The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has released the Initial Evaluation (IE) results for the first set of new global Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) applications. The set includes 27 new suffixes that are in Chinese, Arabic and other languages, besides English.
“This achievement is the result of many years of policy development and implementation work to bring diversity, competition, and innovation to the Domain Name System. Applicants, along with the greater ICANN community have dedicated countless hours toward reaching this goal. This is not only an important and exciting moment in the New gTLD Program but also in the continuing evolution of the Internet,” says ICANN in an announcement.
To check out the IE results for applications with priority, visit the Current Application Status page of the gTLD site. Results are posted under the IE Results column. Clicking on the result will take you to the Initial Evaluation report for that application.
The ICANN says there are three outcomes of the initial evaluation – Pass, Eligible for Extended Evaluation and Ineligible for Further Review.
Pass means the evaluation panels have determined that the application is consistent with the requirements in the Applicant Guidebook and go ahead to the next phase of the programme. Eligible for Extended Evaluation means
Applications that have passed the Initial Evaluation (and that do not face any objections or string contention) can now proceed to contracting, with execution of the Registry Agreement by 23 April 2013.