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29 Rights Protection Mechanisms

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.iceIntercontinentalExchange, Inc.theice.comView
1 MECHANISMS DESIGNED TO PREVENT ABUSIVE REGISTRATIONS
Rights protection is a core objective of ICE. ICE will implement and adhere to any rights protection mechanisms (RPMs) that may be mandated from time to time by ICANN, including each mandatory RPM set forth in the Trademark Clearinghouse model contained in the Registry Agreement, specifically Specification 7. ICE acknowledges that, at a minimum, ICANN requires a Sunrise period, a Trademark Claims period, and interaction with the Trademark Clearinghouse with respect to the registration of domain names for the .ice gTLD. It should be noted that because ICANN, as of the time of this application submission, has not issued final guidance with respect to the Trademark Clearinghouse, ICE cannot fully detail the specific implementation of the Trademark Clearinghouse within this application. ICE will adhere to all processes and procedures to comply with ICANN guidance once this guidance is finalized.
As described in this response, ICE will implement a Sunrise period and Trademark Claims service with respect to the registration of domain names within the .ice gTLD. Certain aspects of the Sunrise period and⁄or Trademark Claims service may be administered on behalf of ICE by ICE-approved registrars or by subcontractors of ICE, such as its selected backend registry services provider, Verisign.
ICE plans to administer the .ice gTLD as a closed corporate brand and will not accept registration of second-level domains and⁄or records from external sources. ICE expects a very modest number of domain registrations - fewer than 100 per year. As such, ICE expects to be readily able to adhere to any rights protection mechanisms during the registration process.

Sunrise Period. As provided by the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook, the Sunrise service pre-registration procedure for domain names continues for at least 30 days prior to the launch of the general registration of domain names in the gTLD.
During the Sunrise period, holders of marks that have been previously validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse receive notice of domain names that are an identical match (as defined in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook) to their mark(s). Such notice is in accordance with ICANN’s requirements and is provided by ICE either directly or through ICE-approved registrars.
ICE requires all registrants, either directly or through ICE-approved registrars, to i) affirm that said registrants meet the Sunrise Eligibility Requirements (SER) and ii) submit to the Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP) consistent with Section 6 of the Trademark Clearinghouse model. At a minimum ICE recognizes and honors all word marks for which a proof of use was submitted and validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse as well as any additional eligibility requirements as specified in Question 18.
During the Sunrise period, ICE and⁄or ICE-approved registrars, as applicable, are responsible for determining whether each domain name is eligible to be registered (including in accordance with the SERs).
Trademark Claims Service. As provided by the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook, all new gTLDs will have to provide a Trademark Claims service for a minimum of 60 days after the launch of the general registration of domain names in the gTLD (Trademark Claims period).
During the Trademark Claims period, in accordance with ICANN’s requirements, ICE or the ICE-approved registrar will send a Trademark Claims Notice to any prospective registrant of a domain name that is an identical match (as defined in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook) to any mark that is validated in the Trademark Clearinghouse. The Trademark Claims Notice will include links to the Trademark Claims as listed in the Trademark Clearinghouse and will be provided at no cost.
Prior to registration of said domain name, ICE or the ICE-approved registrar will require each prospective registrant to provide the warranties dictated in the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook. Those warranties will include receipt and understanding of the Trademark Claims Notice and confirmation that registration and use of said domain name will not infringe on the trademark rights of the mark holders listed. Without receipt of said warranties, the ICE or the ICE-approved registrar will not process the domain name registration.
Following the registration of a domain name, the ICE-approved registrar will provide a notice of domain name registration to the holders of marks that have been previously validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse and are an identical match. This notice will be as dictated by ICANN. At a minimum ICE will recognize and honor all word marks validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse.

2 MECHANISMS DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS THE ABUSIVE USE OF REGISTERED NAMES ON AN ONGOING BASIS
In addition to the Sunrise and Trademark Claims services described in Section 1 of this response, ICE implements and adheres to RPMs post-launch as mandated by ICANN, and confirms that registrars accredited for the .ice gTLD are in compliance with these mechanisms. Certain aspects of these post-launch RPMs may be administered on behalf of ICE by ICE-approved registrars or by subcontractors of ICE, such as its selected backend registry services provider, Verisign.
These post-launch RPMs include the established Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), as well as the newer Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS) and Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (PDDRP). Where applicable, ICE will implement all determinations and decisions issued under the corresponding RPM.

