gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.NGO	Public Interest Registry	pir.org	View

PIR’s goal is to provide the NGO Community an exclusive and immediately recognized home on the Internet. To achieve this goal and ensure that .NGO domain names are allocated in a manner that serves the NGO Community, PIR has developed a set of .NGO registration restriction policies and corresponding compliance and enforcement mechanisms.

The policies are built to match the need of the NGO Community based on feedback from NGO Community members; based on experience from the .ORG gTLD management since 2003; and generally established to ensure a higher security level for .NGO domain names than what currently is considered standard global requirements for gTLDs today.

.NGO Registration Policies
The registration policies in support of the NGO Community goals are described in the following summary and are detailed later in this section.
• Registrant Eligibility Requirements – all registrants must demonstrate affiliation through NGO membership organizations or through evidence of NGO status. PIR will work with membership organization, the NGO Community Advisory Council, and other members of the NGO Community to validate their eligibility.
• Name Selection Policy – ensures that only NGO Community relevant domain names are registered.
• Reserved Name Policy – names⁄types of domain names will initially be reserved from registration under .NGO.
• Registry Name Policy – names⁄types of domain names will be held from general availability, these will be used in support of the registry.
• Content and Use Restriction Policy – ensures that usage of the .NGO domain name corresponds with NGO Community activities.
• Compliance Functions – ensures ongoing compliance of the Registrant Eligibility Requirements, and the Content and Use Restriction Policy listed below.

The following policies support of the NGO Community goals and are detailed in subsequent Evaluation Questions of the application dedicated to such policies, as noted below.
• Abuse Prevention and Mitigation – includes the Anti-Abuse Policy which addresses the identification and prompt action taken on malicious use of domain names, and the Restriction Dispute Resolution Policy (RDRP) which ensures that disputes concerning any of the .NGO Registration Policies can be solved in an appropriate manner. Detailed descriptions of both policies can be found in response to Evaluation Question #28.
• Rights Protection Mechanisms – protects intellectual property holders under the Trademark Clearinghouse, Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS), Registry Restrictions Dispute Resolution Procedures (RRDRP),Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Policy (PDDRP), in addition to the Sunrise services and policies that can be found in response to Evaluation Question #29.

PIR will review all policies and processes on an annual basis with involvement from the PIR’s NGO Community Advisory Council and present the results to the NGO Community, allowing them to provide feedback.

Specific Policy Details

Registrant Eligibility Requirements: The .NGO domain registrations are open to NGO Community members. All registrants must demonstrate affiliation through NGO membership organizations or through evidence of NGO status. PIR will work with NGO membership organizations, the NGO Community Advisory Council, and other members of the NGO Community to validate their eligibility.

In consultation with PIR’s NGO Community Advisory Council PIR is reviewing potential NGO membership organizations who can verify the NGO status of registrants. NGO membership organizations include the following, and will expand over time:
• Global organizations: International associations and⁄or classification-based associations.
• Regional organizations: Associations across broad geographic areas, potentially including multiple countries or jurisdictions.
• Local organizations: Associations or groups that provide support and memberships at a country or local level.

During the registration process, the registrant will be asked to verify their eligibility and to demonstrate affiliation with a NGO member organization. Once the initial certification in step 1 of the verification process is confirmed, the domain is successfully created. If the .NGO registrant fails to provide any additional required information through step 2 of the verification process, the domain will be deleted and released back into the pool of available domains.

Content and Use Restriction Policy: Abusive use of the .NGO domain names will not be tolerated by PIR. The following use and content limitations apply:
• Overall the NGO domain name must be for a bona fide NGO use, as defined in the Restrictions Dispute Resolution in response to Evaluation Question #28.
• Websites must be developed with the intent to promote the corresponding .NGO registrant’s existing mission and activities, and not solely for commercialized or for-profit marketing usage.
• Use of the registered domain name to engage in activities inconsistent with the mission of a NGO is not allowed.
• Any illegal or fraudulent usage of the .NGO domain name is not allowed, including but not limited to phishing and pharming attacks, distribution of malware, and distribution of adult content.
• Registration and use of a domain name in violation of Rights Protection Mechanisms is not allowed.

Violations of any of the .NGO Registration Policies may be grounds for loss of registration, pursuant to the enforcement mechanism discussed below (with an appeal procedure).

Compliance Functions: While disputes will be managed directly by resolution providers, PIR will conduct random compliance audits across all the .NGO Registration Policies. Periodically PIRʹs compliance staff will audit a sample of .NGO registrations to verify claims to membership in a listed organization, name policy adherence, and compliance with the name and use policy.

