Internationalized Domain Names - IDN FAQs - General Questions - Internationalized Domain Names from VeriSign, Inc.

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Internationalized Domain Names



IDN FAQs - General Questions

What are Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)?

Internationalized Domain Names are domain names represented by native language characters. The native language domain name will be followed by .com or .net for example: image.com). 
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What is an Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) registration?

Registrants will be able to register second-level domain names in .com and .net, in available characters through participating ICANN-accredited and VeriSign-certified registrars. 
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How do I use an IDN?

To use an IDN to navigate to a Web site, the user types the IDN in the address bar of IDNA enabled browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox, or clicks an active link. For users with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or 6, they can upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 or download the VeriSignŽ i-Nav plug-in in order to use IDNs in their browsers.  
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Who can participate in the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) program?

The IDN program is open to all operational registrars that are currently ICANN-accredited, VeriSign certified, and operational. 
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How can I become an IDN registrar?

Registrars must be 1) ICANN-accredited and, 2) certified and operational under VeriSign's Shared Registration System (SRS) in order to register IDNs. Having met these criteria, Registrars must develop or obtain an IDN client capable of converting local language (non-ASCII) characters into the appropriate ACE. A separate certification is not required to register IDNs, however we strongly suggest that you complete a self-evaluation after implementing your client to confirm your system's capabilities. For more information on becoming an IDN registrar, visit our website or contact us at idn@verisign-grs.com
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What languages are supported?

Since availability of languages is dependent upon Unicode, it would be best to answer this question in Unicode terms from the Unicode site. Many scripts (especially Latin) are used for a very large number of languages. The easiest answer is that Unicode covers all the languages that can be written in the following scripts: Latin; Greek; Cyrillic; Armenian; Hebrew; Arabic; Syriac; Thaana; Devanagari; Bengali; Gurmukhi; Oriya; Tamil; Telegu; Kannada; Malayalam; Sinhala; Thai; Lao; Tibetan; Myanmar; Georgian; Hangul; Ethiopic; Cherokee; Canadian-Aboriginal Syllabics; Ogham; Runic; Khmer; Mongolian; Han (Japanese, Chinese, Korean ideographs); Hiragana; Katakana; Bopomofo and Yi. 
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How will non-English domain names appear on my Web browser?

All non-English domain names registered will be second level domain names within .com and .net. For example, a Chinese domain name may appear as image.com. 
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Will the IDN program support name server names?

Yes, name server names may include native character set names preceding the .com or .net. 
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Can several domain names share the same IP address?

Yes. There is no variation from the current capability for domain names to share IP addresses. 
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How will VeriSign handle trademark issues with regard to international domain names?

As a registry, VeriSign is not involved in the intellectual property disputes surrounding domain name registration. VeriSign will advise registrars that, during the testbed, registrars should consider deleting any internationalized second level domain name registration upon receipt of a formal (written) objection from any legitimate source received by that registrar for a limited period of time to be specified by the particular registrar. In addition, VeriSign is aware that accredited registrars may continue to use the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) to resolve disputes, including those involving Internationalized Domain Names. 
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