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

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.CARSDERCars, LLCdominionenterprises.comView
18.1 Mission and Purpose of .CARS

DERCars, LLC (“DERCars”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Dominion Enterprises (“Dominion”), has filed this application for a .CARS gTLD with the intention of bringing to market a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive namespace for consumers that will contain listings of motor vehicles for sale, as well as a repository of goods and services related to cars.

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 automotive-related businesses that Dominion Enterprises currently owns and operates:

GetAuto® (http:⁄⁄www.getauto.com⁄): GetAuto is a one-stop solution for consumers to locate new and pre-owned vehicles meeting their criteria. Nearly half a million visitors per month search GetAuto’s network of more than 1.2 million listings for cars, trucks, and SUVs from over 10,000 dealers nationwide, as well as auto and finance resources. Unique, exclusive car buyer leads are delivered to GetAuto’s dealer partners in real time.

Interactive Financial Marketing Group (ʺIFMGʺ): Founded by former auto dealers, IFMG pioneered the auto finance lead industry in 1989. IFMG serves dealers under the CarLoan.com brand with validated and scored online finance leads, lead management, and email and call-center services. An online loan application provides consumers access to information and a fast loan process. Since 1989, more than 5 million potential borrowers have used the CarLoan.com system.

Dominion Dealer Solutions: Dominion Dealer Solutions’ technology platform provides lead generation; mobile apps; reputation management solutions; Web-based customer relationship and lead management tools; custom digital marketing tools including websites, SEO, and digital advertising; specialized data aggregation; and inventory management analytics including market reports.

-11,000+ auto dealers use Dominion Dealer Solutions’ products.
-150,000+ auto dealer employees log in to Dominion Dealer Solutions’ products weekly.
-Every major OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) works with Dominion Dealer Solutions’ products.
- Dominion Dealer Solutions’ CRM (Customer Relationship Management) products are certified by 16 OEMs.
- Dominion Dealer Solutions databases contain over 64 million car shoppers.
- Dominion Dealer Solutions tracks and records 40,000 car purchases every week.
- Dominion Dealer Solutions photographs over 50,000 vehicles each week, providing window stickers for those vehicles and inventory management tools to dealers.

More than 60 percent of auto dealers nationwide utilize Dominion Dealer Solutionsʹ technologies including:

-Customer Relationship Management Solutions: Since as early as 1988, DDS businesses have provided premier marketing and sales CRM Solutions to over 1,800 automotive dealers. Since 1999, lead management tools have enabled thousands of dealers nationwide to manage the entire car buying process, from online browsing to the showroom sale to post-sale service. DDS has specialized in multi-channel marketing for dealers since 2001, with over 60 million email messages sent on behalf of more than 700 dealer customers in 2011 alone, including four out of the top five national auto groups.
-Marketing Solutions: DDS has been building powerful dealer websites since 2000, and has been providing dealers with a complete digital marketing solution, including award-winning, SEO-friendly websites and mobile websites, in addition to search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and social media consulting services managed by fully-trained Google AdWords-certified staff.
-Inventory Solutions: An industry leader with more than 20 years experience, DDS’ comprehensive inventory management system combines vehicle data, analytics, and merchandising tools to more than 5,000 dealers nationwide. With over 800 local market specialists nationwide, the DDS team delivers professional and customized services based on dealers’ changing needs to promote vehicles, drive showroom traffic and maximize profits.

For over 20 years, auto dealers, financial institutions and media firms have relied on DDS for the most current, accurate vehicle sales and auto loan statistics to make better inventory decisions, develop effective selling strategies, and find additional financing sources. DDS delivers over 5,000 fully customized vehicle market intelligence reports each month.

One of the first companies to make automotive content available by Web service, DDS has fulfilled unique content and data needs in the automotive industry, including insurance, warranty, and service contract sectors; transportation; federal and state agencies; newspaper and print; as well as the auto dealer marketing sector. DDS has provided hundreds of businesses with VIN decoding solutions, along with cost-effective data integration and support for rapid technology development.

