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

Prototypical answer:

“How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, internet users and others?”

The BBC anticipates that domains in the .BBC registry will not be issued for use by individuals but rather only operated by authorised representatives of the BBC. A .BBC registry will benefit BBC audiences at-large and specifically viewers, listeners and users of BBC Online content and services. Audiences will have access to the range of BBC Online services through the .BBC registry and it is anticipated that audiences will regard a .BBC domain as a sign of authenticity and quality of BBC Online services that can be trusted.

As the supply and distribution of .BBC domains will be strictly controlled, it is intended that the .BBC domains will be recognised as reliable signposts for access to BBC content and information.

i. “What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of speciality, service levels or reputation?”

The BBC believes it will be very beneficial to operate its own registry with shorter domain names that are universally applicable across the globe. The potential a .BBC registry offers for enhancing communication with BBC audiences is of importance to the BBC and consistent with the BBC’s overall mission and purpose.

The .BBC domain is a distinctive label that will become part of the overall BBC brand, and the BBC plans to utilise the .BBC domain in conjunction with its current portfolio of BBC domain names.

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

Currently there are no gTLD registries dedicated to brand owners. The BBC values the opportunity of being amongst the first media organisations to apply for such dedicated brands.

The BBC expects that a .BBC gTLD will improve ease and access for the millions of people who use BBC Online services every day, and will identify and differentiate BBC content and services online.

The BBC also believes a .BBC gTLD will help fulfil the BBC’s mission and purpose of informing, educating and entertaining the public and delivering the benefit of emerging communications technologies and services.

iii. “What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?”

The BBC’s goals in terms of user experience are to have second level .BBC domain names that allow users direct access to BBC content and Online services in a stable, secure, scalable and trusted environment. We expect in the future that BBC audiences will benefit from using second-level .BBC domain names to access a full range of BBC Online services.

The BBC has significant experience in managing its portfolio of domain names via its corporate domain registrar. The BBC will ensure that enquiries regarding .BBC domains in our registry and our domain name policies will be managed in a timely fashion according to documented BBC procedures and industry best practice.

iv. “Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals above”

The BBC Internet Domains Steering Group (IDSG), chaired by the BBC Domain Manager, is responsible for the development, maintenance and enforcement of the .BBC Registry Domain Management Policy (DMP). This policy defines the rules associated with eligibility and domain name allocation, sets out the terms governing the use of a .BBC domain name, and describes the dispute resolution policies for the .BBC TLD. This policy is intended to be updated and revised regularly to reflect the BBC’s strategic plans, public interest, industry best practice and, where appropriate, ICANN consensus policies. The policy is summarised below and subject to change as appropriate.

Registration of a .BBC domain name will be undertaken in four steps: Eligibility Confirmation, Naming Convention Check, Acceptable Use Review, and finally Registration.

All domains in the .BBC registry will remain the property of the BBC and will, subject to the .BBC Registry DMP and the BBC Domain Manager’s approval, be available to users of BBC divisions, departments and⁄or subsidiaries for a period of between 1 year and 10 years.

Checks will be undertaken to ensure that all applied for character strings conform to the BBC Naming Conventions. Each applied for A-label character string must:
• Be at least 3 characters and no more than 63 characters long
• Not contain a hyphen on the 3rd and 4th position (except for IDNs)
• Contain only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens or a combination of these
• Start and end with an alphanumeric character, not a hyphen
• Not match any character strings reserved by ICANN
• Be checked against the Trademark Clearinghouse
• Not match any protected country names or territory names identified in the internationally recognized lists set forth in Specification 5 to the ICANN New gTLD Agreement, unless the BBC reaches agreement regarding release of such names with the applicable government or pursuant to a proposal reviewed by the ICANN Governmental Advisory Committee and approved by ICANN.

Internationalized domain names (IDN) may be supported in the .BBC registry at the second level.

Domains must be used solely for purposes that enhance the strategic goals of the BBC.

.BBC domains must not be registered or used in a way which knowingly infringes any third-party intellectual property rights.

A .BBC registration must be an acceptable term that will not give rise to any moral or public order questions or in any way damage the strategic interests or reputation of the BBC.

All .BBC domains will carry accurate and up to date registration records.

The .BBC registry will be ICANN compliant, interface with the Trademark Clearinghouse, operate a Sunrise and IP Claims process and enforce that all registrants comply with the UDRP and the URS processes.


v. “Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy of confidential information of registrants or users?”

As the .BBC registry will be operated within the United Kingdom, all data will be processed in conformity with the European Union’s and United Kingdom’s 1998 Data Protection Act and any other applicable Data Protection requirements.

The BBC will comply with the Personal Data obligations set forth in Section 2.10 of the Registry Agreement.


“Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits?”

The .BBC registry will be closed to third parties and will be for use only by authorised representatives of BBC.

Outreach and communications appropriate to the operation of a .BBC registry in which the brand owner is the registrant of all second-level domain names will be undertaken to ensure that .BBC domains are issued and used in accordance with the BBC’s mission and purposes. For example, guidelines and policy statements will be produced and published defining how the .BBC domain will be used.

To assist BBC audiences and users of BBC Online services to understand that .BBC domains are for BBC Online services and are genuine and can be trusted, the BBC intends to create a home page for the registry with clear messaging and an audience enquiry process.

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