Back

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

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.موقعSuhub Electronic Establishmentafilias.infoView
.SITE (Arabic IDN) intends to develop into the premier TLD for Arabic speakers on the Internet.

i General goals

Suhub Electronic Trading will engage in general marketing and branding, as well as outreach and marketing support to registrars to establish awareness of the .SITE (Arabic IDN) TLD and its intended uses in the minds of the public. The anticipated popularity of this TLD will also be attractive to registrars, incentivizing them to work with Suhub to make the TLD grow rapidly.

ii How .SITE (Arabic IDN) adds to the current space

.SITE (Arabic IDN) facilitates greatly expanded opportunities for domain creation in the Arabic language and innovative use of the Internet. Individuals and entities who have felt limited in their opportunities to obtain a desired TLD in Arabic will have new options available to them. The new domains in full Arabic script will greatly expand user choice and diversity of opportunity.

The TLD will be readily available for Arabic speakers around the world. As noted above, the TLD will make accessing and using the Internet easier for over 65 million Arabic speakers on line today. A distinct user advantage will be the representation of the full domain name in their native language, an option unavailable to them today. For businesses, the ability to directly target their audience in their native language represents a great opportunity for search optimization and expanding markets, which demonstrates another value of this TLD. For non-commercial registrants, they will have an affordable place to register names on any topic.

iii User experience goals

Suhub intends for .SITE (Arabic IDN) to be one of the most recognizable and useful TLDs on the Internet, especially for Arabic speakers. The explosion of new domain possibilities will foster innovation and creativity on the part of registrants, who will then create new and diverse user experiences for users.

iv Registry policies

.SITE (Arabic IDN) will be an open TLD, generally available to all registrants (except in the Sunrise period).
In general, domains will be offered for periods of one to ten years, but no greater than ten years. Initial registrations made in the Sunrise period may have a minimum number of years required. For example, there may be a policy that all Sunrise names must be registered for an initial term of at least five years.



The roll-out of our TLD is anticipated to feature the following phases:
• Reservation of reserved names and premium names, which will be distributed through special mechanisms (detailed below).
• Sunrise — the required period for trademark owners to secure their domains before availability to the general public. This phase will feature applications for domain strings, verification of trademarks via Trademark Clearinghouse and a trademark verification agent, and a Trademark Claims Service.
• General Availability period — real-time registrations, made on a first-come first-served basis. Trademark Claims Service will be in use at least for the first 60 days after General Availability applications open.

The registration of domain names in the .SITE (Arabic IDN) TLD will follow the standard practices, procedures and policies Afilias, the back-end provider of registry services, currently has in place. This includes the following:
• Domain registration policies (for example, grace periods, transfer policies, etc.) are defined in response #27.
• Abuse prevention tools and policies, for example, measures to promote WHOIS accuracy and efforts to reduce phishing and pharming, are discussed in detail in our response #28.
• Rights protection mechanisms and dispute resolution mechanism policies (for example, UDRP, URS) are detailed in #29.

Other detailed policies for this domain include policies for reserved names.


Reserved names

Registry reserved names

We will reserve the following classes of domain names, which will not be made generally available to registrants via the Sunrise or subsequent periods:
• All of the reserved names required in Specification 5 of the new gTLD Registry Agreement;
• The geographic names required in Specification 5 of the new gTLD Registry Agreement, and may be released to the extent that Registry Operator reaches agreement with the government and country-code manager;
• The registry operator’s own name and variations thereof, and registry operations names (such as registry.tld, and www.tld), for internal use;
• Names related to ICANN and Internet standards bodies (iana.tld, ietf.tld, w3c.tld, etc.), and may be released to the extent that Registry Operator reaches agreement with ICANN.

The list of reserved names will be published publicly before the Sunrise period begins, so that registrars and potential registrants will know which names have been set aside.



v. Privacy and confidential information protection
As per the New gTLD Registry Agreement, we will make domain contact data (and other fields) freely and publicly available via a Web-based WHOIS server. This default set of fields includes the mandatory publication of registrant data. Our Registry-Registrar Agreement will require that registrants consent to this publication.

We shall notify each of our registrars regarding the purposes for which data about any identified or identifiable natural person (“Personal Data”) submitted to the Registry Operator by such registrar is collected and used, and the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data (the data in question is essentially the registrant and contact data required to be published in the WHOIS). We will require each registrar to obtain the consent of each registrant in the TLD for the collection and use of such Personal Data. The policies will be posted publicly on our TLD web site. As the registry operator, we shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in any way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars.

Our privacy and data use policies are as follows:
• As registry operator, we do not plan on selling bulk WHOIS data. We will not sell contact data in any way. We will not allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission by e-mail, telephone, or facsimile of mass unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations.
• We may use registration data in the aggregate for marketing purposes.
• DNS query data will never be sold in a way that is personally identifiable.
• We may from time to time use the demographic data collected for statistical analysis, provided that this analysis will not disclose individual Personal Data and provided that such use is compatible with the notice provided to registrars regarding the purpose and procedures for such use.