For a comprehensive listing of Dominion’s full automotive service offers (both consumer- and business-oriented) please refer to the following web pages on the Dominion website:

http:⁄⁄www.dominionenterprises.com⁄main⁄do⁄businesses⁄id⁄12⁄category⁄For%20Businesses http:⁄⁄www.dominionenterprises.com⁄main⁄do⁄businesses⁄id⁄5⁄category⁄For%20Consumers

18.1.2 Potential Business Models

DERCars 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, DERCars 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 .CARS gTLD is currently broken into two stages, one has been confirmed and the second is under evaluation and will be implemented after DERCars has evaluated 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 .CARS is one in which generic strings (“sedan,” “coupe,” “convertible,” etc.) and geographic (city⁄state) domain names would initially be reserved and⁄or allocated to one or more Dominion online automotive properties. These domain names would provide a model for a hierarchical and intuitive framework and naming system for consumers to more easily navigate the .CARS 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 .CARS gTLD domain names, and interoperability with various software and Web-based applications.

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

2. Registration by Non-Clients

DERCars is currently evaluating a validation process to allow non-Dominion clients and other domain name registrants to register domain names in the .CARS gTLD. However, the exact timing of this proposed expanded universe of potential .CARS registrants has not been determined, and will not be finalized until appropriate verification mechanisms can be put in place.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.datingPine Fest, LLCdonuts.coView
Q18A CHAR: 7985

ABOUT DONUTS
Donuts Inc. is the parent applicant for this and multiple other TLDs. The company intends to increase competition and consumer choice at the top level. It will operate these carefully selected TLDs safely and securely in a shared resources business model. To achieve its objectives, Donuts has recruited seasoned executive management with proven track records of excellence in the industry. In addition to this business and operational experience, the Donuts team also has contributed broadly to industry policymaking and regulation, successfully launched TLDs, built industry-leading companies from the ground up, and brought innovation, value and choice to the domain name marketplace.

DONUTS’ PLACE WITHIN ICANN’S MISSION
ICANN and the new TLD program share the following purposes:
1. to make sure that the Internet remains as safe, stable and secure as possible, while
2. helping to ensure there is a vibrant competitive marketplace to efficiently bring the benefits of the namespace to registrants and users alike.

ICANN harnesses the power of private enterprise to bring forth these public benefits. While pursuing its interests, Donuts helps ICANN accomplish its objectives by:

1. Significantly widening competition and choice in Internet identities with hundreds of new top-level domain choices;
2. Providing innovative, robust, and easy-to-use new services, names and tools for users, registrants, registrars, and registries while at the same time safeguarding the rights of others;
3. Designing, launching, and securely operating carefully selected TLDs in multiple languages and character sets; and
4. Providing a financially robust corporate umbrella under which its new TLDs will be protected and can thrive.

ABOUT DONUTS’ RESOURCES
Donuts’ financial resources are extensive. The company has raised more than US$100 million from a number of capital sources including multiple multi-billion dollar venture capital and private equity funds, a top-tier bank, and other well-capitalized investors. Should circumstances warrant, Donuts is prepared to raise additional funding from current or new investors. Donuts also has in place pre-funded, Continued Operations Instruments to protect future registrants. These resource commitments mean Donuts has the capability and intent to launch, expand and operate its TLDs in a secure manner, and to properly protect Internet users and rights-holders from potential abuse.

Donuts firmly believes a capable and skilled organization will operate multiple TLDs and benefit Internet users by:

1. Providing the operational and financial stability necessary for TLDs of all sizes, but particularly for those with smaller volume (which are more likely to succeed within a shared resources and shared services model);
2. Competing more powerfully against incumbent gTLDs; and
3. More thoroughly and uniformly executing consumer and rights holder protections.

