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

Prototypical answer:

18.1 Mission and Purpose of .APARTMENTS

DERApartments, LLC (hereafter “DERApartments”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dominion Enterprises (“Dominion”), has filed this application for a .APARTMENTS gTLD with the intention of bringing to market a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive namespace for consumers that will contain listings of apartments for rent, as well as a repository of goods and services related to apartments.

18.1.1 Dominion Enterprises

Dominion is a leading marketing services company serving the wide-ranging needs of many industries including real estate, apartments, specialty vehicles, employment, automotive, and travel, with over 3,000 employees located in 145 offices in 33 states and four countries. Its websites receive more than 17 million average monthly visitors and 279 million average monthly page views. For more information, see http:⁄⁄www.dominionenterprises.com⁄main⁄do⁄Fact_Sheet. Below is a representative listing of the apartment-related businesses that Dominion Enterprises currently owns and operates:

- For Rent Magazine®: For over 30 years, For Rent Magazine has been a trusted leader in showcasing rental housing in the multifamily space. With 70 print markets in major cities throughout the country, the magazineʹs print quantities exceed 20 million copies annually and are distributed in thousands of high-traffic grocery stores and other retail locations.

- ForRent.com® (http:⁄⁄www.forrent.com): ForRent.com is one of the leading websites in the apartment space. With over 20,000 paying customers, ForRent.com generates more than 3 million unique visitors each month. The site includes prices, floor plans, social sharing, virtual tours, and videos of apartment communities throughout the United States.

- After 55™ Housing and Resource Guide: Launched in 2001 as Senior Outlook Magazine, After 55 Housing and Resource Guide is available in 11 major markets. The publication is geared towards baby boomers planning for retirement, aging adults, and grown-up children who are researching housing options for their parents. More than a million Guides are distributed annually in thousands of locations nationwide.

- SeniorOutlook.com (http:⁄⁄senioroutlook.com): SeniorOutlook.com was introduced in 2001 to complement the print publication. An average of 60,000 unique visitors visit this site each month to view over 6,000 listings.

- Apartamentos Para Rentar® Magazine: Apartementos Para Rentar Magazine debuted in 2001 and currently covers 14 markets. The magazine targets one of the fastest growing demographics in the country and offers a way to reach out to the Hispanic consumer through custom-designed, full-color advertisements in a Spanish publication dedicated to apartment rentals.

- ParaRentar.com® (http:⁄⁄pararentar.com): ParaRentar.com launched in October 2006 and offers nearly 4,000 listings. ParaRentar.com is a fully Spanish-translated apartment listing website that offers an interactive, state-of-the-art medium to showcase apartment communities to an average of 46,000 monthly unique visitors.

- CorporateHousing.com® (〈http:⁄⁄corporatehousing.com〉): CorporateHousing.com launched in 2001 and is dedicated solely to short-term and⁄or temporary lodging. Approximately 70,000 unique visitors visit this site each month to find solutions for their temporary housing needs.

- ForRent.com mobile (m.forrent.com): ForRent.com mobile provides all the same great features as ForRent.com, but is customized for web-enabled phones. Prospective renters can view videos, pricing, floor plans, and more. ForRent.com mobile generates approximately 325,000 unique visitors each month.

18.1.2 Potential Business Models

DERApartments is still analyzing potential use case options regarding the type of domain names that will be permitted for registration and by whom. In undertaking this research, DERApartments is leveraging Dominion’s experience in bringing critical business services to its customers in a safe and trusted online environment.

The business model for the .APARTMENTS gTLD is currently broken into two stages, one has been confirmed and the second is under evaluation and will be implemented after DERApartments has assessed the first stage. The two stages are as follows:

1. Allocated Strings and Client Strings

At the current stage of analysis, the business model for .APARTMENTS is one in which generic strings (ʺhigh-rise,ʺ ʺlow-rise,ʺ ʺmid-rise,ʺ ʺgarden style,ʺ ʺcondo,ʺ ʺloft,ʺ ʺbrownstone,ʺ ʺduplex,ʺ etc.) and geographic (city⁄state) domain names would initially be reserved and⁄or allocated to one or more Dominion online apartment-related properties. These domain names would provide a model for a hierarchical and intuitive framework and naming system for consumers to more easily navigate the .APARTMENTS namespace. This initial allocation would also provide Dominion’s and its affiliates’ IT and security personnel the time to run a number of tests to ensure seamless and secure access using the .APARTMENTS gTLD domain names, and interoperability with various software and Web-based applications.

Following initial allocation, Dominion’s existing clients across the different apartment property groups would be initially permitted to register domain names. This initial rollout guarantees that the identity and contact information of each .APARTMENTS domain name registrant will be known based upon a pre-existing business relationship. This allocation mechanism also minimizes DERApartments’ startup and operational costs.

2. Registration by Non-Clients

DERApartments is currently evaluating a validation process to allow non-Dominion clients and other domain name registrants to register domain names in the .APARTMENTS gTLD. However, the exact timing of this proposed expanded universe of potential .APARTMENTS registrants has not been determined, and will not be finalized until appropriate verification mechanisms can be put in place.

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