After a domain name is registered, trademark holders can object to the registration through the UDRP or URS. Objections to the operation of the gTLD can be made through the PDDRP.

The following descriptions provide implementation details of each post-launch RPM for the .ice gTLD:

• UDRP: The UDRP provides a mechanism for complainants to object to domain name registrations. The complainant files its objection with a UDRP provider and the domain name registrant has an opportunity to respond. The UDRP provider makes a decision based on the papers filed. If the complainant is successful, ownership of the domain name registration is transferred to the complainant. If the complainant is not successful, ownership of the domain name remains with the domain name registrant. ICE and entities operating on its behalf adhere to all decisions rendered by UDRP providers.
• URS: As provided in the Applicant Guidebook, all registries are required to implement the URS. Similar to the UDRP, a complainant files its objection with a URS provider. The URS provider conducts an administrative review for compliance with filing requirements. If the complaint passes review, the URS provider notifies the registry operator and locks the domain. A lock means that the registry restricts all changes to the registration data, but the name will continue to resolve. After the domain is locked, the complaint is served to the domain name registrant, who has an opportunity to respond. If the complainant is successful, the registry operator is informed and the domain name is suspended for the balance of the registration period; the domain name will not resolve to the original website, but to an informational web page provided by the URS provider. If the complainant is not successful, the URS is terminated and full control of the domain name registration is returned to the domain name registrant. Similar to the existing UDRP, ICE and entities operating on its behalf adhere to decisions rendered by the URS providers.
• PDDRP: As provided in the Applicant Guidebook, all registries are required to implement the PDDRP. The PDDRP provides a mechanism for a complainant to object to the registry operator’s manner of operation or use of the gTLD. The complainant files its objection with a PDDRP provider, who performs a threshold review. The registry operator has the opportunity to respond and the provider issues its determination based on the papers filed, although there may be opportunity for further discovery and a hearing. ICE participates in the PDDRP process as specified in the Applicant Guidebook.

Additional Measures Specific to Rights Protection. ICE provides additional measures against potentially abusive registrations. These measures help mitigate phishing, pharming, and other Internet security threats. The measures exceed the minimum requirements for RPMs defined by Specification 7 of the Registry Agreement and are available at the time of registration. These measures include:


• Rapid Takedown or Suspension Based on Court Orders: ICE complies promptly with any order from a court of competent jurisdiction that directs it to take any action on a domain name that is within its technical capabilities as a TLD registry. These orders may be issued when abusive content, such as child pornography, counterfeit goods, or illegal pharmaceuticals, is associated with the domain name.
• Anti-Abuse Process: ICE implements an anti-abuse process that is executed based on the type of domain name takedown requested. The anti-abuse process is for malicious exploitation of the DNS infrastructure, such as phishing, botnets, and malware.
• Authentication Procedures: Verisign, ICE’s selected backend registry services provider, uses two-factor authentication to augment security protocols for telephone, email, and chat communications.
• Malware Code Identification: This safeguard reduces opportunities for abusive behaviors that use registered domain names in the gTLD. Registrants are often unknowing victims of malware exploits. As ICE’s backend registry services provider, Verisign has developed proprietary code to help identify malware in the zones it manages, which in turn helps registrars by identifying malicious code hidden in their domain names.
• DNSSEC Signing Service: Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) helps mitigate pharming attacks that use cache poisoning to redirect unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites or addresses. It uses public key cryptography to digitally sign DNS data when it comes into the system and then validate it at its destination. The .ice gTLD is DNSSEC-enabled as part of Verisign’s core backend registry services.

