This Digest is designed to serve as a non-exhaustive review of highlights of the ICANN Public Meeting relevant to a variety of businesses stakeholders affected by ICANN’s work, presented in business friendly language. Please provide feedback and comments to the ICANN Business Engagement Team at businessengagement@icann.org.

1. ICANN 49
Singapore
Business Digest

2. Why a Business Digest?
This Digest is designed to serve as a non-exhaustive review of highlights of the ICANN Public
Meeting relevant to a variety of businesses stakeholders affected by ICANN’s work,
presented in business friendly language. Please provide feedback and comments to the
ICANN Business Engagement Team at businessengagement@icann.org.
In order to keep interested businesses informed about ICANN’s work, Internet governance
and the business world’s participation, this business digest is complemented by two online
spaces meant to inform and exchange ideas on an ongoing basis with interested business
leaders: the Twitter feed @ICANN4biz and the LinkedIn group ICANN for Business. Feel free
to join, participate, debate, engage, and provide feedback.
Executive Summary
The ICANN 49 public meeting took place in Singapore, 23-27 March 2014. With over 2,000
online registrations and 1,940 checked-in participants the event was a great success for the
ICANN team running the Singapore operational hub.
This was not the first ICANN public meeting that was held in Singapore. As a matter of fact,
the very first ICANN meeting, as well as ICANN 41 in 2011, were hosted in the same location.
This was, however, the first meeting after the establishment of the ICANN Singapore hub in
August 2013. The Singapore hub demonstrates ICANN’s commitment to the Asia Pacific
(APAC) region, with 8 staff in the city and a total of 14 staff around the region, a number
that’s sure to grow in the coming years.
ICANN 49 was a historic public meeting. It launched a process to gather the community's
views and proposals to address the United States’ government announcement of plans to
transition stewardship of the IANA functions - the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority that
ICANN coordinates - to the global multistakeholder community. The draft proposal
document based on initial community feedback was posted on the ICANN website only days
after the Singapore meeting, on 8 April 2014. To ensure that the eventual proposal is
community-driven and enjoys broad support, ICANN is committed to collecting and
incorporating input and feedback from the global stakeholder community. Input and
feedback can be sent at any time by posting on the ianatransition@icann.org mailing list.
Here are some key takeaways:
 Building on the success of business programming for ICANN 48, the business
engagement team worked closely with the APAC regional engagement team to
organize several events targeted at the vibrant local business community, to help
explain ICANN’s work and how it supports business success.
 With the New generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) Program in its implementation
phase, Name Collision issues and last resort auctions are at the center of the
discussion. ICANN 49 was the place for applicants and new registries to discuss the
evolution of the New gTLD Program with staff and hear about best practices for
running registries.
 ICANN 49 was a crucial meeting for brands who applied for new gTLDs, thanks to the
adoption of Specification 13 to the new gTLD Registry Agreement (RA), available to
Registry Operators that operate a TLD that ICANN recognizes as a ".Brand TLD."
 Internet Security and Stability issues came to the fore, especially in the context of the
transition of stewardship of the IANA functions. Issues such search list processing and
Distributed Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS) are particularly relevant to businesses as
they may impact the functionality of their networks.

3. Acronyms
APAC – Asia Pacific
BGC – The Boston Consulting Group
BCUC – Business and Commercial Users Constituency
ccTLD – Country code Top Level Domain name
CSG – Commercial Stakeholder Group
DDoS – Distributed Denial of Service
DNS – Domain Name System
DNSSEC – Domain Name System Security Extensions
GAC – Governmental Advisory Committee
GDD – Global Domain Division
GNSO- Generic Names Supporting Organizations
gTLD – Generic Top-Level Domain name
IANA – Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
IDN – Internationalized Domain Name
ISIF – Information Society Innovation Fund
IPC – Intellectual Property Constituency
ISPCP – Internet Service Providers and Connectivity Providers Constituency
RA – Registry Agreement
SSAC – Security and Stability Advisory Committee
For more help with Acronyms in this report, please see the ICANN GNSO Acronym Helper.

