As per Relevance of the word registration, we have this rfc below:
Network Working Group N.
Request for Comments: 2978
BCP: 19 J.
Obsoletes: 2278
Category: Best Current Practice October 2000
IANA Charset Registration
Status of this
This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for
Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions
improvements. Distribution of this memo is unlimited
Copyright
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000). All Rights Reserved
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) (RFC-2045, RFC-2046,
RFC-2047, RFC-2184) and various other Internet protocols are
of using many different charsets. This in turn means that
ability to label different charsets is essential
Note: The charset registration procedure exists solely to associate
specific name or names with a given charset and to give an
of whether or not a given charset can be used in MIME text objects
In particular, the general applicability and appropriateness of
given registered charset to a particular application is a
issue, not a registration issue, and is not dealt with by
registration procedure
1. Definitions and
The following sections define terms used in this document
1.1. Requirements
This document occasionally uses terms that appear in capital letters
When the terms "MUST", "SHOULD", "MUST NOT", "SHOULD NOT", and "MAY
appear capitalized, they are being used to indicate
requirements of this specification. A discussion of the meanings
these terms appears in [RFC-2119].
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 1]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
1.2.
A member of a set of elements used for the organization, control,
representation of data
1.3.
The term "charset" (referred to as a "character set" in
versions of this document) is used here to refer to a method
converting a sequence of octets into a sequence of characters.
conversion may also optionally produce additional control
such as directionality indicators
Note that unconditional and unambiguous conversion in the
direction is not required, in that not all characters may
representable by a given charset and a charset may provide more
one sequence of octets to represent a particular sequence
characters
This definition is intended to allow charsets to be defined in
variety of different ways, from simple single-table mappings such
US-ASCII to complex table switching methods such as those that
ISO 2022's techniques. However, the definition associated with
charset name must fully specify the mapping to be performed.
particular, use of external profiling information to determine
exact mapping is not permitted
HISTORICAL NOTE: The term "character set" was originally used in
to describe such straightforward schemes as US-ASCII and ISO-8859-1
which consist of a small set of characters and a simple one-to-
mapping from single octets to single characters. Multi-
character encoding schemes and switching techniques make
situation much more complex. As such, the definition of this
was revised to emphasize both the conversion aspect of the process
and the term itself has been changed to "charset" to emphasize
it is not, after all, just a set of characters. A discussion
these issues as well as specification of standard terminology for
in the IETF appears in RFC 2130.
1.4. Coded Character
A Coded Character Set (CCS) is a one-to-one mapping from a set
abstract characters to a set of integers. Examples of
character sets are ISO 10646 [ISO-10646], US-ASCII [US-ASCII],
the ISO-8859 series [ISO-8859].
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 2]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
1.5. Character Encoding
A Character Encoding Scheme (CES) is a mapping from a Coded
Set or several coded character sets to a set of octet sequences.
given CES is sometimes associated with a single CCS; for example
UTF-8 applies only to ISO 10646.
2. Charset Registration
Registered charsets are expected to conform to a number
requirements as described below
2.1. Required
Registered charsets MUST conform to the definition of a "charset
given above. In addition, charsets intended for use in MIME
types under the "text" top-level type MUST conform to
restrictions on that type described in RFC 2045. All
charsets MUST note whether or not they are suitable for use in
text
All charsets which are constructed as a composition of one or
CCS's and a CES MUST either include the CCS's and CES they are
on in their registration or else cite a definition of their CCS's
CES that appears elsewhere
All registered charsets MUST be specified in a stable,
available specification. Registration of charsets
specifications aren't stable and openly available is forbidden
2.2. New
This registration mechanism is not intended to be a vehicle for
design and definition of entirely new charsets. This is due to
fact that the registration process does NOT contain adequate
mechanisms for such undertakings
As such, only charsets defined by other processes and
bodies, or specific profiles or combinations of such charsets,
eligible for registration
2.3. Naming
One or more names MUST be assigned to all registered charsets
Multiple names for the same charset are permitted, but if
names are assigned a single primary name for the charset MUST
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 3]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
identified. All other names are considered to be aliases for
primary name and use of the primary name is preferred over use of
of the aliases
Each assigned name MUST uniquely identify a single charset.
charset names MUST be suitable for use as the value of a MIME
type charset parameter and hence MUST conform to MIME parameter
syntax. This applies even if the specific charset being
is not suitable for use with the "text" media type
All charsets MUST be assigned a name that provides a display
for the associated "MIBenum" value defined below. These "MIBenum
values are defined by and used in the Printer MIB [RFC-1759].
