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18(b) How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.CARINSURANCEAllstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Companyfairwindspartners.comView
18.2 How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

AFCIC believes that the proposed .CARINSURANCE gTLD has the potential to offer a variety of benefits to Internet users and consumers, including the following:

-The .CARINSURANCE gTLD may provide a more trusted online marketplace for consumers seeking car insurance-related information and services.
-The proposed gTLD will offer short and memorable domain names that will facilitate the ease with which consumers locate information online.
-Because it is currently envisioned that only Allstate and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates will be permitted to register second-level domain names in the .CARINSURANCE registry for the first three years, there should be a reduced potential for customer exposure to online phishing, pharming, and other harmful activities.
-AFCIC’s proposed validation of agents will facilitate the ability of the “abuse point of contact” (as required in Section 4.1 of the template Registry Agreement) to respond to use complaints in a more timely fashion, especially with regard to “any reports from law enforcement, governmental agencies, and quasi-governmental agencies of legal content.”

18.2.1 What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?

The primary mission of the .CARINSURANCE gTLD is to provide a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive online marketplace for car insurance-related information, products, and services.

As technologies for delivering this content and these services evolve, AFCIC will continue to pursue and explore online opportunities to reach consumers and, by validating the identity of registrants in the .CARINSURANCE namespace, will help mitigate potential phishing, fraud, and other online scams to which consumers shopping for insurance are often subjected.

18.2.2 What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?

Unlike most generic TLDs that ICANN has approved over the last decade, which have largely been operated by new Internet companies, AFCIC’s affiliate, Allstate, is an established company in one of the most highly regulated industries in the world, with affiliates that operate internationally and with the ability to potentially leverage its established network of agencies, affiliates, and subsidiaries to potentially increase the profile of the .CARINSURANCE gTLD. In addition, Allstate believes that it will gain valuable first-hand experience with the operation of several branded gTLDs that it has also applied for in this gTLD application round. Allstate could then leverage this experience and work with a larger cross section of the car insurance marketplace in order to develop new and innovative business models and practices for the .CARINSURANCE gTLD.

While some of ICANN’s new gTLDs have previously been the subject of claims regarding increased spam and phishing activities, .CARINSURANCE should be a trusted source of products and services for consumers looking for information online about insurance. AFCIC will initially rely upon the established good business practices of Allstate to create a marketplace with safeguards designed to minimize fraud and other illegal activity.

18.2.3 What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

AFCIC believes that the .CARINSURANCE gTLD will provide a single, trusted, ecosystem experience for the millions of potential consumers searching for insurance-related information online. By acting as the foundation for this trusted ecosystem, all domain name registrants in the .CARINSURANCE gTLD, as described herein, initially consist only of Allstate and Allstate’s qualified subsidiaries and affiliates, will be able to share in the benefits of this collective resource.

With Allstate’s experience as an industry leader with a proven track record in expanding from traditional insurance sales channels (brick-and-mortar agency locations) to newer outlets (online channels), AFCIC will initially leverage this experience to foster an environment of innovation and consumer choice.

In looking at potential sources of robust safeguards and goals for the gTLD, AFCIC reviewed the work of ICANN’s High Security Zone TLD Advisory Group (HSTLD AG). This was a multi-disciplinary advisory group was originally created to help ICANN address and minimize potential malicious conduct within the New gTLD Program. AFCIC specifically found value in and supported the stated goal of HSTLD AG “to bring together community representatives to evaluate the viability of a voluntary program, supporting control standards and incentives that could potentially be adopted to provide an enhanced level of trust and security over the baseline registration-authority controls.ʺ

18.2.4 Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.

AFCIC is fully committed to implementing all of ICANN’s consensus policies and other Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) as identified in the Applicant Guidebook. Moreover, based upon Allstate’s commitment and established track record in providing a safer ecosystem for consumers and vendors, AFCIC intends to provide meaningful safeguards that will evolve over time.

At the time of filing this application, AFCIC envisions the implementation of an additional RPM that will allow trademark owners to challenge domain names initially reserved⁄allocated by the registry (e.g., generic and geographic names discussed herein). This process will be modeled after the trademark challenge process adopted by the DotAsia Organisation in connection with its launch.