4. 1
Local Beginnings: Spotlight on Singapore and the Region
The opening ceremony of the Singapore meeting saw the participation of two
representatives of the Singaporean government: Mr. Leong Keng Thai, Deputy Chief
Executive and Director General of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA)
and Chairman of the Singapore Network Information Center (SGNIC), and Dr. Yaacob
Ibrahim, Singapore's Minister of Communications and Information.
Here are some interesting Singapore Internet figures they shared:
 Projected IT spending in 2014 is forecasted to exceed U.S. $20 billion, an increase of
almost 4.4% over 2013.
 About 84% of Singapore's households have access to broadband. Mobile penetration
rate stands at 156%, and a majority of these mobile subscribers have at least a 3G
connection and 24% are already on a 4G connection.
 80% of enterprises in Singapore have broadband connectivity, with about 46%
having a Web presence.
 Singapore’s next generation nationwide broadband network offers ultra high‐speed
high fiber broadband connectivity of up to one gigabyte per second to over 95% of
homes and businesses.
 Competition amongst retail service providers has brought the price of one gigabyte
per second to less than U.S. $40 per month for the consumer.
 For businesses, the high‐speed fiber broadband will lower connectivity costs for data
centers and boost throughputs. As a result of its connectivity to the world, Singapore
is host to some 7,000 multinational companies who use Singapore as a hub to support
their work in Asia.
 With and e-friction score of 31, Singapore ranks as the 15th
country
in the world in terms of frictionless Internet development. This
indicator was defined in a report by the Boston Consulting Group
(BGC) and commissioned by ICANN. The BCG report, titled
“Greasing the Wheels of the Internet Economy”, finds four types of
friction that prevent countries from realizing the Internet's full
potential: 1. Infrastructure‐related, 2. Industry‐related, 3. Individual
friction, 4. Information- related.
The ICANN APAC team organized a series of events catered specifically to stakeholders in the
region: Pre-ICANN49 DNSSEC Training, SME Business Conference, “The Internet & Your
Business”, DNS Forum Session, Information Society Innovation Fund (ISIF) Asia Presentation
on IT Projects for development in the Asia Pacific region, ICANN’s engagement in Asia Pacific
– a report on the engagement strategy and activities of the APAC Hub.
The business engagement team worked closely with the regional engagement team and
regional stakeholders to conduct strategic outreach and preparation for the meeting. You can
listen to the pre-ICANN 49 webinar for business newcomers, designed to explain what
happens at an ICANN meeting and which business sector constituencies are active in policy
development, here.

5. 2
Welcome Ceremony and President’s Opening Session Roundup
The ICANN 49 opening session began with ICANN Board Chairman Dr. Steve Crocker
presenting a short video tribute to the formal approval of the New gTLD Program by the
ICANN Board of Directors during the last ICANN meeting in Singapore, ICANN 41, in July
2011. Dr. Crocker briefly talked about the news of the transition of the US Government
stewardship of the IANA functions.
Dr. Crocker welcomed Mr. Leong Keng Thai and Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim from the Singaporean
Government, who discussed Singapore’s very advanced position in the field of ICTs as well as
their plans to protect and develop further the Internet infrastructure of the country.
Yu-Chuang Kuek, ICANN Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement for Asia, took the stage
to present the ISIF awards. ISIF recognizes important contributions to ICT innovation across
four categories:
1. Innovation on access provision;
2. Innovation on learning and localization;
3. Code for the common good;
4. Rights.
ICANN CEO and President Fadi Chehadé also took the stage and, reflecting on the 2 years of
his tenure, showed the audience what topics are at hand, what is ahead, and where ICANN
must focus in order to be successful in the phase ahead. This starts with the core operations
of ICANN:
 Global Domains Division (GDD)
 Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE)
 ICANN and IANA Globalization
 Global Internet Governance
Fadi elaborated on a few crucial points, which are going to shape the future of the Internet
ecosystem overall.
Regarding ICANN and IANA globalization, he specified the difference between the transition
of the IANA stewardship to the global multistakeholder community and the future of
ICANN’s global accountability once the current ICANN Contract for the IANA Functions
comes to and end in 2015.
While on the topic of global Internet governance, he described the work and aims of the
High-Level Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms and the
Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance (NETmundial).