THIS TLD
This TLD is attractive and useful to end-users as it better facilitates search, self-expression, information sharing and the provision of legitimate goods and services. Along with the other TLDs in the Donuts family, this TLD will provide Internet users with opportunities for online identities and expression that do not currently exist. In doing so, the TLD will introduce significant consumer choice and competition to the Internet namespace – the very purpose of ICANN’s new TLD program.

This TLD is a generic term and its second level names will be attractive to a variety of Internet users. Making this TLD available to a broad audience of registrants is consistent with the competition goals of the New TLD expansion program, and consistent with ICANN’s objective of maximizing Internet participation. Donuts believes in an open Internet and, accordingly, we will encourage inclusiveness in the registration policies for this TLD. In order to avoid harm to legitimate registrants, Donuts will not artificially deny access, on the basis of identity alone (without legal cause), to a TLD that represents a generic form of activity and expression.

DONUTS’ APPROACH TO PROTECTIONS
No entity, or group of entities, has exclusive rights to own or register second level names in this TLD. There are superior ways to minimize the potential abuse of second level names, and in this application Donuts will describe and commit to an extensive array of protections against abuse, including protections against the abuse of trademark rights.

We recognize some applicants seek to address harms by constraining access to the registration of second level names. However, we believe attempts to limit abuse by limiting registrant eligibility is unnecessarily restrictive and harms users by denying access to many legitimate registrants. Restrictions on second level domain eligibility would prevent law-abiding individuals and organizations from participating in a space to which they are legitimately connected, and would inhibit the sort of positive innovation we intend to see in this TLD. As detailed throughout this application, we have struck the correct balance between consumer and business safety, and open access to second level names.

By applying our array of protection mechanisms, Donuts will make this TLD a place for Internet users that is far safer than existing TLDs. Donuts will strive to operate this TLD with fewer incidences of fraud and abuse than occur in incumbent TLDs. In addition, Donuts commits to work toward a downward trend in such incidents.

OUR PROTECTIONS
Donuts has consulted with and evaluated the ideas of international law enforcement, consumer privacy advocacy organizations, intellectual property interests and other Internet industry groups to create a set of protections that far exceed those in existing TLDs, and bring to the Internet namespace nearly two dozen new rights and protection mechanisms to raise user safety and protection to a new level.

These include eight, innovative and forceful mechanisms and resources that far exceed the already powerful protections in the applicant guidebook. These are:

1. Periodic audit of WhoIs data for accuracy;
2. Remediation of inaccurate Whois data, including takedown, if warranted;
3. A new Domain Protected Marks List (DPML) product for trademark protection;
4. A new Claims Plus product for trademark protection;
5. Terms of use that prohibit illegal or abusive activity;
6. Limitations on domain proxy and privacy service;
7. Published policies and procedures that define abusive activity; and
8. Proper resourcing for all of the functions above.

They also include fourteen new measures that were developed specifically by ICANN for the new TLD process. These are:

1. Controls to ensure proper access to domain management functions;
2. 24⁄7⁄365 abuse point of contact at registry;
3. Procedures for handling complaints of illegal or abusive activity, including remediation and takedown processes;
4. Thick WhoIs;
5. Use of the Trademark Clearinghouse;
6. A Sunrise process;
7. A Trademark Claims process;
8. Adherence to the Uniform Rapid Suspension system;
9. Adherence to the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy;
10. Adherence to the Post Delegation Dispute Resolution Policy;
11. Detailed security policies and procedures;
12. Strong security controls for access, threat analysis and audit;
13. Implementation DNSSEC; and
14. Measures for the prevention of orphan glue records.

DONUTS’ INTENTION FOR THIS TLD
As a senior government authority has recently said, “a successful applicant is entrusted with operating a critical piece of global Internet infrastructure.” Donuts’ plan and intent is for this TLD to serve the international community by bringing new users online through opportunities for economic growth, increased productivity, the exchange of ideas and information and greater self-expression.