18.2.5 Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures

As a member of an insurance group with operations in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere, AFCIC recognizes that this is an evolving area of law in which there are no international standards. Based on the proposed business model discussed herein, the current best thinking is that all domain names in the .CARINSURANCE gTLD will initially be registered to Allstate and Allstate’s qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. Based on this plan, AFCIC has a vested interest in ensuring that accurate and current domain name information is readily available.

Allstate employs a variety of physical, electronic, contractual, and managerial safeguards to protect personal and confidential information within its premises and on its websites. AFCIC will take similar precautions to protect registrant and user data associated with the .CARINSURANCE gTLD.

AFCIC will ensure that the operation of the .CARINSURANCE gTLD will be consistent with local and national laws governing privacy rights protection, as they are interpreted and applied, and has obtained a similar warranty from its backend services provider.

In addition, AFCIC intends to incorporate contractual language in its Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA) modeled after language which has been included in the Draft New gTLD Registry Agreement and which has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD Registry Operators.

The Draft New gTLD Registry Agreement states “Registry Operator shall (i) notify each ICANN-accredited registrar that is a party to the registry-registrar agreement for the TLD of the purposes for which data about any identified or identifiable natural person (“Personal Data”) submitted to Registry Operator by such registrar is collected and used under this Agreement or otherwise and the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data, and (ii) require such registrar to obtain the consent of each registrant in the TLD for such collection and use of Personal Data. Registry Operator shall take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data collected from such registrar from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction. Registry Operator shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in a way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars.ʺ

18.2.6 Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.

As noted in 18.2.2, most of the generic gTLDs that ICANN has approved have primarily been operated by new Internet companies created solely for the provision of domain name registration services, e.g., .INFO (Afilias Limited), .BIZ (Neustar Inc.), and .TRAVEL (Tralliance).

Allstate is an established insurance group with international experience and the ability to leverage a diverse range of media outlets and its agency offices to increase the profile of the .CARINSURANCE gTLD. AFCIC will also look to leverage any first-hand experience that it gains in connection with the operation of its applied-for gTLDs. AFCIC has applied for additional gTLDs other than the .CARINSURANCE gTLD.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.AUTOINSURANCEAllstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Companyfairwindspartners.comView
18.2 How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

AFCIC believes that the proposed .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD has the potential to offer a variety of benefits to Internet users and consumers, including the following:

-The .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD may provide a more trusted online marketplace for consumers seeking automotive insurance-related information and services.
-The proposed gTLD will offer short and memorable domain names that will facilitate the ease with which consumers locate information online.
-Because it is currently envisioned that only Allstate and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates will be permitted to register second-level domain names in the .AUTOINSURANCE registry for the first three years, there should be a reduced potential for customer exposure to online phishing, pharming, and other harmful activities.
-AFCIC’s proposed validation of agents will facilitate the ability of the “abuse point of contact” (as required in Section 4.1 of the template Registry Agreement) to respond to use complaints in a more timely fashion, especially with regard to “any reports from law enforcement, governmental agencies, and quasi-governmental agencies of legal content.”

18.2.1 What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?

The primary mission of the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD is to provide a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive online marketplace for auto insurance-related information, products, and services.

As technologies for delivering this content and these services evolve, AFCIC will continue to pursue and explore online opportunities to reach consumers and, by validating the identity of registrants in the .AUTOINSURANCE namespace, will help mitigate potential phishing, fraud, and other online scams to which consumers shopping for insurance are often subjected.

18.2.2 What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?

Unlike most generic TLDs that ICANN has approved over the last decade, which have largely been operated by new Internet companies, AFCIC’s affiliate, Allstate, is an established company in one of the most highly regulated industries in the world, with affiliates that operate internationally and with the ability to potentially leverage its established network of agencies, affiliates, and subsidiaries to potentially increase the profile of the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD. In addition, Allstate believes that it will gain valuable first-hand experience with the operation of several branded gTLDs that it has also applied for in this gTLD application round. Allstate could then leverage this experience and work with a larger cross section of the auto insurance marketplace in order to develop new and innovative business models and practices for the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD.