names MUST begin with the letters "cs" and MUST contain no more
40 characters (including the "cs" prefix) chosen from from
printable subset of US-ASCII. Only one name beginning with "cs"
be assigned to a single charset. If no name of this form
explicitly defined IANA will assign an alias consisting of "cs
prepended to the primary charset name
Finally, charsets being registered for use with the "text" media
MUST have a primary name that conforms to the more restrictive
of the charset field in MIME encoded-words [RFC-2047, RFC-2184]
MIME extended parameter values [RFC-2184]. A combined
definition for such names is as follows
mime-charset = 1*mime-charset-
mime-charset-chars = ALPHA / DIGIT /
"!" / "#" / "$" / "%" / "&" /
"'" / "+" / "-" / "^" / "_" /
"`" / "{" / "}" / "~"
ALPHA = "A".."Z" ; Case insensitive ASCII
DIGIT = "0".."9" ; Numeric
2.4. Functionality
Charsets MUST function as actual charsets: Registration of
that are better thought of as a transfer encoding, as a media type
or as a collection of separate entities of another type, is
allowed. For example, although HTML could theoretically be
of as a charset, it is really better thought of as a media type
as such it cannot be registered as a charset
2.5. Usage and Implementation
Use of a large number of charsets in a given protocol may
interoperability. However, the use of a large number of
and/or unlabeled charsets hampers interoperability even more
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 4]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
A charset should therefore be registered ONLY if it adds
functionality that is valuable to a large community, OR if
documents existing practice in a large community. Note that
registered for the second reason should be explicitly marked as
of limited or specialized use and should only be used in
messages with prior bilateral agreement
2.6. Publication
Charset registrations MAY be published in RFCs, however,
publication is not required to register a new charset
The registration of a charset does not imply endorsement, approval
or recommendation by the IANA, IESG, or IETF, or even
that the specification is adequate. It is expected
applicability statements for particular applications will
published from time to time that recommend implementation of,
support for, charsets that have proven particularly useful in
contexts
Charset registrations SHOULD include a specification of mapping
the charset into ISO 10646 if specification of such a mapping
feasible
2.7. MIBenum
Each registered charset MUST also be assigned a unique
integer value. These "MIBenum" values are defined by and used in
Printer MIB [RFC-1759].
A MIBenum value for each charset will be assigned by IANA at the
of registration. MIBenum values are not assigned by the
registering the charset
3. Charset Registration
The following procedure has been implemented by the IANA for
and approval of new charsets. This is not a formal
process, but rather an administrative procedure intended to
community comment and sanity checking without excessive time delay
3.1. Present the Charset to the
Send the proposed charset registration to the "ietf
charsets@iana.org" mailing list. (Information about joining
list is available on the IANA Website, http://www.iana.org.)
mailing list has been established for the sole purpose of
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 5]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
proposed charset registrations. Proposed charsets are not
registered and must not be used; the "x-" prefix specified in
2045 can be used until registration is complete
The posting of a charset to the list initiates a two week
review process
The intent of the public posting is to solicit comments and
on the definition of the charset and the name chosen for it
3.2. Charset
When the two week period has passed and the registration proposer
convinced that consensus has been achieved, the
application should be submitted to IANA and the charset reviewer
The charset reviewer, who is appointed by the IETF Applications
Director(s), either approves the request for registration or
it. Rejection may occur because of significant objections raised
the list or objections raised externally. If the charset
considers the registration sufficiently important and controversial
a last call for comments may be issued to the full IETF. The
reviewer may also recommend standards track processing (before
after registration) when that appears appropriate and the level
specification of the charset is adequate
The charset reviewer must reach a decision and post it to the ietf
charsets mailing list within two weeks. Decisions made by
reviewer may be appealed to the IESG
3.3. IANA
Provided that the charset registration has either passed review
has been successfully appealed to the IESG, the IANA will
the charset, assign a MIBenum value, and make its
available to the community
4. Location of Registered Charset
Charset registrations will be posted in the anonymous FTP
"ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/iana/assignments/character-sets" and
registered charsets will be listed in the periodically
"Assigned Numbers" RFC [currently RFC-1700]. The description of
charset MAY also be published as an Informational RFC by sending
to "rfc-editor@isi.edu" (please follow the instructions to
authors [RFC-1543]).
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 6]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
5. Charset Registration
To: ietf-charsets@iana.
Subject: Registration of new charset [names
Charset name
(All names must be suitable for use as the value of
MIME content-type parameter.)
Charset aliases
(All aliases must also be suitable for use as the value
a MIME content-type parameter.)
Suitability for use in MIME text
Published specification(s):
(A specification for the charset MUST
openly available that accurately describes
is being registered. If a charset is defined
a composition of one or more CCS's and a CES then
definitions MUST either be included or referenced.)
ISO 10646 equivalency table
(A URI to a specification of how to translate
this charset to ISO 10646 and vice versa SHOULD
provided.)
Additional information
Person & email address to contact for further information
Intended usage
(One of COMMON, LIMITED USE or OBSOLETE
6. Security
This registration procedure is not known to raise any sort
security considerations that are appreciably different from
already existing in the protocols that employ registered charsets
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 7]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
7. Changes made since RFC 2278
Inclusion of a mapping to ISO 10646 is now recommended for
registered charsets. The registration template has been updated
include this as well as a place to indicate whether or not
charset is suitable for use in MIME text
8.