3. RESOURCING PLANS
Resource Planning
ICE maintains a dedicated Information Security department of 10 full-time employees and a dedicated legal staff of more than 10 in-house attorneys including specialists in intellectual property. Additionally, ICE retains external counsel to augment specific legal disciplines. Rights protection is within the current remit of these groups and they have adequate capacity to process any claims that may arise from .ice registration activity.
Resource Planning Specific to Backend Registry Activities
Verisign, ICE’s selected backend registry services provider, is an experienced backend registry provider that has developed a set of proprietary resourcing models to project the number and type of personnel resources necessary to operate a TLD. Verisign routinely adjusts these staffing models to account for new tools and process innovations. These models enable Verisign to continually right-size its staff to accommodate projected demand and meet service level agreements as well as Internet security and stability requirements. Using the projected usage volume for the most likely scenario (defined in Question 46, Template 1 – Financial Projections: Most Likely) as an input to its staffing models, Verisign derived the necessary personnel levels required for this gTLD’s initial implementation and ongoing maintenance. Verisign’s pricing for the backend registry services it provides to ICE fully accounts for cost related to this infrastructure, which is provided as Line IIb.G, Total Critical Registry Function Cash Outflows, within the Question 46 financial projections response.
Verisign employs more than 1,040 individuals of which more than 775 comprise its technical work force. (Current statistics are publicly available in Verisign’s quarterly filings.) Drawing from this pool of on-hand and fully committed technical resources, Verisign has maintained DNS operational accuracy and stability 100 percent of the time for more than 13 years for .com, proving Verisign’s ability to align personnel resource growth to the scale increases of Verisign’s TLD service offerings.
Verisign projects it will use the following personnel roles, which are described in Section 5 of the response to Question 31, Technical Overview of Proposed Registry, to support the implementation of RPMs:
• Customer Affairs Organization: 9
• Customer Support Personnel: 36
• Information Security Engineers: 11

To implement and manage the .ice gTLD as described in this application, Verisign, ICE’s selected backend registry services provider, scales, as needed, the size of each technical area now supporting its portfolio of TLDs. Consistent with its resource modeling, Verisign periodically reviews the level of work to be performed and adjusts staff levels for each technical area.
When usage projections indicate a need for additional staff, Verisign’s internal staffing group uses an in-place staffing process to identify qualified candidates. These candidates are then interviewed by the lead of the relevant technical area. By scaling one common team across all its TLDs instead of creating a new entity to manage only this proposed gTLD, Verisign realizes significant economies of scale and ensures its TLD best practices are followed consistently. This consistent application of best practices helps ensure the security and stability of both the Internet and this proposed gTLD, as Verisign holds all contributing staff members accountable to the same procedures that guide its execution of the Internet’s largest TLDs (i.e., .com and .net). Moreover, by augmenting existing teams, Verisign affords new employees the opportunity to be mentored by existing senior staff. This mentoring minimizes start-up learning curves and helps ensure that new staff members properly execute their duties.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.닷컴VeriSign Sarlverisign.comView
1 MECHANISMS DESIGNED TO PREVENT ABUSIVE REGISTRATIONS

Rights protection is a core objective of Verisign. We will implement and adhere to any rights
protection mechanisms (RPMs) that may be mandated from time to time by ICANN, including
each mandatory RPM set forth in the Trademark Clearinghouse model contained in the Registry
Agreement, specifically Specification 7. We acknowledge that, at a minimum, ICANN requires a
Sunrise period, a Trademark Claims period, and interaction with the Trademark Clearinghouse
with respect to the registration of domain names for the
KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD. It should be noted that because ICANN, as of
the time of this application submission, has not issued final guidance with respect to the
Trademark Clearinghouse, we cannot fully detail the specific implementation of the Trademark
Clearinghouse within this application. We will adhere to all processes and procedures to comply
with ICANN guidance once this guidance is finalized.

As described in this response, we implement a Sunrise period and Trademark Claims service
with respect to the registration of domain names within the
KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD. Certain aspects of the Sunrise period and⁄or
Trademark Claims service may be administered on behalf of Verisign by Verisign-approved
registrars depending on final implementation specification detail related to the Trademark
Clearinghouse.

Sunrise Service

We implement a Sunrise service procedure for at least 30 days prior to launch of the general
registration of domain names in the KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD as
provided by the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook.
The KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM Sunrise service will comply with the
requirements outlined in the current Applicant Guidebook as well as any final guidance to be
issued pertaining to the operation of the Trademark Clearinghouse.

