22 Describe proposed measures for protection of geographic names at the second and other levels in the applied-for gTLD

Prototypical answer:

DotMusic protects geographic names at the second level of .MUSIC by the following described measures. These have been developed in response to the GAC’s Principles regarding New gTLDs, dated March 28, 2007, and to adhere to the requirements of the ICANN Registry Agreement Specification 5.

In correspondence with GAC principle 2.7, DotMusic will block all country and territory names as registrations under .MUSIC. To accomplish this DotMusic will prior to launch (i) place the names on a reserved list that can solely be released as second-level registrations under .MUSIC by an agreement with the respective country or territory and with ICANN; and (ii) include in its registration policies that country and territory names are prohibited at lower levels.

The names reserved as country and territory names will correspond to the requirements in the ICANN Registry Agreement Specification 5, paragraph 5; and paragraph 2 where all two-character labels will be reserved for registration to ensure that any release of such names is done to the appropriate corresponding country or territory and thereby avoid user confusion.

When DotMusic is launching Internationalized Domain Names DotMusic will place translated versions of country and territory names on a reserved list that also only can be released for registration if an agreement has been reached with the corresponding country or territory and ICANN.

DotMusic will implement multiple dispute resolution policies to address dispute over any names not reserved by the above provisions; see response to question #20e and #28 and #29. In particular all domains awarded to registrants are subject to the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), and to any properly-situated court proceeding. DotMusic will ensure appropriate procedures to allow governments, public authorities or IGO’s to challenge abuses of names with national or geographic significance at the second level. DotMusic will institute a provision in the registry-registrar agreements and the registrar-registrant agreements, to suspend domains names in the event of a dispute. DotMusic may exercise that right in the case of a dispute over a geographic name.


The release of a two-character, country, or territory name as second level registration under .MUSIC will be done in agreement with the corresponding country or territory, ICANN. DotMusic will define a procedure so that governments can request the above reserved domain(s) if they would like to take possession of them. This procedure will be based on existing methodology developed for the release of country names in the .INFO TLD. For example, we will require a written request from the country’s GAC representative, or a written request from the country’s relevant Ministry or Department. We will allow the designated beneficiary (the Registrant) to register the name, with an accredited Afilias Registrar, possibly using an authorization number transmitted directly to the designated beneficiary in the country concerned.

DotMusic will be working closely with the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies, with national members from over 70 countries comprised of governments’ Ministries of Culture and Arts Councils covering all continents, to ensure country names protection and the promotion of government-related cultural and music initiatives. Strategic partners include UNESCO, African Arts Institute, Asia-Pacific Regional Centre of the Culturelink Network, European League of Institutes of the Arts, European Research Institute for Comparative Cultural Policy and the Arts, European Commission Directorate General Education & Culture, Fundació Interarts, International Conference on Cultural Policy Research, International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts, International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity, International Network for Cultural Diversity, ISPA - International Society for the Performing Arts Foundation, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Organization of American States, Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa, Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, United Cities and Local Governments.

Ministries of Culture Agencies and Arts Councils include:

Albania (Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth & Sport)
Armenia (Ministry of Culture)
Australia (Australia Council for the Arts)
Bahamas (Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture)
Belgium (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Cabinet de la Culture)
Belgium (Ministry of the Flemish Community, Arts & Heritage)
Belize (National Institute of Culture & History)
Botswana (Department of Arts & Culture, Ministry of Youth, Sport & Culture)
Bulgaria (National Culture Fund)
Cambodia (Ministry of Culture & Fine Arts)
Canada (Canada Council for the Arts)
Cayman Islands (Cayman National Cultural Foundation)
Chile (Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes)
China (CFLAC - China Federation of Literary & Art Circles)
Colombia (Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia)
Cook Islands (Ministry of Cultural Development)
Croatia (Ministarstvo Kulture - Ministry of Culture)
Cuba (Ministerio de Cultura de la República de Cuba)
Denmark (Kulturstyrelsen - Danish Agency for Culture)
Egypt (Ministry of Culture)
England (Arts Council England)
Fiji (Fiji Arts Council)
Finland (Arts Council of Finland)
France (Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication de France)
Gambia (National Council for Arts & Culture of The Gambia)
Grenada (Grenada Arts Council)
Guyana (National Trust of Guyana, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport)
Hong Kong (Home Affairs Bureau, Culture Section Government of Hong Kong)
Iceland (Ministry of Education, Science & Culture)
India (Ministry of Culture)
Ireland (Arts Council of Ireland - An Chomhairle Ealaíon)
Jamaica (Ministry of Youth, Sport & Culture)
Japan (Japan Foundation)
Kenya (Bomas of Kenya)
Lithuania (Ministry of Culture)
Luxembourg (Ministère de la Culture)
Malawi (Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife & Culture)
Malaysia (Ministry of Information, Communication & Culture)
Maldives (Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture)
Malta (Malta Council for Culture and the Arts)
Mongolia (Ministry of Education, Culture & Science)
Mozambique (Ministério da Cultura)
Namibia (National Arts Council of Namibia)
Netherlands (Mondriaan Fund)
Netherlands (Nederlands Fonds voor Podiumkunsten, Fund for Performing Arts)
Netherlands (Nederlands Letterenfonds - Dutch Foundation for Literature)
Netherlands (Raad voor Cultuur - Council for Culture)
Netherlands (SICA - Stichting Internationale Culturele Activiteiten)
New Zealand (Creative New Zealand - Toi Aotearoa)
Niger (Ministere de la Communication, des Nouvelles Techonologies de lʹInformation et de la Culture)
Nigeria (National Council for Arts & Culture)
Northern Ireland (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)
Norway (Norsk Kulturråd - Arts Council Norway)
Palau (Ministry of Community & Cultural Affairs)
Papua New Guinea (Ministry of Culture & Tourism)
Philippines (National Commission for Culture & the Arts)
Portugal (Direcção-Geral das Artes)
Qatar (Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage)
Romania (Ministry of Culture & National Heritage)
Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Culture & Information)
Scotland (Creative Scotland)
Senegal (Ministère de la Culture et du Tourisme)
Serbia (International Cultural Centre Belgrade)
Seychelles (Ministry of Community Development, Youth, Sport & Culture)
Singapore (National Arts Council of Singapore)
Slovenia (Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport)
Solomon Islands (Ministry of Culture & Tourism)
South Africa (National Arts Council of South Africa)
South Korea (Arts Council Korea)
Spain (Secretaría de Estado de Cultura, España)
Swaziland (Swaziland National Council of Arts and Culture)
Sweden (Statens Kulturråd - Swedish Arts Council)
Switzerland (Pro Helvetia - Swiss Arts Council)
Tanzania (Basata: National Arts Council)
Tunisia (Ministry of Culture)
United Arab Emirates (Sharjah Museums Council)
USA (National Endowment for the Arts)
USA (National Endowment for the Humanities)
Vietnam (Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism)
Wales (Cygnor Celfyddydau Cymru - Arts Council of Wales)
Zambia (National Arts Council of Zambia)
Zimbabwe (National Arts Council of Zimbabwe)

