Problem

We would like to have the 4 deviation characters be valid, at some point. The key problem is that we don't want current URLs in web pages, etc. to go to two different locations depending on the browser, nor do we want joe@fußball.com to go sometimes to joe@fußball.com and sometimes to joe@fussball.com. Even once IDNA2008 is approved, for a long time a majority of the implementations will still be IDNA2003, so this also goes for new label registrations during the transition period.

Proposal

IDNA2008 changes as follows:

The 4 deviation characters get the property PVALID_AFTER_2015

The requirements are:

• 1. On registration, PVALID_AFTER_2015 is equivalent to PVALID

  2. On lookup, PVALID_AFTER_2015 is treated as DISALLOWED up until 2016 Jan 1, 00:00:00 GMT, and treated as PVALID thereafter.

     1. Implementations must not map the characters after the switchover date.

  3. Implementations that map the characters before that date, must map as in IDNA2003.

The goal is to

• 1. allow the 4 character to become valid, as soon as possible;

  2. avoid the 'nightmare' scenario of the same URL going to two different locations, as much as possible.

Scenarios

Let's see what happens with fußball.xxx over time, where xxx is some registry (eg .de, .blogspot.com, or others). Background: essentially all browsers and other major implementations are planning to map for compatibility. We'll look at browsers, but this also applies to email, etc.

Early 2010 (just as IDNA2008 is approved)

At this time the world browsers are 100% IDNA2003

1. browsers map fußball.xxx to fussball.xxx.

2. registries can start accepting eszett, and should bundle with ss.

3. fußball shows up as fussball in the address bar

   1. note: it is only by convention that fussball is seen in the address bar in this case; a browser could also display fußball, as in UTS46.

4. results:

• 1. if the registry bundles, both fußball.xxx and fussball.xxx go to the same owner.

  2. if the registry doesn't bundle, both fußball.xxx and fussball.xxx go to the same owner.

5. The odd IDNA2008 browser that doesn't map just fails, because ß is not PVALID; it doesn't take fußball.xxx to a different location than the vast majority of browsers.

In 2013

At this time the world browsers are 50% IDNA2003, 50% IDNA2008

1. same as above. No ambiguity in results.

In 2016 Feb

At this time the world browsers are 1% IDNA2003, 99% IDNA2008

1. 99% of browsers switch to not mapping fußball.xxx.

2. Registries no longer need to bundle; they can have different owners for fußball.xxx and fussball.xxx.

3. fußball shows up as fußball in the address bar

4. results:

   1. if the registry bundles, both fußball.xxx and fussball.xxx go to the same owner.

   2. if the registry doesn't bundle, fußball.xxx and fussball.xxx go to different owners.

5. The odd IDNA2003 browser that is left goes to the wrong location for the affected languages; people that use them need to upgrade.