RFC 1590 (rfc1590) - Page 2 of 7


Media Type Registration Procedure



Alternative Format: Original Text Document



RFC 1590           Media Type Registration Procedure          March 1994


   proliferation of Media Types is not a hindrance to interoperability,
   the original procedure is excessively restrictive and needs to be
   generalized.

   This document addresses the specific questions raised and provides an
   administrative procedure for the registration of Media Types.  This
   procedure also address the registration requirements needed for the
   mapping of Object Identifiers (OIDs) for X.400 MHS use to Media
   Types.

2. Media Type Registration Procedure

   The following procedure has been implemented by the IANA for review
   and approval of new Media Types.  This is not a formal standards
   process, but rather an administrative procedure intended to allow
   community comment and sanity checking without excessive time delay.

2.1 Present the Request for Registration to the Community

   Send a proposed Media Type (content-type/subtype) to the "ietf-
   " mailing list.  This mailing list has been
   established for the sole purpose of reviewing proposed Media Types.
   Proposed content-types are not formally registered and must use the
   "x-" notation for the subtype name.

   The intent of the public posting is to solicit comments and feedback
   on the choice of content-type/subtype name, the unambiguity of the
   references with respect to versions and external profiling
   information, the choice of which OIDs to use, and a review of the
   security considerations section.  It should be noted that the
   proposed Media Type does not need to make sense for every possible
   application.  If the Media Type is intended for a limited or specific
   use, this should be noted in the submission.

2.2 Submit the Content Type to the IANA for Registration

   After two weeks, submit the proposed Media Type to the IANA for
   registration.  The request and supporting documentation should be
   sent to "".  Provided a reasonable review period has
   elapsed, the IANA will register the Media Type, assign an OID under
   the IANA branch, and make the Media Type registration available to
   the community.









IANA