[ISO-2022]
International Standard -- Information Processing --
Character Code Structure and Extension Techniques
ISO/IEC 2022:1994, 4th ed
[ISO-8859]
International Standard -- Information Processing -- 8-
Single-Byte Coded Graphic Character
- Part 1: Latin Alphabet No. 1, ISO 8859-1:1998, 1st ed
- Part 2: Latin Alphabet No. 2, ISO 8859-2:1999, 1st ed
- Part 3: Latin Alphabet No. 3, ISO 8859-3:1999, 1st ed
- Part 4: Latin Alphabet No. 4, ISO 8859-4:1998, 1st ed
- Part 5: Latin/Cyrillic Alphabet, ISO 8859-5:1999, 2nd ed
- Part 6: Latin/Arabic Alphabet, ISO 8859-6:1999, 1st ed
- Part 7: Latin/Greek Alphabet, ISO 8859-7:1987, 1st ed
- Part 8: Latin/Hebrew Alphabet, ISO 8859-8:1999, 1st ed
- Part 9: Latin Alphabet No. 5, ISO/IEC 8859-9:1999, 2nd ed
International Standard -- Information Technology -- 8-
Single-Byte Coded Graphic Character
- Part 10: Latin Alphabet No. 6, ISO/IEC 8859-10:1998, 2nd ed
International Standard -- Information Technology -- 8-
Single-Byte Coded Graphic Character
- Part 13: Latin Alphabet No. 7, ISO/IEC 8859-10:1998, 1st ed
International Standard -- Information Technology -- 8-
Single-Byte Coded Graphic Character
- Part 14: Latin Alphabet No. 8 (Celtic), ISO/
8859-10:1998, 1st ed
International Standard -- Information Technology -- 8-
Single-Byte Coded Graphic Character
- Part 15: Latin Alphabet No. 9, ISO/IEC 8859-10:1999,
1st ed
[ISO-10646]
ISO/IEC 10646-1:1993(E), "Information technology --
Universal Multiple-Octet Coded Character Set (UCS) --
Part 1: Architecture and Basic Multilingual Plane",
JTC1/SC2, 1993.
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 8]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
[RFC-1590] Postel, J., "Media Type Registration Procedure",
1590,March 1994.
[RFC-1700] Reynolds, J. and J. Postel, "Assigned Numbers", STD 2,
1700, October 1994.
[RFC-1759] Smith, R., Wright, F., Hastings, T., Zilles, S. and J
Gyllenskog, "Printer MIB", RFC 1759, March 1995.
[RFC-2045] Freed, N. and N. Borenstein, "Multipurpose Internet
Extensions (MIME) Part One: Format of Internet
Bodies", RFC 2045, November 1996.
[RFC-2046] Freed, N. and N. Borenstein, "Multipurpose Internet
Extensions (MIME) Part Two: Media Types", RFC 2046,
November 1996.
[RFC-2047] Moore, K., "Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME
Part Three: Representation of Non-Ascii Text in
Message Headers", RFC 2047, November 1996.
[RFC-2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
[RFC-2130] Weider, C., Preston, C., Simonsen, K., Alvestrand, H.,
Atkinson, R., Crispin, M. and P. Svanberg, "Report
the IAB Character Set Workshop", RFC 2130, April 1997.
[RFC-2184] Freed, N. and K. Moore, "MIME Parameter Value and
Word Extensions: Character Sets, Languages,
Continuations", RFC 2184, August 1997.
[RFC-2468] Cerf, V., "I Remember IANA", RFC 2468, October 1998.
[RFC-2278] Freed, N. and J. Postel, "IANA Charset
Procedures", BCP 19, RFC 2278, January 1998.
[US-ASCII] Coded Character Set -- 7-Bit American Standard Code
Information Interchange, ANSI X3.4-1986.
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 9]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
10. Authors'
Ned
Innosoft International, Inc
1050 Lakes
West Covina, CA 91790
Phone: +1 626 919 3600
Fax: +1 626 919 3614
EMail: ned.freed@innosoft.
Jon
Sadly, Jon Postel, the co-author of this document, passed away
October 16, 1998 [RFC-2468]. Any omissions or errors are solely
responsibility of the remaining co-author
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 10]
RFC 2978 IANA Charset Registration Procedures October 2000
11. Full Copyright
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000). All Rights Reserved
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished
others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain
or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied,
and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of
kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph
included on all such copies and derivative works. However,
document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by
the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or
Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose
developing Internet standards in which case the procedures
copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must
followed, or as required to translate it into languages other
English
The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not
revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns
This document and the information contained herein is provided on
"AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET
TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE
HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by
Internet Society
Freed & Postel Best Current Practice [Page 11]
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