18(a) Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD

Prototypical answer:

18(a). Describe the mission⁄purpose of your proposed gTLD.

Web.com Group, Inc (“Web.com”) has been in the business of helping our customers establish their online presence for over 15 years. Following our acquisition of Register.com in July 2010 and the subsequent acquisition of Network Solutions, LLC, the oldest ICANN accredited registrar, in October 2011, we have become one of the largest domain name registrars in the world with approximately 3 million customers. Web.com offers a variety of TLDs and a full suite of domain-name services, including registration, management, renewal, expiration protection and privacy services.

The creation of a .web gTLD will help to fulfill ICANNʹs mission of providing more competition in the online marketplace and Web.com is the perfect candidate for operating .web given its experience, global reach, and brand recognition.

Why .web?

Web.com knows from years of experience that the .com gTLD has played a revolutionary role in the advancement of global commerce and culture. In addition, the .com gTLD has had a powerful and democratizing impact, providing avenues for anyone to participate in online discourse and a growing market. There are, however, a finite number of useful second-level domains that can be applied for in .com, as ICANN knows and understands. Often other gTLDs, such as .org, .info, .biz and others either are unavailable or are not a good fit for a potential second-level domain.

In looking to expand the gTLD landscape beyond the existing robustness of gTLD offerings, an easy-to-remember and intuitively logical gTLD such as .web is a relevant addition. Consumers will instantly understand that a .web domain is an Internet website thereby ensuring quick adoption by users. Due to its ubiquitous nature, .web will compete directly with all gTLDs, both existing ones and others to be approved by ICANN. It has universal appeal to anyone looking to operate on the World Wide Web. Not only will .web introduce a new and previously unavailable range of domain choices to businesses and individuals around the world but it could also serve as a platform for a number of innovative domain-based services.

The .web gTLD will help customers launch and leverage their presence on the Internet. As a leading global provider of online marketing services to small businesses, Web.com recognizes that finding a relevant and memorable domain name can be challenging. Since many keywords and descriptive phrases associated with existing TLDs have already been registered, it is often difficult to pinpoint a domain name which contains an acceptable number of characters. Consequently, prospective registrants are many times unable to secure a unique and adequate name.

The availability of .web domains will spark competition across all industries engaging customers online by providing more opportunities for registrants to secure easily found domains. Consumer choice will increase, and in doing so, online operators will seek ways to differentiate themselves from their competition with proactive steps to build consumer trust and confidence.

Introducing .web as a gTLD choice also will inject additional inventory into the domain name marketplace. As such, it will increase competition within the Internet registry space, as well as provide avenues for increased registrar competition.

Why Web.com?

As the sole owner of the Web.com® Trademark--issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office-- Web.com seeks to be the sole registry operator for the .web gTLD. Historically, Web.com has offered and will continue to provide pre-registration service for the .web gTLD through www.register.web.com. We remain committed to promoting .web as a new gTLD and to expanding the competitive landscape that permeates the Internet.

Founded in 1997 as Atlantic Teleservices, Web.com has evolved to become a leading provider of Internet services for small- to medium-sized businesses (“SMBs”). Web.com is the parent company of two global domain name registrars, and further meets the Internet needs of consumers and businesses throughout their lifecycle with affordable value-added services. These services include domain-name registration; website design; search engine optimization; search engine marketing; social media and mobile products; local sales leads; ecommerce solutions; and call center services.

Headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, USA, Web.com is a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: WWWW) serving nearly three million customers, with more than 1,700 global employees in fourteen locations in North America, South America and the United Kingdom. In recognition of its rapid progress, Web.com has appeared on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500™ list in each of the past two years.

One of our primary corporate goals is to provide a broad range of online services and products that enable SMBs to establish, maintain, promote, and optimize their web presence. By providing a comprehensive and best-in-class suite of services, we are able to deliver solutions that enable small and medium-sized businesses to compete and succeed online. Customers can choose to purchase ‘a la carte’ solutions for specific issues, or subscribe to bundled products that meet a variety of needs.

Web.com brings a wealth of experience in providing a seamless process for customers from the first point of registration through the growth of their Internet properties. Following our acquisition of Register.com in July 2010 and the subsequent acquisition of Network Solutions in October 2011, we have become one of the largest domain name registrars in the world. Web.com offers a variety of TLDs and a full suite of domain-name services, including registration, management, renewal, expiration protection and privacy services. Web.com is also a prominent player in the Internet community through participation in numerous working groups and organizations including the Certificate Authentication Board, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet standards development community.

Additionally, since the .web gTLD mirrors the Web.com brand, trademarks, and the character string associated with our corporate website address (www.web.com), we believe that Web.com should be the sole operator and administrator of the .web gTLD. The issuance of the .web gTLD to anyone other than Web.com would infringe on the trademark rights in Web.com and be confusingly similar to domains currently in use by Web.com such as www.register.web.com and www.dot.web.com.

Similar gTLD applications: (226)