Electronic Commerce & Law Report™ Source: Electronic Commerce & Law Report: News Archive > 2015 > 04/01/2015 > News > New TopLevel Domains: Taiwan Clarifies gTLD Regulations; Businesses May Apply in Next Round 20 ECLR 484 New TopLevel Domains Taiwan Clarifies gTLD Regulations; Businesses May Apply in Next Round By Lien Hoang March 24 – A state agency in Taiwan has approved rules allowing companies to apply for generic toplevel domains (gTLDs), clarifying an omission that may have made such applications illegal previously, a source told Bloomberg BNA. Under the proposed regulations by Taiwan's National Communications Commission, businesses could own websites ending with their names instead of ending with .com. For example, Eva Air would be permitted to operate flights.eva instead of (or in addition to) flights.com, as part of an application to own the entire .eva string — a socalled “brand TLD”. Commission adviser Kenny Huang told Bloomberg BNA on March 24 that the changes now await approval by the Executive Yuan, the administrative arm of Taiwan's government, which wants to liberalize website registrations. Existing Taiwanese law does not explicitly make it illegal for companies to own gTLDs. But Huang, who helped Taipei with its registrations, said laws that are nearly two decades old allow only nonprofits to register such domain names. The amendments would add clarity and bring businesses under this legal umbrella. “For new gTLDs, the government should more loosely control it,” Huang said. Preparing Businesses for Round Two The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers revealed on June 13, 2012 that it had received 1,930 applications in its first new gTLD round (17 ECLR 1093, 6/20/12). Three of those applicants came from Taiwan: phone maker HTC, Acer Computer and the Taipei city government — which registered .taipei and the Chinese characters for “government.” The second round of gTLD applications has not yet been announced. ICANN Global Domains Division president Akram Atallah said Oct. 13 that current plans call for launching a new round in 2017 or 2018 (19 ECLR 1366, 10/22/14). First round new gTLD applications cost $185,000 upfront, plus an annual fee of $25,000 once certain transactional thresholds are crossed. Huang said the city wanted to own .taipei to make the name more widely known globally. Similarly, he thinks the availability of website names ending in .com is limited, so companies will want to brand themselves with new strings. “That will allow the business to take off,” he said. “The purpose of the new gTLDs is to promote the business.” To contact the reporter on this story: Lien Hoang in Ho Chi Minh City at [email protected] To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joseph Wright at [email protected] Contact us at http://www.bna.com/contact/index.html or call 18003721033 ISSN 15235661 Copyright © 2015, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.. Reproduction or redistribution, in whole or in part, and in

Taiwan gTLD Policy and Regulation

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Page 1: Taiwan gTLD Policy and Regulation

4/2/2015 Electronic Commerce & Law Report

http://news.bna.com/epln/display/batch_print_display.adp 1/2

Electronic Commerce & Law Report™

Source: Electronic Commerce & Law Report: News Archive > 2015 > 04/01/2015 > News > New TopLevel Domains:Taiwan Clarifies gTLD Regulations; Businesses May Apply in Next Round

20 ECLR 484New TopLevel DomainsTaiwan Clarifies gTLD Regulations;Businesses May Apply in Next Round

By Lien HoangMarch 24 – A state agency in Taiwan has approved rules allowing companies to applyfor generic toplevel domains (gTLDs), clarifying an omission that may have madesuch applications illegal previously, a source told Bloomberg BNA.

Under the proposed regulations by Taiwan's National Communications Commission,businesses could own websites ending with their names instead of ending with .com.

For example, Eva Air would be permitted to operate flights.eva instead of (or in addition to) flights.com, aspart of an application to own the entire .eva string — a socalled “brand TLD”.

Commission adviser Kenny Huang told Bloomberg BNA on March 24 that the changes now await approvalby the Executive Yuan, the administrative arm of Taiwan's government, which wants to liberalize websiteregistrations.

Existing Taiwanese law does not explicitly make it illegal for companies to own gTLDs. But Huang, whohelped Taipei with its registrations, said laws that are nearly two decades old allow only nonprofits toregister such domain names. The amendments would add clarity and bring businesses under this legalumbrella.

“For new gTLDs, the government should more loosely control it,” Huang said.

Preparing Businesses for Round Two

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers revealed on June 13, 2012 that it had received1,930 applications in its first new gTLD round (17 ECLR 1093, 6/20/12). Three of those applicants camefrom Taiwan: phone maker HTC, Acer Computer and the Taipei city government — which registered .taipeiand the Chinese characters for “government.”

The second round of gTLD applications has not yet been announced. ICANN Global Domains Divisionpresident Akram Atallah said Oct. 13 that current plans call for launching a new round in 2017 or 2018 (19ECLR 1366, 10/22/14).

First round new gTLD applications cost $185,000 upfront, plus an annual fee of $25,000 once certaintransactional thresholds are crossed.

Huang said the city wanted to own .taipei to make the name more widely known globally. Similarly, hethinks the availability of website names ending in .com is limited, so companies will want to brandthemselves with new strings.

“That will allow the business to take off,” he said. “The purpose of the new gTLDs is to promote thebusiness.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Lien Hoang in Ho Chi Minh City at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Joseph Wright at [email protected]