Irish Government Launches Consultation on .ie Country Code Domain Name

The Irish government has launched a wide-ranging consultation process on the .ie country code domain (ccTLD) and its future management. This process is open to the public and will run until February 14, 2025.

The main objective of this consultation is to further clarify the government's current expectations regarding domain name registration and to establish a robust framework for domain name management.

Topics Covered in the Consultation

The consultation process is carried out under four main headings:

1. Roles and Responsibilities of the .ie ccTLD Administrator
   • What are the main tasks of an Irish ccTLD administrator?
   • What services should be expected from the .ie ccTLD administrator?
   • How can external factors and technological developments affect the roles of the administrator?
2. Governance and Management of the .ie ccTLD
   • What best practices should be considered in the corporate governance of a domain name administrator?
   • What should an effective board structure look like?
   • How should governance and audit processes be organized?
3. Stakeholder Engagement
   • Who are the .ie ccTLD stakeholders?
   • How should the communication process with stakeholders be managed?
   • How should the governance structure be set up to encompass the different stakeholders in the domain name ecosystem?
4. Security and Stability of the .ie ccTLD
   • What are the new risks to the security and stability of the .ie ccTLD?
   • What are the best practices for DNS management?
   • What strategies should be adopted to mitigate potential risks?
   • How should cooperation with the government on risk management be developed?

Government Strategy for the .ie ccTLD

In recent years, the Irish government has taken a more active role in internet governance and has become more involved in international forums such as ICANN and the IGF. In this context, the consultation is expected to establish a long-term framework for the governance of the .ie ccTLD and set out the key principles to which the parties should adhere.

Of particular note is that the government has set out a clear principle regarding the .ie ccTLD:

".ie ccTLD should not be subject to any private intellectual property or other proprietary rights. As a result of the delegation, no rights holder or organization should acquire intellectual property rights as a result of the management, administration, or marketing of the ccTLD."

This wording makes it clear that the .ie ccTLD itself cannot be considered as intellectual property. However, it does not prevent administrators from developing certain intellectual property rights.