6. 3
Global Domain Division Operations
The work of the Global Domain Division of ICANN is important to companies who have
applied for new generic Top Level Domains, and also to those companies contemplating
applying for one in a future round. Companies contemplating evolving their online presence
by registering new names under gTLDs available to them also follow their work closely.
With over 175 new gTLDs having been delegated, ICANN 49 in Singapore provided a venue
for applicants and new registries to discuss the evolution of the New gTLD Program with
ICANN staff, and to hear about best practices for running registries. Sessions were presented
on topics like Auction Implementation, Name Collision, Registry Onboarding and Ongoing
Operations, and more.
Here is the list with links to all Global Domain Division (GDD) sessions at ICANN 49:
 New gTLD Program Update
 Name Collision
 Registration Directory Services:
Now and the Future
 New GTLD Program Auctions
 TLD Universal Acceptance
 Exploring Replacements for
WHOIS – The Next Generation
Directory Services
 TLD Launch Process Experiences
and Registry Onboarding
 IDN Variant TLDs Program
 TLD Registry – Ongoing
Operation
 2013 RAA FAQs
 Supporting the DNS Industry in
Underserved Regions
 IDN Root Zone LGR Public
Workshop – Integration &
Generation Panels
For a brief description of each session, read the blog post, “ICANN 49: Singapore – Global
Domains Division (GDD) Sessions,” by Akram Atallah, President of ICANN's Global Domains
Division.
Learn More: GDD and the New gTLD Program
 GDD Webinars
ICANN hosts a variety of webinars on New gTLD Program topics. View the
recordings, listen to the audio and/or download the presentations and Q/A
documents. You can also find out when upcoming webinars will take place.
 Announcements
Get the most current information on the New gTLD Program, including Contracting
statistics.
 New gTLD Program Statistics
A snapshot of applications as they pass through Program phases. Updated weekly.
Topics of particular interest to ICANN49 attendees include: Specification 13, Auctions, Name
Collision and Trademarks Protection. Each of these topics is described below.

7. 1
Specification 13
After months of work in collaborative work with the Community, ICANN published the
process to qualify for Specification 13 on 14 April 2014. Download the application form. The
Brand Registry Group played a crucial role in defining and drafting the Specification. To learn
more about the group, visit their website and listen to, or read the transcript of their session
at ICANN 49.
Specification 13 provides limited accommodations to registry operators of TLDs that qualify
as “.Brand TLDs.” For example, a .Brand TLD would not face the same requirements as other
registries related to their relationship with registrars. As many as one-third of all new gTLD
applications might qualify as .Brand TLDs.
ICANN posted a draft of the proposed Specification 13 to the 2013 Registry Agreement for
public comment on 6 December 2013. The final draft was submitted for consideration to the
New gTLD Program Committee (NGPC) of the ICANN Board, and approved during ICANN 49
in Singapore.
Learn More: Specification 13
 Summary and Analysis of Specification 13 Public Comments
Read the blog post by Cyrus Namazi, VP, Domain Name System (DNS) Industry
Engagement for ICANN.
 Specification 13 FAQ
Auctions for New gTLD Contention Sets
Since only one registry can operate each new gTLD, there are a number of mechanisms to
resolve the situation where more than one party has applied for the same TLD or string.
ICANN encourages registries competing for the same string to resolve contentions amongst
themselves. New gTLD Program Auctions are the method of last resort to resolve string
contention. The community was involved in the discussions that defined Auctions, and other
Program elements in the Applicant Guidebook.
Preliminary Auction Rules were published on 1 November 2013, and were later revised to
incorporate community feedback. An updated version of the Auction Rules was published
and made available for public comment on the ICANN website in December 2013. 23
comments were submitted prior to the end date in February 2014, and the Report of Public
Comments was published on 5 March 2014. These comments, along with concerns raised by
the New TLD Applicants Group (NTAG) during ICANN 49 Singapore, were used to finalize the
Auctions Rules and Bidder Agreement. New gTLD applicants must execute the Bidder
Agreement prior to participating in a New gTLD Program Auction, and must abide by the
Auction Rules.
Learn More: Auctions
 New gTLD Auctions Webpage
The most up to date information about Auctions. Learn the basics or visit the
Auctions Resources section for New gTLD applicants to download documents such as
the Auction Rules, Bidder Agreement, Bidder Forms, and Auction Schedule.

