IDN Implementation Guidelines: Difference between revisions

The IDN workshop during the [[ICANN 23|Luxembourg meeting]] agreed that revision of the Guidelines was needed.<ref>[https://www.icann.org/en/board-activities-and-meetings/materials/minutes-special-meeting-of-the-board-08-11-2005-en Minutes | Special Meeting of the Board 8 November 2005] Retrieved September 2, 2025</ref> Following this workshop, a Working Group of gTLD and ccTLD registries with IDN experience was formed to work on a revision of the guidelines, to be put forth for public comment. The Working Group formed was the [[IDN Guidelines Revision Working Group]].<ref>[https://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/proceeding/proposed-idn-guidelines-revision-27-07-2011 ICANN Public Comment: Proposed IDN Guidelines Revision] Retrieved September 2, 2025</ref>

This second version of the Guidelines was necessary after experience was gathered in actual registry practice. Also, during the course of the review preceding this first revision, and as indicated in the comments received on the resulting draft, the initial version required extensive modification. The requisite changes could not readily be made by simple incremental changes to the initial text. However, given the urgent nature of some IDN concerns and the corresponding need for rapid response, the Working Group assigned to the task decided to produce a revised version of the Guidelines retaining their initial format as rapidly as possible, and then proceed with an alternate instrument with which to replace them altogether.

A revised Version 2.1 was published on February 27, 2006<ref name="two">[https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/idn-guidelines-26apr07-en.pdf ICANN: GUIDELINES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONALIZED DOMAIN NAMES Version 2.2]</ref> with an ICANN announcement that reminded the community the Board had only granted Version 2.0 a nine-month lifespan and expected a more comprehensive successor by the June 2006 Marrakesh meeting.<ref>[https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/idn-guidelines-update-and-posting-of-version-21-27-2-2006-en ICANN: IDN Guidelines Update and Posting of Version 2.1] Retrieved September 1, 2025</ref> Because the rewrite took longer than expected, the Board later acknowledged Version 2.1 and extended its validity (Resolution 06.55 of June 30, 2006), accepting Working Group's request for additional time so that they would be able to continue its reframing of the guidelines in a manner appropriate for further development as a Best Current Practices (BCP) document, and to return to the board in time for the [http://ICANN%2027 São Paulo meeting] currently scheduled December 2-8, 2006.<ref>[https://www.icann.org/en/board-activities-and-meetings/materials/approved-resolutions-regular-meeting-of-the-board-30-06-2006-en ICANN: Regular Meeting of the Board Adopted Resolutions 30 June 2006] Retrieved September 1, 2025</ref>

[https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/idn-guidelines-26apr07-en.pdf Version 2.2] was published on April 26, 2007.<ref name="idn"></ref> This revision had the purpose to make specific reference to IDN in top-level labels, and would be amended and supplemented in subsequent drafts in preparation for the release of top-level IDN labels in the production environment.<ref name="two"></ref>

Version 3.0 was published on September 2, 2011.<ref name="idn"></ref>. This new Version superseded version 2.2 to reflect the IDNABIS revision ("IDNA2008") of the initial IDNA protocol ("IDNA2003"). It was also prepared by the prepared by members of the IDN Guidelines Revision Working Group.<ref>[https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/idn-guidelines-2011-09-02-en ICANN: Guidelines for the Implementation of Internationalized Domain Names | Version 3.0] Retrieved September 2, 2025</ref>

Since publication of Version 3,0, there were changes in the terminology around IDNs and language tables, along with new technical considerations. Considering that, ICANN made a Call for Community Experts on July 20, 2015 to form a Working Group with the goal to review the IDN Implementation Guidelines.<ref>[https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/call-for-community-experts-to-review-the-idn-implementation-guidelines-20-7-2015-en ICANN: Call for Community Experts to Review the IDN Implementation Guidelines] Retrieved September 2, 2025</ref> The [[IDN Guidelines Working Group|IDN Guidelines Working Group (IDNGWG)]] was then formed in October 2015. The final proposed draft for [https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/idn-guidelines-10may18-en.pdf Version 4.0] was announced on May 10, 2018 for consideration by the ICANN Board after several public community feedbacks.<ref>[https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/final-proposed-draft-v-40-of-the-idn-guidelines-10-5-2018-en ICANN: Final Proposed Draft v. 4.0 of the IDN Guidelines] Retrieved September 2, 2025</ref>

After the publication of the final draft of Version 4.0, subsequent discussions happened between the GNSO Council and the ICANN Board, resulting in the ICANN Board deferring implementation of guidelines 6a, 11, 12, 13, 18 in version 4.0 as they overlapped with ongoing work in the [[EPDP on Internationalized Domain Names]]. The ICANN Board then directed ICANN to publish the non-deferred guidelines in 4.0 as Version 4.1,<ref>[https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-publishes-idn-implementation-guidelines-version-41-17-11-2022-en ICANN: ICANN Publishes IDN Implementation Guidelines Version 4.1] Retrieved September 2, 2025 </ref> which was published in September 22, 2022.<ref name="idn"></ref>