FAQs

What are IDNs, and what is their relationship to the .BIZ domain?
Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) are domain names that are spelled using native language, non-ASCII characters that may not appear in the English alphabet. Today, German script IDNs (e.g., www.müller.biz) are available in the .BIZ top-level domain; more languages hopefully will be added in the near future.

How do IDNs work?
Typically, when a browser sees a host name, it sends a request to the DNS resolver service. The resolver service then sends a request to a domain name server to return an IP address corresponding to that host name. When the IP address is returned, a connection is made to the appropriate Web server.

In the case of IDNs, when a browser sees either (1) a non-ASCII character host/domain name in its location bar, or (2) a URL with a non-ASCII domain part embedded in a web page, the application is required to convert the non-ASCII characters into a special encoded format (Punycode) using only the standard ASCII subset characters. Punycode is the official IETF standard that has been approved for converting IDN domains into machine-readable and resolvable ASCII domains.

Punycode is required for IDN conversion because a restriction (that only a subset of ASCII characters be used in URL/URI at the network protocol level) is still enforced, even though IDNs have been introduced.

How do IDNs work in a browser?
When a compliant browser receives input for an IDN, it converts the native IDN into Punycode. In other words, the native IDN is converted into an ASCII string (prefixed with xn--) that can then be looked up at the TLD nameserver to determine the location of the website. The xn-- prefix was accepted as the IDNA standard by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) on February 14, 2003.

Browsers that support this functionality include Netscape 7.1, Mozilla 1.4, Opera 7 and Firefox 1.0.

What is the registration process for IDNs in the .BIZ domain?

• The registrant must first contact an ICANN-accredited registrar and submit the IDN request.
• The name(s) to be registered in the IDN database must be converted into the alphanumeric representation based on the Punycode IDN standard. (The registrar performs the conversion of the IDN local language characters into the equivalent Punycode.)
• The unique IDN is placed into the NeuLevel registry IDN database.

How does an end user access an IDN website?
In a compliant browser (e.g., Netscape 7.1, Mozilla 1.4, Opera 7, Firefox 1.0), simply type the IDN in the address bar or click an active link. The browser does the necessary conversions and the IDN resolves to the desired site.

Is there a difference between NeuLevel's IDN implementation and those of other IDN registries?
NeuLevel's IDN implementation is compliant with ICANN IDN guidelines and the approved IETF standards (RFCs 3490, 3491, and 3492). Other registries that launched IDNs prior to the adoption of these standards may not be compliant.

What browsers support IDNs?
Netscape 7.1. Mozilla 1.4, Opera 7 and Firefox 1.0 are the first browsers to include built-in support for the recently adopted Punycode standard.

Where can I purchase IDNs for .BIZ?
Registrars that support German script IDNs in the .BIZ domain can be found at www.neulevel.biz/idns.

How much will it cost to register an IDN in .BIZ?
Individual registrars can use their discretion when determining the retail pricing of IDNs. However, it is expected that pricing will be consistent with existing registration fees for standard .BIZ domain names

Why will names registered between October 12 - November 12, 2004 be locked?
NeuLevel will be processing IDN registrations in .BIZ on a first-come, first-served basis. To discourage domain grabbers, IDN registrations made during the month following launch (October 12 - November 12, 2004) will be placed on "registry lock" in order to allow any intellectual property disputes to be initiated. While locked, IDN names will resolve, but cannot be updated or transferred. Locking should allow intellectual property owners an opportunity to identify potential infringements without burdening the entire launch with unnecessary delays or expenses. These names will begin to be unlocked on November 30, 2004.

When will my IDN name be unlocked?
As stated above, IDN registrations made during the month following launch (October 12 - November 12, 2004) will be placed on "registry lock" in order to allow any intellectual property disputes to be initiated.

When is NeuLevel planning to launch IDNs?
NeuLevel will launch German script IDN registrations on October 12, 2004 at 13:00 UTC.

Will the .BIZ Whois show only Punycode for each IDN?
NeuLevel's Web-based Whois and Port 43 Whois output will display both the registered Punycode name (Unicode HEX sequence representing the registered IDN) as well as an HTML-encoded display of the IDN name in its native form.

Who is responsible for generating the Punycode?
Registrars will be responsible for the conversion into Punycode. A Registrar Toolkit (RTK) that supports valid Punycode generation will be provided to registrars to help with this process.