As the registry operator we shall take significant steps to protect Personal Data collected from registrars from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction. In our responses to Question 30 (“Security Policy”) and Question 38 (“Escrow”) we detail the security policies and procedures we will use to protect the registry system and the data contained therein from unauthorized access and loss.

Please see our response to Question 26 (“WHOIS”) regarding “searchable WHOIS” and rate-limiting. That section contains details about how we will limit the mining of WHOIS data by spammers and other parties who abuse access to the WHOIS.

In order to acquire and maintain accreditation for our TLD, we will require registrars to adhere to certain information technology policies designed to help protect registrant data. These will include standards for access to the registry system and password management protocols. Our response to Question 30, “Security Policy” provides details of implementation.

We will allow the use of proxy and privacy services, which can protect the personal data of registrants from spammers and other parties that mine zone files and WHOIS data. We are aware that there are parties who may use privacy services to protect their free speech rights, or to avoid religious or political persecution.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.AKDNFondation Aga Khan (Aga Khan Foundation)afilias.infoView
i. General goals

The benefits of an .AKDN TLD would largely fall on three audiences: the general public, external entities with which the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) cooperates and internal audiences.

For external audiences, an .AKDN TLD would help secure the authenticity of communications by assuring visitors to websites and recipients of .AKDN email that they are receiving information from an official source. The AKDN’s institutions represent a number of entities in over 25 countries. The advantages of a TLD would therefore encompass many of the benefits inherent in a consolidated online presence, including a central, clear identity and message. Currently, many people are unaware that these agencies and projects are linked and that they work together. For governments, corporate partners, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, an understanding of the true networked relationships between AKDN entities would lead to efficiencies that would benefit poor people in the areas where the AKDN works.

Likewise, internal audiences across these 1,000 projects would have an enhanced understanding that they are participants in the broader AKDN system, encouraging greater cooperation within and across these organisations. The ultimate beneficiaries would be the poor and developing communities in which we work, without regard to their faith, origin or gender.

In order to ensure the integrity, success and to build confidence in the TLD and the associated domain name space, the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION is dedicated to ensuring that appropriate safeguards are put in place with a view to protecting, among other things, public interest, trade mark owners and other third party rights owners. Operating and overseeing this new Internet space in a transparent, fair and efficient manner will be essential to create goodwill in the TLD and to develop confidence and trust in the TLD. The fact that the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION intends to operate the TLD as a single registrant⁄single user registry model will allow for the control of operations of the TLD and prevent violation of public interest, trade mark infringement and other types of malicious conducts. The TLD will thus create an environment where opportunities for abuse and malevolent conduct will be virtually eliminated.

ii. How .AKDN adds to the current space

The proposed TLD would largely provide a benefit through differentiation. Whereas over 40 domain names now represent the institutions of the AKDN, a domain name under which subdomains could be registered for agencies or projects, would ensure that the entities would be understood to be institutions associated with AKDN. To avoid the risk of confusion with other domains that may be perceived as being linked to AKDN-related entities, a top level domain would help assure key stakeholder groups of the provenance of information from our institutions.

iii. User experience goals

The user experience is likely to be vastly improved and simplified. By bringing institutions under one framework, namely the AKDN, the user – whether a member of the general public, or diplomats, government officials, international, regional and national organisations, civil society organisations, businesspeople, or other stakeholders – could be assured of the origin and reliability of the information on these websites and from these emails.

iv. Registry policies

The AGA KHAN FOUNDATION intends to create and operate the TLD as a single registrant⁄single user registry and will reserve domain names under the TLD for exclusive registration by the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION and its representatives to the exclusion of other parties. In addition, the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION does not intend to sell, distribute or transfer control or use of any second level domain name registrations in the TLD to any party other than to its representatives and related organisations. As a result, rules and regulations aiming at protecting the public interest in the event of the opening of a TLD to general registration will not be relevant. Accordingly the intended registration policies in support of the goals set out in this TLD application will not contain provisions relating to registration by parties that are not the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION or its representatives, who will solely and wholly control and maintain registrations under the TLD. Such policies will be consistent with all applicable ICANN Consensus Policies and Temporary Policies and the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION is committed to ensure that said policies are strictly complied with. For avoidance of doubt, all domains under this TLD will be managed by the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION, under policies approved by its Chairman, so they will only be made available to organisations that have been approved and are known to operate within the AKDN umbrella.

