Out-Law / Your Daily Need-To-Know

ICANN, the body that manages the internet's domain name system, has begun commercial and technical negotiations on the possible creation of two new sponsored top-level domains – .mobi, for services relating to mobile phones, and .jobs, for the human resources sector.

The domains, together with .post and .travel, which were given preliminary approval in October, are the first of 10 applications for sponsored top-level domains submitted in March to reach this stage in the selection process.

The 10 applications currently before ICANN relate to the proposed domains: .asia, .cat, .jobs, .mail, .tel (two applications made by separate organisations), .mobi and .xxx. This last proposal is the most controversial, having already been put forward in 2000 and rejected by ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).

Both .mobi and .jobs have now moved through the preliminary application stages, and join .post and .travel in individual commercial and technical negotiations. Final approval is still not guaranteed.

According to ICANN, the organisation's Board has requested that the negotiations over .jobs specially consider the questions of broad-based policy making for the .jobs community, and how the domain will differentiate between users in the name space.

In respect of .mobi, however, the Board is specially looking to confirm that the system will not conflict with existing telephone numbering schemes, and for confirmation as to the applicant's proposed community of mobile phone content providers.

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