If a registrant is found to not be in compliance the registrant will be notified that the domain will be placed on registry lock and that if the compliance issue is not cured the domain will be terminated.

As part of the compliance function PIR will also utilize its existing expertise, obtained through its management of .ORG, to monitor and take action on any abusive behavior taken place with .NGO domain names.

Name Selection Policy: The .NGO registrant must fulfill certain name policy criteria. PIR will employ the following restrictions concerning the names that eligible .NGO registrants can register. As such a .NGO registrant cannot register any name they wish but is limited by the following restrictions. A .NGO registered domain name may be:
1) the name of (entire or portion of) the NGO, e.g. its “doing business as” name,
2) an acronym representing the NGO,
3) a name that recognizes or generally describes the NGO, or
4) a name related to the mission or activities of the NGO.

Reserved Name Policy: The following names⁄types of domain names will initially be reserved from registration:
• All single- and two-character second-level domain names;
• Domains of an inappropriate nature, e.g., adult-related terminology, pursuant to a list defined by PIR and its NGO Community Advisory Council;
• Names provided by ICANN as required reserved names;
• A list of generic names defined by PIR and its NGO Community Advisory Council based on the overall criteria that the names represent the NGO Community in a general manner. Such names will be released in a specific RFP process ensuring that the names will benefit the NGO Community.

Registry Name Policy: The following names⁄types of domain names will be held from general availability; they will be used in support of the registry.
• Names to support registry operations, e.g., directory.ngo;
• Names to support PIR’s NGO Community Advisory Council.

Compliance and Enforcement Mechanisms
PIR will take both proactive and reactive measures to enforce the policies of the gTLD. Proactive measures are taken at the time of registration by requiring .NGO registrants to meet the .NGO Registration Policies and to agree to all policies and procedures of the gTLD. Reactive measures are addressed via our audit process and through our defined dispute resolution processes.

A violation of the .NGO Registration Policies will be enforced on a case-by-case, fact specific basis under the processes set forth below:
1. Any allegation that a domain name is not used primarily for NGO purposes shall be enforced under the provisions of the Restrictions Dispute Resolution Policy (ʺRDRPʺ) as described in Evaluation Question #28. The RDRP will be included as an appendix to the Registry Agreement. An appeal procedure is included in the RDRP.
2. Any alleged violation of the Rights Protection Mechanisms shall be enforced under the provisions contained in each of them.

Disputes resulting from violations of the .NGO Registration Policies will be resolved through the Compliance Functions and the Rights Protection Mechanisms. The Rights Protection Mechanisms (as detailed in Evaluation Question #29) will be made applicable by the ICANN-Accredited Registrarsʹ registration agreements with registrants. Proceedings under the Rights Protection Mechanisms will be conducted in accordance with the policies and procedures that will be included in an appendix to the Registry Agreement. As set forth in the Compliance Functions, the registry operator will review on a random basis, monitor, and verify that any particular domain name is being used primarily for NGO purposes and that a domain is being used in compliance with the Rights Protection Mechanisms processes.

Resource Plans
PIR will devote 2 compliance officers to handle compliance and disputes as they arise, although currently for .ORG this need is rare. Most compliance checks on registration eligibility are expected to be handled in an automated process.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.archi	STARTING DOT	jwgroupe.com	View

Starting Dot will manage the .archi gTLD for the benefit of the architectural profession and their public.
Benefits attainment of a restricted TLD will require equitable and substantive evaluation of domain name requests to weed-out non-eligible applicants while ensuing the availability of the TLD for its intended registrants.
Thanks to the expertise of its founding directors and to their relationship to the architectural community via the UIA, Starting Dot is perfectly suited to endorse this responsibility.
Two main mechanisms will ensure stakeholders that the .archi gTLD will be managed in the community’s best interests:
- The establishment of a Policy Advisory Committee including 3 members of the UIA;
- Restrictive eligibility policies defined in collaboration with the UIA, highlights of which are provided below.

The Policy Advisory Committee will serve as a channel for the community to provide Starting Dot input into how policies have been implemented, the experience of registrants with these policies, the effectiveness of procedures (both technical and non technical) and opportunities to improve support and services.

For transparency’s sake, minutes of the committee’s bi-annual meetings will be posted on the .archi gTLD’s main website. Meetings will be held in Paris as the UIA’s headquarter is in Paris. Starting Dot will also encourage community input via its website.
During the pre-launch phase of the .archi gTLD, meetings will be held on a monthly basis.

