Quote:
Originally Posted by INever
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Actually, that $185k is just the
application fee for a new gTLD, which ICANN gets to keep no matter what, in whole or in part, depending on how long the applicant in question sticks with the application process.
Withdrawing an application before the process is over yields a refund that gets smaller with each passing step of the process. If an applicant sticks with the process to the end, and is
not rewarded the gTLD they applied for, then they get none of that $185k back.
If the application is eventually approved, then the expenses of launching and operating the gTLD kick in, all of which will be on top of the $185k the applicant already spent on the application fee.
As such, there's no need to give quick approval to any new gTLD on the part of ICANN, really, and any proposed new gTLD that is considered "controversial" by the GAC is likely to receive a challenge from them, in addition to any challenges that might come from other stakeholders, operators of existing TLDs, or even members of the general public under the "Limited Public Interest" grounds for objection.
This is all covered in the
challenge mechanisms in place for the open gTLD launch process, which are included in the
gTLD Applicant Guidebook that ICANN published recently.
None of this means that each and every new gTLD will be challenged, of course, but my strong hunch is that ICM will challenge any proposed porn-specific gTLD that they see as competing with .XXX.