Is anything special required for Punycode entries in the zone files?
No.

Can domain names with the character "ß" (Eszet) be registered?
The .BIZ registry will be accepting IDN registrations in compliance with the IETF IDN standards and ICANN IDN guidelines. Registrars will be responsible to convert an IDN to its Punycode equivalent before submitting it for registration to the registry. As such, according to the IDN technical standards, the "ß" (Eszet) is effectively mapped to "ss" based on the Nameprep mechanism.

In short, therefore, the answer is yes. You may register domain names that contain the "ß", but that information, when passed to the registry by your registrar, will essentially be registered as a "double 's'" (ss). More specifically, NeuLevel will not recognize or distinguish between a registration for "ß" or "ss." This is somewhat similar to how the registry treats registrations for "abc" as "AbC".

To illustrate, the domain "straße.biz" would technically be equivalent to the domain "strasse.biz." IDNA-compliant browsers should convert the encoded domain (straße.biz) into ASCII (e.g.: strasse.biz) in order to facilitate resolution.

How will the Whois be impacted by IDNs?
The "domain name" field will display the registered name in Punycode (e.g., möbel.biz would appear as xn--mbel-5qa.biz). Three additional fields will be introduced to the BIZ Whois:

• IDN Script: The intended script / language (based on RFC 3066) of the IDN as determined by the registrant (e.g.. "de" for German)
• Unicode Hex: The IDN in Unicode Hex format (e.g. U+006D U+00F6 U+0062 U+0065 U+006C)
• Unicode HTML: The IDN in HTML entity format (e.g., möbel)

How will IDN hostnames be handled?
The .BIZ registry will allow IDN hostnames to be set up. The hostname portion will be validated based on IDN standards; however, linguistic relevance (i.e., the language tag) will not be enforced at the hostname level. IDN hostnames will be displayed only in Punycode through the Whois.

Does the .BIZ solution adhere to the recently approved ICANN guidelines?
NeuLevel's IDN solution will meet the ICANN guidelines. Our implementation will be a standards-compliant service that will enhance the user experience and not deviate from adopted standards.

What do the ICANN guidelines address?
The ICANN guidelines mainly address the following issues:

• That the registry be compliant with IDN technical standards
• That the registry, where appropriate, observe the additional prohibited character rules specified by ICANN
• That the registry require the registrant to announce the intended language/script of the domain registered
• That the registry roll out IDN in a conservative manner in consultation with local stakeholders

How will .BIZ ensure DNS resolution of these names? Will you release a plug in, or will you adopt a server-side solution?
The primary responsibility of the .BIZ registry will be to ensure standards-compliant resolution of IDN in the TLD root name servers. Those using IDNA-compliant browsers (i.e., Netscape 7.1, Mozilla 1.4, Opera 7, Firefox 1.0) will be able to type in the encoded domain (e.g., müller.biz) into their browsers, which will automatically convert the names into Punycode.

What is the expected registration term for these domains, in years?
IDNs will be available for registration in .BIZ for a minimum of one year and a maximum of 10-year registration.

Internet users have already become accustomed to using ASCII domain names. Why does NeuLevel think IDN registrations are important?
There has been a strong demand in the ICANN community for supporting an Internet that is not English-only. When the Internet was first developed, it was spearheaded by the U.S., and since that time, more and more countries have come online and adopted the Internet in mission-critical communications processes. Because of this, NeuLevel believes it is now time that the Internet expand with the overall "globalization" of the world's economy and offer improved solutions to non-English speakers.

Is .BIZ providing Intellectual Property (IP) protection measures for trademark owners?
Yes. As mentioned above, IDN registrations made during the month following launch (October 12 - November 12, 2004) will be placed on "registry lock" in order to allow any intellectual property disputes to be initiated. While locked, IDN names will resolve, but cannot be updated or transferred. Locking should allow intellectual property owners an opportunity to identify potential infringements without burdening the entire launch with unnecessary delays or expenses. These names will begin to be unlocked on November 30, 2004.

Is NeuLevel processing initial IDN registrations within the .BIZ domain in a randomized way, like it did when it launched the .BIZ domain?
No. We are launching registrations on a first-come, first-served basis. Our goal is to provide IDN names in .BIZ quickly and at a competitive price. Adding complicated new processes and hurdles would only create additional confusion in marketing these names to interested registrants.