Breaking: New gTLD Program Committee Votes Not To Change Policy on Singulars/Plurals

The ICANN Board New gTLD Program Committee (NGPC)  voted tonight to not change the policy on new gTLD applications concerning singular and plural terms.

The GAC advised ICANN that it should place singular and plural new gTLD strings into the same contention set.

For example there were applications for .Car/.Cars: .Auto/.Autos, .Hotel/.Hotels; .Coupon/.Coupons; .Deal/.Deals; .Game/.Games; .Gift/.Gifts; .Kid/.Kids top name a few.

Here is the resolution passed by the NGPC tonight on the issue:

“”Whereas, the GAC met during the ICANN 46 meeting in Beijing and issued a Communiqué on 11 April 2013 (“Beijing Communiqué”);

Whereas, the NGPC met on 8 and 18 May and 4 and 11 June 2013, to consider a plan for responding to the GAC‘s advice on the New gTLD Program, transmitted to the Board through its Beijing Communiqué;

Whereas, on 4 June 2013, the NGPC took action accepting GAC advice identified in the GAC Register of Advice as “2013-04-11-PluralStrings” and agreed to consider whether to allow singular and plural versions of the same string;

Whereas, the NGPC met on 11 June 2013 to consider the GAC Beijing advice regarding singular and plural versions of the same string; and

Whereas, after careful consideration of the issues, review of the comments raised by the community, the process documents of the expert review panels, and deliberations by the NGPC, the NGPC has determined that no changes to the ABG are needed to address potential consumer confusion specifically resulting from allowing singular and plural versions of the same strings;

Whereas, the NGPC is undertaking this action pursuant to the authority granted to it by the Board on 10 April 2012, to exercise the ICANN Board’s authority for any and all issues that may arise relating to the New gTLD Program.

Resolved (2013.06.25.NG07), the NGPC has determined that no changes are needed to the existing mechanisms in the Applicant Guidebook to address potential consumer confusion resulting from allowing singular and plural versions of the same string.”"

Personally I still don’t see how new gTLD strings are going to be successful when there are singular and plural versions, I seems one will be doomed to failure or both to mediocrity.…