The story of the delegation (or no delegation) of the new gTLD .AMAZON seems to be coming to an end. The ICANN board of directors has resolved to make a final decision on this issue at this year’s first annual meeting of the corporation. It will take place in the Japanese city of Kobe on March 9-14. It was reported earlier that the Amazon e-commerce giant laid claim to the domain, but the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is strictly opposed to it.
With regard to ACTO’s position, ICANN earlier decided to not delegate the domain. But Amazon managed to contest the decision by proving the invalidity of the ban: there are no towns or regions in the ACTO countries named Amazon, something that could serve as a reason for the ban. At the new stage of negotiations Amazon offered the Latin American countries support for any future claims on domain names. The company also suggested providing their governments with Kindles plus preloaded content in the amount of $5 million. Amazon is ready to spend another $1 million on hosting services for Latin American websites. This step moved things along. ICANN President Goran Marby is the mediator in the talks.
However, there is another obstacle. ICANN took .AMAZON off their Will Not Proceed status. According to Domain Incite, this caused a negative response from the ACTO countries that claim they have not yet reached an agreement with Amazon. ICANN formally rejected the demand saying that the status change was necessary in order for ICANN members to take part in the talks: how can the corporation president discuss the future of a domain if the corporation itself says it will not be delegated? Nevertheless, the tensions may again complicate the process. Apparently, ICANN is no longer going to extend the talks. And if Amazon and the Latin American countries cannot reach an agreement by early spring, the ICANN board of directors will make a decision itself at the Kobe meeting.
