The Centre does not administer cases filed on the grounds of String Confusion Objections or Legal Rights Objections. They are administered by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution and the Arbitration and the Mediation Centre of the World Intellectual Property Organization respectively.

A Limited Public Interest Objections should be filed when the Objector alleges that the applied-for gTLD string is contrary to generally accepted legal norms of morality and public order that are recognised under international principles of law.

A Community Objection should be filed when the Objector alleges that there is substantial opposition to the gTLD application from a significant portion of the community to which the gTLD string may be explicitly or implicitly targeted.

More information about the specificities of each of the four Objection grounds, as well as on the specific standing a party needs to file an Objection based on one of the grounds, can be found in Module 3 to the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook published by ICANN and in the New gTLD Dispute Resolution Procedure published by ICANN.

An Objection filed with the Centre must:

• be filed electronically using this address: expertise@iccwbo.org
• be filed using the Objection Form to be completed by the Objector (New Model Form available as of 14 December 2012)
• be filed within the posted deadline date
• be filed in English
• include the following information
  • Name and contact information of the Objector
  • A statement of the Objector’s basis for standing; that is why the Objector believes it meets the standing requirements to object;
  • A description of the basis for the objection, including
    • A statement giving the specific ground upon which the Objection is being filed,
    • A detailed explanation of the validity of the Objection and why it should be upheld including copies of any documents that the Objector considers to be a basis for the Objection
    • Stay within the limit of 5000 words or 20 pages whichever is less, excluding attachments
• Include copies of any documents that the Objector considers to be a basis for the Objection

Every Objection must be filed separately. Accordingly, a party cannot object to a new gTLD application on more than one ground in the same procedure. Therefore, if a party wishes for example to object to a new gTLD application both on Limited Public Interest Objection ground as well as on the Community Objection ground, it must file two separate objections. Further, a party cannot object to several applications with one Objection, but must file one Objection for each of the contested applications.