Trademark Claims Service

We also implement a Trademark Claims service for at least 60 days after the launch of the
general registration of domain names in the KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD.
The KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM Trademark Claims service will comply with the
requirements outlined in the current Applicant Guidebook as well as any final guidance to be
issued pertaining to the operation of the Trademark Clearinghouse.


2 MECHANISMS DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS THE ABUSIVE USE OF REGISTERED NAMES
ON AN ONGOING BASIS

In addition to the Sunrise and Trademark Claims services described in Section 1 of this
response, we implement and adhere to RPMs post-launch as mandated by ICANN, and we
confirm that registrars accredited for the KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD are in
compliance with these mechanisms. Certain aspects of these post-launch RPMs may be
administered on behalf of Verisign by Verisign-approved registrars.

These post-launch RPMs include the established Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution
Policy (UDRP), as well as the newer Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS) and Trademark
Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (PDDRP). Where applicable, Verisign
implements all determinations and decisions issued under the corresponding RPM.

After a domain name is registered, trademark holders can object to the registration through the
UDRP or URS. Objections to the operation of the gTLD can be made through the PDDRP.

The following descriptions provide implementation details of each post-launch RPM for the
KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD:

* UDRP: The UDRP provides a mechanism for complainants to object to domain name
registrations. The complainant files its objection with a UDRP provider and the domain name
registrant has an opportunity to respond. The UDRP provider makes a decision based on
the papers filed. If the complainant is successful, ownership of the domain name registration
is transferred to the complainant. If the complainant is not successful, ownership of the
domain name remains with the domain name registrant. Verisign and entities operating on
our behalf adhere to all decisions rendered by UDRP providers.

* URS: We also provide for a Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) system as specified in the
Applicant Guidebook. Similar to the UDRP, a complainant files its complaint with a URS
provider. The URS provider conducts an administrative review for compliance with
applicable filing requirements. If the complaint passes administrative review, the URS
provider sends Verisign, the registry operator for KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM,
a Notice of Complaint. Within 24 hours of receipt of the Notice of Complaint, we place the
subject domain name on “lock,” (serverUpdateProhibited, serverTransferProhibited, and
serverDeleteProhibited) which restricts all changes to the registration data but allows the
name to continue to resolve. After the domain name is placed on lock, the URS provider
notifies the registrant of the complaint. The registrant is then given an opportunity to
respond. The URS provider must then conduct a review of the complaint and response
based on the rules outlined in the Uniform Rapid Suspension System Draft Procedures set
forth in the Applicant Guidebook. If the complainant is successful, the registry operator is
informed and the domain name is suspended for the balance of the registration period; the
domain name will not resolve to the original website, but to an informational web page
provided by the URS provider. If the complainant is not successful, the lock is removed and
full control of the domain name registration is returned to the domain name registrant.
Similar to the existing UDRP, Verisign and entities operating on our behalf adhere to the
decisions rendered by the URS providers.

* PDDRP: As provided in the Applicant Guidebook, all registries are required to implement the
PDDRP. The PDDRP provides a mechanism for a complainant to object to the registry
operator’s manner of operation or use of the gTLD. The complainant files its objection with a
PDDRP provider, who performs a threshold review. The registry operator has the
opportunity to respond and the provider issues its determination based on the papers filed,
although there may be opportunity for further discovery and a hearing. Verisign participates
in the PDDRP process for the KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD as specified
in the Applicant Guidebook.


Additional Measures Specific to Rights Protection

We provide additional measures against potentially abusive registrations. These measures help
mitigate phishing, pharming, and other Internet security threats. The measures exceed the
minimum requirements for RPMs defined by Specification 7 of the Registry Agreement and are
available at the time of registration. These measures include:


* Rapid Takedown or Suspension Based on Court Orders: We comply promptly with any
order from a court of competent jurisdiction that directs us to take any action on a domain
name that is within our technical capabilities as a TLD registry. These orders may be issued
when abusive content, such as child pornography, counterfeit goods, or illegal
pharmaceuticals, is associated with the domain name.