8. 2
Name Collision
Companies and their network operators should be aware that their internal networks may be
affected by the delegation of new gTLDS, if networks have been configured in a way that
makes them susceptible to “Name Collision.” A name collision occurs when an attempt to
connect to a name extension used in a private name space (e.g., on an internal network, use
of a non-delegated Top-Level Domain or a short, unqualified name) results in a query to the
public DNS. When the administrative boundaries of private and public namespaces overlap,
searches for Internet addresses may generate unintended or harmful results.
In May 2013, ICANN commissioned a study to explore the scope and risk of name collision in
relation to new gTLDs. A series of proposals and public comment periods followed, resulting
in the New gTLD Collision Occurrence Management Plan, the selection of a lead for creating
a "Name Collision Occurrence Management Framework," in cooperation with the
community, and the publication of Alternate Path to Delegation Reports for all but 25 new
gTLD strings. The alternate path to delegation gives applicants the possibility to proceed
without waiting for their Name Collision Occurrence Assessment by adopting conservative
collision mitigation measures and initially blocking a selection of domains while the
assessment is conducted.
On 26 February 2014, ICANN published an independent report by JAS Advisors titled
“Mitigating the Risk of DNS Namespace Collisions.” The report offered a set of concrete
recommendations on how to mitigate potential risks of domain name collisions
ICANN has been actively conducting outreach on the issue of name collision since summer of
2013. These efforts have resulted in media coverage in 14 countries and 6 languages, as well
as connecting with over 100 IT industry associations around the world to notify them, and
their constituents, of the potential issue. These efforts were amplified through social media
outreach via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Learn More: Name Collision
 Name Collision information and resources hub on the ICANN website.
 Contact GDD-Communications@icann.org to receive the Name Collision Information
kit.
 Join a public mailing list:
o Name Collision Mitigation Measures
o Name Collisions Analysis Coordination
Trademarks Protection
Every business with a trademark, or concerns about the use of its names and marks on the
Internet, needs to be aware of how to safeguard these assets. There are several tools at their
disposal. New gTLD Program Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPM) include both proactive
and reactive measures for defending Trademarks. This helpful infographic addresses uses of
the Trademark Clearinghouse, Uniform Rapid Suspension System, and Trademark Post-
Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure. These are among the most innovative and
important mechanisms developed as part of the New gTLD Program that will help advance
rights protections in the DNS. Entities with trademarks should consider recording those
marks with the Trademark Clearinghouse as a first line of defense against rights infringement
online.

9. 3
Security & Stability Matters
Security and stability of the DNS were a constant theme of ICANN 49, especially as they
relate to the globalization of the IANA functions.
The Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) held their public session on March
27. Patrik Fältström, SSAC Chairman, discussed their two latest reports: SAC064 on Search
List Processing, and SAC065 on DDoS Attacks Leveraging DNS.
Search List Processing
Advisory SAC064 was published on 13 February 2014. The advisory examines how current
operating systems and applications process search lists. The advisory outlines the issues
related to the current search list behavior, and proposes both a strawman to improve search
list processing in the long term and mitigation options for ICANN and the Internet community
to consider in the short term.
Processing search lists was weakly standardized in early Requests For Comments (RFCs) and
implemented in most operating systems. However, as the Internet has grown, search list
behavior has diversified. Applications (e.g. web browsers and mail clients) and DNS resolvers
process search lists differently. In addition, some of these behaviors present security and
privacy issues to end systems that can lead to performance problems for the Internet, and
might cause collision with names provisioned under the newly delegated top-level domains.
DDoS Attacks and the DNS
Advisory SAC065 was published on 18 February 2014. It explores several unresolved critical
design and deployment issues that have enabled increasingly large and severe DDoS attacks
using the DNS. The SSAC notes in its advisory that while DDoS attacks can exploit multiple
characteristics of network infrastructure and operations, the prevalence and criticality of the
DNS means that securing it is both challenging and urgent. These unresolved DNS issues and
related DDoS attacks pose a real and present danger to the security and stability of the
Internet.
The SSAC strongly recommends that all types of DNS operators and network operators take
immediate steps to address design and deployment issues that make large scale DDoS
attacks possible. These attacks have been growing in size over time, and are disrupting
individual businesses, entire networks, critical applications and services, and entire countries.
The scale of attacks will continue to grow if the Internet community takes no further action.
DNSSEC
Companies can help enhance security of the Internet by deploying DNSSEC. The SSAC
conducted its usual sessions on the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC):
 DNSSEC for Everybody -- A Beginner's Guide.
 DNSSEC Workshop.
For a complete list of SSAC Reports and Advisories click here.

10. 4
GAC Advice
The ICANN 49 Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Communiqué was issued on 27
March 2014.
The GAC discussed the Brand Registry Group proposal for a streamlined process under an
addendum to the RA for the approval of country names and 2‐letter and character codes at
the second level (country.brand e.g. de.bmw). The GAC suggested that brand owners seek
approval for such names directly with the countries concerned. Additionally, to ease the
process for .Brand applicants, the GAC proposed the creation of a register of countries that
do not require individual requests.
Regarding new gTLDs, the Communiqué welcomed the report that an agreement has been
reached between the city of Spa, Belgium and one of the applicants for .SPA, and expressed
concern about the timing for a decision on the .AMAZON string. The GAC supported the
government of India's request not to proceed with the .INDIANS string as well as the .RAM
string for matters of religious sensitivity. Finally, the GAC reiterated its advice about the
potential consumer harm and confusion caused by admitting singular and plurals of the same
word and its earlier advice to protect International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) as
well as terms associated with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
You can read the entire document here: Singapore GAC Communiqué.
To view the content of all other GAC meetings click here.

