRA is “planning a comprehensive communication and education plan, in order to ensure .CA holders will be aware of their option to register variants of their domain names, and to address concerns about how Internet users will be able to access French domain names.”
Opening up the .CA domain to both of Canada’s official languages is a worthwhile endeavor. The revised policy proposal is most welcome, and is a substantial improvement on the initial proposal.
What do you think of the revised policy? Please consider getting involved by making a formal submission or by participating in the online discussion. The consultation closes on Friday, February 24.