ICANN Releases its Fourth Draft of the DAG

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), published its fourth version of the Draft Applicant Guidebook (DAG) on May 31, 2010. ICANN uses the DAG for informing and instructing the public about registering generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs).

This newest draft would require all registries of new gTLDs to honor marks validated by the proposed Trademark Clearinghouse. The Trademark Clearinghouse will include all nationally and multi-nationally registered marks including, “from countries where there is no substantive review”.

What this means is that trademarks approved without substantive examination can still be protected during the ‘sunrise period’ that is given to established trademark owners to purchase their domain names before purchase of these new domain names is opened to the public.

The fourth draft of ICANN’s DAG can be found here.

For more on ICANN, the sunrise period, and gTLDs;

New CADNA Study Says ICANN'S New gTLD Launch Will Cost Businesses Over $746 Million,

New gTLD Draft Applicant Guidebook, Version 4 Available for Public Comment,

DAGv4 is out!,

ICANN To Create Trademark Clearinghouse,