To enforce the community-based purpose of the .archi gTLD, Starting Dot will also establish strict registration policies.
In the operation of its proposed restricted .archi gTLD, Starting Dot intends to implement all current and future ICANN policies.
Accordingly, Starting Dot will follow ICANN’s policies with respect to dispute resolution, including the adoption of the Uniform Dispute resolution Policy, as the same may be amended from time to time.
In addition, Starting Dot will design a specific dispute resolution procedure to address situations in which there is objectively clear abuse of:
- A company name;
- A personal name;
- A professional name;
- A name with national or geographic significance.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants of a .archi domain name will have to be verifiable participants in the architecture scene and each name applied for will have to be a name to which there is a right that has been established through registration or use thereof. Such rights can consist of, but are not necessarily limited to, registered or unregistered trademarks, trade names, company names, business identifiers, etc. insofar and to the extent protected by the laws of the country in which the applicant for the .archi domain name resides, has been established or conducts business activities.
Participation in the architecture scene will have to be certified at the time the registrant applies for or register the domain name, which implies the acceptance of the domain name registration policies.
Verifiable participants in the architecture scene must meet at least one of the following criteria:

- Architect member of the International Union of Architects (UIA);
- Architecture Firm that employs one or more architects members of the UIA;
- Company or associations that employs one or more architects members of the UIA;
- Being included in a list of architecture schools, museums, professional press⁄media, defined by the .archi Policy Advisory Committee in collaboration with the UIA and its member sections.
Starting Dot reserves the right to extend its eligibility criteria to national Architects Associations that are not currently members of the UIA.
Starting Dot believes that these eligibility requirements will be a key impediment for registrants who are seeking to engage in abusive registrations and cyber-squatting
Starting Dot has defined a list of reserved and prohibited domain names under the .archi gTLD. Reserved names are domain names reserved for special use or for special organizations. Prohibited names are names that may not be registered under the .archi gTLD.
RESERVED NAMES
Unless agreed upon otherwise in writing with ICANN, Starting Dot will comply with restrictions on registration of character strings set forth at Specification 5 of the Registry Operator Agreement.
Starting Dot also intends to define and control a list of domain names that have a value for the entire architectural profession, in order to delegate them to those registrants who are committing to use these in order to support the community for which the .archi gTLD is initially intended.
Hence, one character labels and a list of generic names will be reserved by Starting Dot and released at its sole discretion.
Starting Dot will define the list of reserved names in collaboration with the .archi gTLD Policy Advisory Committee.
PROHIBITED NAMES
The list of prohibited names under the .archi gTLD includes, in particular:
- Abusive terms;
- Racist terms;
- Obscene terms;
- Terms relating to crime or offenses.
THIRD-LEVEL NAMES
Starting Dot does not intend to allow third-level name registrations under the .archi gTLD.
ILLEGAL USE AND COMPLIANCE
Use of a domain name that is barred or prohibited by law or legal proceeding in any jurisdiction, or is considered to be defamatory will permit Starting Dot to revoke the domain name. Policies to this end will be developed by the registry and published in due time following ICANN’s delegation of the .archi gTLD to Starting Dot.
ENFORCEMENT
The .archi domain name registration policies will contain the following enforcement procedures and processes, in addition to those procedures that have been established in accordance with Consensus Policies such as the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy:
- Verification of entitlement of the registrant at the time of registration of a domain name, and this on a sample basis; and
- Ongoing verification throughout the term of the domain name registration.
In principle, Starting Dot will conduct random quarterly controls on a sample basis of .archi domain name registrants. Starting Dot will verify whether a registrant meets the eligibility requirements and⁄or domain name restrictions on the basis of public information, such as the information displayed on the registrant’s website, as well as other sources, in particular authentication of architect’s membership in one of the UIA’s Member Section or inclusion in a list established by the Policy Advisory Committee in collaboration with the UIA and its Member Sections (for eligible architecture schools, professional press⁄media, museums). When in doubt, the Registry Operator will put the domain name on hold, and contact the registrant and the registrar with the request to provide proof that the registrant is meeting such requirements within a reasonable timeframe.
Furthermore, Starting Dot’s Complaints Point of Contact will handle any complaints in relation to a .archi domain name registration, including where the complainant alleges that a particular registrant does not meet the eligibility requirements or domain name restrictions.
If, following the investigation of a complaint or an ex officio review of the registrant’s compliance with the Registry Operator’s policies, no or insufficient proof is provided by the registrant that all policy requirements have been complied with, Starting Dot shall be entitled to put the domain name on hold or even revoke the domain name. Furthermore, Starting Dot may inform the public that the domain name has been previously used contrary to its registration policies.