After consideration of substantial public comment, both in support of, as well as in opposition to, the proposal to require EOIs be lodged for new gTLDs, the proposal has been withdrawn by the ICANN Board. The ICANN Board determined that the benefits of proceeding with an EOI proposal were outweighed by costs of potential delay to the new gTLD program and the lack of certainty about the date when the overarching issues of the program could be resolved. The ICANN Board resolved to continue to work toward the launch of the new gTLD program.

In other announcements within the context of the new gTLD process, ICANN will require strict separation of entities offering registry services and those acting as registrars. No co-ownership will be allowed.

There was also support for the Clearinghouse and URS proposals that were posted on 15 February 2010 for public comment. Subject to amendments in response to the public comments the proposals are expected to be included in version 4 of the draft applicant guidebook, which is planned to be published in time for the Brussels meeting of ICANN in June 2010.

The resolutions are a positive outcome for brand owners, as it shows that ICANN is beginning to incorporate additional protections for brand owners, and to focus its resources on resolving the remaining issues prior to launch of new gTLDs.

Follow this link to view the complete list of ICANN Board resolutions from the Nairobi meeting