DotMusic also has support from the International Association of Music Information Centres (IAMIC), a global network of organizations which document and promote the music from our time. IAMIC will also help .MUSIC with its outreach efforts relating to the protection of country-name domains and the allocation of the domains to the proper government authorities to promote culture and music from those territories. IAMIC “supports the work of 40 member organizations in 37 countries. Music Information Centers across the world bear fundamental similarities: they provide specialized music resources for music students, performers, composers and music teachers; they act as visitor centers for any member of the public with an interest in learning about national musical heritage; they develop audiences for new music through educational and promotional projects.”
These include:
Australia (Australian Music Centre)
Austria (MICA - Music Information Center Austria)
Belgium (Flanders Music Centre)
Belgium (CEBEDEM - Belgian Centre for Music Documentation)
Belgium (MATRIX)
Brazil (CIDDIC-Brasil⁄UNICAMP)
Canada (Canadian Music Centre)
Croatia (Croatian Music Information Centre KDZ)
Cyprus (Cyprus Music Information Center - CyMIC)
Czech Republic (Czech Music Information Centre)
Denmark (Danish Arts Agency - Music Centre)
England (Sound and Music - SAM)
Estonia (Estonian Music Information Centre)
Finland (Finnish Music Information Centre Fimic)
France (CDMC - Centre de documentation de la musique contemporaine)
Georgia (Georgian Music Information Centre)
Germany (German Music Information Centre)
Greece (Greek Music Information Centre ⁄ Institute for Research on Music and Acoustics)
Hungary (BMC Hungarian Music Information Center)
Iceland (Iceland Music Information Centre)
Ireland (Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland)
Israel (Israel Music Information Centre ⁄ Israel Music Institute)
Italy (CIDIM ⁄ AMIC)
Latvia (Latvian Music Information Centre - LMIC)
Lithuania (Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre)
Luxembourg (Luxembourg Music Information Centre)
Netherlands (Netherlands Music Information Centre)
New Zealand (Centre for New Zealand Music - SOUNZ)
Norway (Music Information Centre Norway)
Poland (Polish Music Information Centre)
Portugal (Portuguese Music Research & Information Centre ⁄ Miso Music Portugal)
Scotland (Scottish Music Centre)
Slovakia (Music Centre Slovakia)
Slovenia (Slovene Music Information Centre)
South Africa (Music Communication Centre of Southern Africa - MCCOSA)
Sweden (Svensk Musik)
Switzerland (Fondation SUISA pour la musique)
USA (American Music Center)
Wales (Ty Cerdd - Welsh Music Information Centre)

DotMusic already holds support from multiple music export offices from different countries⁄territories. The music export offices are typically run by government agencies, and have expressed and signed letters of interest to administer the corresponding [countryname⁄territoryname.MUSIC] in an appropriate manner that benefits the music industry for that corresponding country⁄territory. The support gathered this far is attached in response to question #20, is publicly available at www.music.us⁄letters. DotMusic expects additional interest expressed from other countries and territories as the DotMusic outreach continues.

Other GAC Principles regarding New gTLDs are defined elsewhere in this application, for example methods for limiting the need for defensive registrations in paragraph 2.9 is described in response to question #18b and #20e.

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