While some of ICANN’s new gTLDs have previously been the subject of claims regarding increased spam and phishing activities, .AUTOINSURANCE should be a trusted source of products and services for consumers looking for information online about insurance. AFCIC will initially rely upon the established good business practices of Allstate to create a marketplace with safeguards designed to minimize fraud and other illegal activity.

18.2.3 What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

AFCIC believes that the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD will provide a single, trusted, ecosystem experience for the millions of potential consumers searching for insurance-related information online. By acting as the foundation for this trusted ecosystem, all domain name registrants in the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD, as described herein, initially consist only of Allstate and Allstate’s qualified subsidiaries and affiliates, will be able to share in the benefits of this collective resource.

With Allstate’s experience as an industry leader with a proven track record in expanding from traditional insurance sales channels (brick-and-mortar agency locations) to newer outlets (online channels), AFCIC will initially leverage this experience to foster an environment of innovation and consumer choice.

In looking at potential sources of robust safeguards and goals for the gTLD, AFCIC reviewed the work of ICANN’s High Security Zone TLD Advisory Group (HSTLD AG). This was a multi-disciplinary advisory group was originally created to help ICANN address and minimize potential malicious conduct within the New gTLD Program. AFCIC specifically found value in and supported the stated goal of HSTLD AG “to bring together community representatives to evaluate the viability of a voluntary program, supporting control standards and incentives that could potentially be adopted to provide an enhanced level of trust and security over the baseline registration-authority controls.ʺ

18.2.4 Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.

AFCIC is fully committed to implementing all of ICANN’s consensus policies and other Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) as identified in the Applicant Guidebook. Moreover, based upon Allstate’s commitment and established track record in providing a safer ecosystem for consumers and vendors, AFCIC intends to provide meaningful safeguards that will evolve over time.

At the time of filing this application, AFCIC envisions the implementation of an additional RPM that will allow trademark owners to challenge domain names initially reserved⁄allocated by the registry (e.g., generic and geographic names discussed herein). This process will be modeled after the trademark challenge process adopted by the DotAsia Organisation in connection with its launch.


18.2.5 Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures

As a member of an insurance group with operations in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere, AFCIC recognizes that this is an evolving area of law in which there are no international standards. Based on the proposed business model discussed herein, the current best thinking is that all domain names in the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD will initially be registered to Allstate and Allstate’s qualified subsidiaries and affiliates at a later date. Based on this plan, AFCIC has a vested interest in ensuring that accurate and current domain name information is readily available.

Allstate employs a variety of physical, electronic, contractual, and managerial safeguards to protect personal and confidential information within its premises and on its websites. AFCIC will take similar precautions to protect registrant and user data associated with the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD.

AFCIC will ensure that the operation of the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD will be consistent with local and national laws governing privacy rights protection, as they are interpreted and applied, and has obtained a similar warranty from its backend services provider.

In addition, AFCIC intends to incorporate contractual language in its Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA) modeled after language which has been included in the draft new gTLD Registry Agreement and which has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD Registry Operators.

The draft new gTLD Registry Agreement states “Registry Operator shall (i) notify each ICANN-accredited registrar that is a party to the registry-registrar agreement for the TLD of the purposes for which data about any identified or identifiable natural person (“Personal Data”) submitted to Registry Operator by such registrar is collected and used under this Agreement or otherwise and the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data, and (ii) require such registrar to obtain the consent of each registrant in the TLD for such collection and use of Personal Data. Registry Operator shall take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data collected from such registrar from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction. Registry Operator shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in a way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars.ʺ

18.2.6 Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.

As noted in 18.2.2, most of the generic gTLDs that ICANN has approved have primarily been operated by new Internet companies created solely for the provision of domain name registration services, e.g., .INFO (Afilias Limited), .BIZ (Neustar Inc.), and .TRAVEL (Tralliance).

Allstate is an established insurance group with international experience and the ability to leverage a diverse range of media outlets and its agency offices to increase the profile of the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD. AFCIC will also look to leverage any first-hand experience that it gains in connection with the operation of its applied-for gTLDs. AFCIC has applied for additional gTLDs other than the .AUTOINSURANCE gTLD.