16 Describe the applicant's efforts to ensure that there are no known operational or rendering problems concerning the applied-for gTLD string

Prototypical answer:

DVAG has carefully examined the applied-for string “VERMÖGENSBERATUNG” and found that deployment of it would not cause adverse operational, rendering, or general user-confusion due to visual similarity with existing TLDs⁄ISO3166 lists⁄ICANN reserved list of names & list of ineligible strings. The latter was a fairly easy task to determine due to the length of the TLD and meaning not conflicting with any reserved⁄ineligible names nor relating to a country⁄regional⁄geographic name.

However, due to implementation methodology and history some IDN issues do exist, are known to DVAG, and DVAG has an established plan for mitigating these:

1. Consistency with IDNA requirements
The first check conducted is that the string itself fulfils all general rules for TLDs and all IDN requirements. The string is a fully valid IDN string per the IDNA protocol; the codepoints are all PVALID, and come from one script (Latin) and one language (German). Please see our response to Question 44 for the IDNA and IDN Guidelines implementation details.
2. Rendering Issues - Display of A-label:
Due to the historic IDN implementation and the resulting early security problems with spoofing and phishing attacks, some browser developers have implemented safety measures that result in the domain being displayed as an A-label in the address bar versus the U-label which the user would enter and expect to see. From an operational perspective, the IDN will resolve and e.g. the webpage for the domain will be displayed for the user, making the IDNs functional as web-addresses, although potentially confusing to users that get a non-standard experience across browsers. DVAG will work with browser developers and provide them all necessary information about the TLD registration policy per our response to question 18 to help alleviate this issue.
3. Length of the TLD:
As the TLD is longer than 3 characters, it is understood that some issues concerning usage of the TLD in online forms will exists. DVAG takes the full responsibility for any such issues and will work towards enabling general global acceptance for TLDs, not just with this TLD but all others as well. DVAG will ensure that all known websites expecting to use the TLD will be communicated with concerning this issue and DVAG will make all its own online forms available to accept all ICANN TLDs per the IANA list. DVAG will work with ICANN in its on-going effort on this subject both for IDN TLDs and ASCII TLDs.
4. Email Functionality:
The protocol for internationalized email is in its last stages of development⁄standardization. Some core components have been standardized such as RFCs 6530, 6531, 6532, and 6533. But not all email software providers have implemented support for IDN TLDs. KSRegistry will work with the technical industry to complete the protocol and provide information to registrars to ensure registrants are provided adequate notifications of this pending development.

Similar gTLD applications: (1)