The mission and purpose of this TLD is to provide a global, consistent identity on the Internet. As such, The AGA KHAN FOUNDATION intends to limit registration of domains either for its exclusive use or for use by organizations or individuals designated by it in a manner that contributes to the purpose of this TLD. The AGA KHAN FOUNDATION also intends to govern the domain names registered to limit confusion and enhance user experience. To accomplish these objectives, the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION or its representatives may be the sole registrant of domains in the TLD. However, due consideration has been made to all aspects of registry operations including the functions and policies defined below.

The roll-out of our TLD is anticipated to feature the following phases:
• Reservation of reserved names and premium names, which will be distributed through special mechanisms (detailed below).
• Sunrise — the required period for trademark owners to secure their domains before availability to qualified registrants. This phase will feature applications for domain strings, verification of trademarks via Trademark Clearinghouse and a trademark verification agent, and a Trademark Claims Service.
• General Availability period — registrations for qualified registrants, by invitation. Trademark Claims Service will be in use at least for the first 60 days after General Availability applications open.

The registration of domain names in the .AKDN TLD will follow the standard practices, procedures and policies of Afilias, the back-end provider of registry services, currently has in place. This includes the following:
• Domain registration policies (for example, grace periods, transfer policies, etc.) are defined in response #27.
• Abuse prevention tools and policies, for example, measures to promote WHOIS accuracy and efforts to reduce phishing and pharming, are discussed in detail in our response #28.
• Rights protection mechanisms and dispute resolution mechanism policies (for example, UDRP, URS) are detailed in #29.

Other detailed policies for this domain include policies for reserved names.


Reserved names

Registry reserved names

We will reserve the following classes of domain names, which will not be made generally available to registrants via the Sunrise or subsequent periods:
• All of the reserved names required in Specification 5 of the new gTLD Registry Agreement;
• The geographic names required in Specification 5 of the new gTLD Registry Agreement, and may be released to the extent that the Registry Operator reaches agreement with the government and country-code manager;
• The Registry Operator’s own name and variations thereof, and registry operations names (such as registry.tld, and www.tld), for internal use;
• Names related to ICANN and Internet standards bodies (iana.tld, ietf.tld, w3c.tld, etc.), and may be released to the extent that the Registry Operator reaches agreement with ICANN.

The list of reserved names will be published publicly before the Sunrise period begins, so that registrars and potential registrants will know which names have been set aside.

v. Privacy and confidential information protection

Given that the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION intends to operate the TLD on a single registrant⁄single user registry model, confidential information relating to the registrant and exclusive users would be the responsibility of the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION and its representatives, and would be addressed by existing internal policies implemented within the organisation. In relation to the information on users who will access content, information and services within the TLD, the AGA KHAN FOUNDATION will ensure that the operation of the TLD is at all times consistent with its privacy policies as well as applicable laws and regulations.

As per the New gTLD Registry Agreement, we will make domain contact data (and other fields) freely and publicly available via a Web-based WHOIS server. This default set of fields includes the mandatory publication of registrant data. Our Registry-Registrar Agreement will require that registrants consent to this publication.

We shall notify each of our registrars regarding the purposes for which data about any identified or identifiable natural person (“Personal Data”) submitted to the Registry Operator by such registrar is collected and used, and the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data (the data in question is essentially the registrant and contact data required to be published in the WHOIS). We will require each registrar to obtain the consent of each registrant in the TLD for the collection and use of such Personal Data. The policies will be posted publicly on our TLD web site. As the registry operator, we shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in any way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars.

Our privacy and data use policies are as follows:
• As registry operator, we will not sell bulk WHOIS data. We will not sell contact data in any way. We will not allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission by e-mail, telephone, or facsimile of mass unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations.
• We will not use registration data in the aggregate for any type of marketing.
• DNS query data will never be sold in a way that is personally identifiable.
• We may from time to time use the demographic data collected for statistical analysis, provided that this analysis will not disclose individual Personal Data and provided that such use is compatible with the notice provided to registrars regarding the purpose and procedures for such use.

As the registry operator we shall take significant steps to protect Personal Data collected from registrars from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction. In our responses to Question 30 (“Security Policy”) and Question 38 (“Escrow”) we detail the security policies and procedures we will use to protect the registry system and the data contained therein from unauthorized access and loss.

Please see our response to Question 26 (“WHOIS”) regarding “searchable WHOIS” and rate-limiting. That section contains details about how we will limit the mining of WHOIS data by spammers and other parties who abuse access to the WHOIS.

In order to acquire and maintain accreditation for our TLD, we will require registrars to adhere to certain information technology policies designed to help protect registrant data. These will include standards for access to the registry system and password management protocols. Our response to Question 30, “Security Policy” provides details of implementation.

We will allow the use of proxy and privacy services, which can protect the personal data of registrants from spammers and other parties that mine zone files and WHOIS data. We are aware that there are parties who may use privacy services to protect their free speech rights, or to avoid religious or political persecution.