* Anti-Abuse Process: We implement an anti-abuse process that is executed based on the
type of domain name action requested. These actions are coordinated with the domain
name’s registrar of record. The anti-abuse process is for malicious exploitation of the DNS
infrastructure, such as phishing, botnets, and malware.

* Authentication Procedures: We use two-factor authentication to augment security
protocols for telephone, email, and chat communications.

* Registry Lock: This Verisign service allows registrants to lock a domain name at the
registry level to protect against both unintended and malicious changes, deletions, and
transfers. Only Verisign, as the registry operator, can release the lock; thus all other entities
that normally are permitted to update Shared Registration System (SRS) records are
prevented from doing so. This lock is released only after the registrar request to unlock is
validated.

* Malware Code Identification: This safeguard reduces opportunities for abusive behaviors
that use registered domain names in the gTLD. Registrants are often unknowing victims of
malware exploits. As a backend registry services provider, we have developed proprietary
code to help identify malware in the zones we manage, which in turn helps registrars by
identifying malicious code hidden in their domain names.

* DNSSEC Signing Service: Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) helps
mitigate pharming attacks that use cache poisoning to redirect unsuspecting users to
fraudulent websites or addresses. It uses public key cryptography to digitally sign DNS data
when it comes into the system and then validate it at its destination. The
KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD is DNSSEC-enabled as part of our core
backend registry services.

* Commingling Restriction: If the Language Tag specified in the IDN registration is not from
an approved language authorities table, and so does not have a List of Included Characters,
then Verisign applies a restriction to prevent commingling of different scripts in a single
domain. That is, if an IDN contains code points from two or more Unicode scripts, then that
IDN registration is rejected. For example, a character from the Latin script cannot be used in
the same IDN with any KOREAN character. All code points within an IDN must come from the
same Unicode script. This is done to prevent confusable code points from appearing in the
same IDN.


3. RESOURCING PLANS

As an experienced registry operator, we have developed a set of proprietary resourcing models
to project the number and type of personnel resources necessary to operate a TLD. We
routinely adjust these staffing models to account for new tools and process innovations. These
models enable us to continually right-size our staff to accommodate projected demand and
meet service level agreements as well as Internet security and stability requirements. Using the
projected usage volume for the most likely scenario (defined in Question 46, Template 1 –
Financial Projections: Most Likely) as an input to our staffing models, we derived the necessary
personnel levels required for this gTLD’s initial implementation and ongoing maintenance.

We employ more than 1,040 individuals of which more than 775 comprise our technical work
force. (Current statistics are publicly available in our quarterly filings.) Drawing from this pool of
on-hand and fully committed technical resources, we have maintained DNS operational
accuracy and stability 100 percent of the time for more than 13 years for .com, proving our
ability to align personnel resource growth to the scale increases of our TLD service offerings.

We project we will use the following personnel roles, which are described in Section 5 of the
response to Question 31, Technical Overview of Proposed Registry, to support the
implementation of RPMs:

* Customer Affairs Organization: 9
* Customer Support Personnel: 36
* Information Security Engineers: 11

To implement and manage the KOREAN_TRANSLITERATION_OF_.COM gTLD as described in
this application, we scale, as needed, the size of each technical area now supporting our
portfolio of TLDs. Consistent with our resource modeling, we periodically review the level of
work to be performed and adjust staff levels for each technical area.

When usage projections indicate a need for additional staff, our internal staffing group uses an
in-place staffing process to identify qualified candidates. These candidates are then interviewed
by the lead of the relevant technical area. By scaling one common team across all our TLDs
instead of creating a new entity to manage only this proposed gTLD, we realize significant
economies of scale and ensure our TLD best practices are followed consistently. This
consistent application of best practices helps ensure the security and stability of both the
Internet and this proposed gTLD, as we hold all contributing staff members accountable to the
same procedures that guide our execution of the Internet’s largest TLDs (i.e., .com and .net).
Moreover, by augmenting existing teams, we afford new employees the opportunity to be
mentored by existing senior staff. This mentoring minimizes start-up learning curves and helps
ensure that new staff members properly execute their duties.