ICANN: Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Implementation Guidelines

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is seeking community feedback on draft Guidelines for the Implementation of the Internationalized Domain Names 4.0.

The Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) Implementation Guidelines relate to the IDN registration policies and practices, designed to minimise the risk of cybersquatting and consumer confusion, to cater to the interests of communities using local languages and scripts. The main audience of the Guidelines is top-level domain (TLD) registries that offer or plan to offer registrations of IDNs under their Registry Agreements. For other registries (e.g. Country Code Top Level Domain Name registries) this document is intended as the best current practice. They are also intended for registrars offering registration of IDNs.

The latest version of the Guidelines was published in 2011. In 2015, a Working Group (WG) was formed to review the Guidelines, in order to reflect the changes that have emerged in the terminology around IDNs and IDN tables, among others. The WG has produced a set of revised Guidelines, which are now subject to review and feedback from the community. Comments received will be reviewed and incorporated in the final version of the Guidelines, which will then be presented to the ICANN Board of Directors for approval.

To contribute to this consultation, visit the dedicated webpage.