11. 5
Internet Governance Landscape
With the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of the Internet Governance
approaching, the Singapore meeting offered some public sessions to discuss Internet
governance issues and provide coordination space for the community to plan their
participation at the São Paulo meeting:
 ICANN and Global Internet Governance: The Road to São Paulo, and Beyond – This
one-day event, organized by the Non Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC), was
meant to provide an opportunity for intensive cross-community dialogue on the main
substantive topics likely to be addressed at NETmundial. The program for the day
included discussions on the Meeting’s agenda, Internet governance principles, and
roadmap for ecosystem evolution.
 Cross-Community Working Group on Internet Governance (CCWG) at NETmundial -
On 9 March 2014, the CCWG produced and submitted a contribution to the
NETmundial meeting. This session was an occasion to gather community comments
and feedback on the submission. The document is posted for public comment until 21
May 2014. You can read more about the CCWG on Internet governance here.
 Update on Internet Governance Issues – This session provided information about
upcoming events and ongoing initiative going on in the Internet governance space.
Specifically: the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Istanbul, the UN Commission on
Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) Working Group on Enhanced
Cooperation (WGEC), and the regional coordination work for the World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS+10) Review process.
You can read the Brazil Meeting outcome document, the NETmundial Multistakeholder
Statement, and get more information at www.netmundial.br.

12. 6
Constituencies’ Corner
As always, the GNSO Commercial Stakeholder Group (CSG) and its constituencies held active
discussions on an array of ICANN topics. The CSG represents the views of business users and
connectivity providers; its mission is to ensure ICANN policy and ICANN contracts are
consistent with the development of an Internet that is a safe place for business-to-business
and business-to-consumer transactions and communications to take place based on high
levels of business, user and consumer confidence.
Commercial and Business Users Constituency (BC)
The BC meeting featured discussion on the ICANN Strategy Panels reports as well as new
gTLDs issues faced by business such as issues with
premium lists, pre-registrations, and announcements
of Sunrise, among others. Internet governance issues
were also part of the agenda as the constituency
members discussed the role and participation of the
private sector at the NETmundial meeting. Finally,
the session included a meeting with ICANN staff on
how to improve outreach.
To learn more about these issues relevant to all businesses with a presence on the Internet,
visit www.bizconst.org contact info-bc@icann.org.
Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC)
The IPC session included various briefings with ICANN staff members on topics ranging from
TLD start up issues, new gTLD reviews, WHOIS accuracy, and contractual compliance.
You can learn more about the IPC and its work by visiting www.ipconstituency.org.
Internet Service Provider & Connectivity Providers Constituency (ISPCP)
The ISPCP addressed a number of ICANN developments, including the implications of the
announcement of the transition of the stewardship of IANA functions, Internet governance
fora, and the ICANN Strategy Panels. The ISPCP has ongoing concerns about domain name
collisions and the implications of IDN Variant TLDs.
Outreach activities were also part of the ISPCP meeting agenda, specifically plans to hold
events with ISP CEOs and targeted outreach for the ICANN 50 public meeting in London.
Read more about ISPCP activities, visit www.ispcp.info or contact secretariat@ispcp.info.

13. 7
Additional Resources and Useful Information
ICANN 51 Los Angeles Fellowship Application Round Open
The ICANN Fellowship Program seeks participants from developing regions and countries of
the world, in order to help create a broader base of knowledgeable constituents who will
become the voice of experience in their regions. The program is now accepting applications
for the ICANN 51 meeting in Los Angeles, USA and we encourage participation of people
from the private sector: apply here. This application period remains open until 30 May 2014.
ICANN Online Learning Platform
ICANN Learn was launched during ICANN 48. This free and open online learning platform is
meant to provide a space to provide introductory information for new participants and to
share institutional knowledge, in order to increase the base of informed ICANN stakeholders.
ICANN Learn needs input and feedback to ensure the platform is as useful as possible. Go to
learn.icann.org, create an account, enroll in a few courses, and start learning.
Learn More:
 Monthly update on ICANN Policy Developments.
 ICANN Newsletters and alerts.
 Follow us on social media:
 Twitter: @ICANN4biz.
 LinkedIn group: ICANN for Business.