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

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.siteInterlink Co., Ltd.urbanbrain.comView
The current gTLD domain space is dominated by a handful of gTLDs, and Interlink anticipates that several great alternatives to the current domain space will be approved through the New gTLD Program. Internet users will be given the opportunity to easily register a domain name that better suits their needs. Through educational marketing more and more users will become aware of these alternatives. Interlink believes that .SITE is a viable alternative to other generic word gTLDs currently in existence today as well as those that will be applied for in this round of New gTLD applications.

Interlink has been an active member of the ICANN community for over 6 years and has gained a deep appreciation for the transparency of the multi-stakeholder model. With the delegation of .SiTE, Interlink commits to fully comply with ICANNʹs requirement to cooperate with economic studies regarding the launch of New gTLDs. We believe that providing such data is key to enhancing the DNS and ensuring the success of future TLD implementations.

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

A TLD registry must establish consumer confidence and build trust among users. To do so, the registry must have adequate understanding of technical requirements, policy implications on business, and the needs of the registrar communities as well as the end users. Interlink believes that .SiTE’s reputation will be largely driven by the registrants (communities, individuals, businesses, organizations, and government bodies). Legitimate registrations with legitimate content will play a vital role in the sustainability of the TLD. Interlink plans to implement policies that will allow it to effectively manage a safe, secure namespace for registrants and Internet users.

Interlink has teamed up with Neustar, a world-class registry services provider and Iron Mountain, the industryʹs most trusted Registry Data Escrow provider to ensure that service levels meet or exceed SLA requirements. By teaming up with the best in the business, Interlink can focus on recruiting and working with the industryʹs top registrars to offer first rate services to end users.


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

Currently there are 22 gTLDs in use on the Internet today. However, most novice Internet users are only accustomed to seeing, .com, .net, and .org. .biz and .info on the right-most side of domain names. gTLDs that have been introduced since ICANN’s inception have been able to build up a steady number of registration volumes. Some have drastically reduced pricing to do so, and therefore have an abundance of non-useful names, parking web pages, spam sites, and phishing sites. According to a report compiled by McAfee, Mapping the Mal Web in 2010, Internet criminals choose to register domain names in a TLD based on the prices, regulations, and the ease of registration. This makes generic top-level domains and non-regulated, inexpensive ccTLDs prime targets for cyber criminals. (The full report can be located at the following URL: http:⁄⁄www.mcafee.com⁄cf⁄about⁄news⁄2010⁄q4⁄20101026-02.aspx)

Interlink envisions .SiTE not as a competitor to the TLDs mentioned above, but as a new platform that will allow users so build on online presence that meets their needs. An increase in the number of gTLDs increases the number of alternatives available to consumers and Interlink believes that this is key for increasing competition, reducing prices and growing the overall domain name industry.

Interlink plans to focus a substantial amount of effort in communicating the availability of .SITE in developing countries. These countries have experienced tremendous economic growth in the past decade as well as rapid growth in communications and Internet infrastructure. This has increased the Internet penetration rate substantially. For example, according to InternetWorldStats.com, the population of Indian Internet users grew from 5 million in the year 2000 to 121 million in 2011. Likewise, Internet users in China increased from 22.5 million in year 2000 to 513.1 million in year 2011. A majority these new users were not able to participate in the launch of any true generic TLDs. SiTE expects to be able serve these users needs by creating and launching the .SiTE space.

.SiTE is a perfect fit among todays top TLDs and is a viable alternative to current generic TLDs. .SiTE has meaning to the entire online population, and Interlink believes that it will be a natural selection for new domain holders as they venture out to secure an online identity. Additionally, SiTE will be a popular choice among many consumers looking to secure names that more closely match what they stand for.


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

Interlink believes that creating a high quality namespace is about attracting legitimate registrations, and reducing speculative registrations. Successfully achieving both will allow for a better user experience because when consumers navigate to a page under a .SiTE domain name they can have the assurance that the content will be useful.

In order to encourage implementation of the new gTLD, competition among registrars, and broad sales channels for the TLD, there will be no restrictions on which ICANN accredited registrars may connect to the SRS for the provision of .SiTE domain names. All ICANN accredited registrars will have the ability to test their connectivity with the systems and sign an agreement with the Registry after passing operational and testing phases.

Interlink will use a proven system with industry-standard connect-ability, we can ensure that all current ICANN accredited registrars have immediate access to the SRS to upon execution of the Registry-Registrar agreement and testing. In many cases, the SRS has already been connected to and integrated into the systems of many of the industryʹs top ICANN Accredited Registrars, which will allow for rapid implementation and immediate sales channels.

Interlink has carefully considered various factors that will likely play a role in creating a successfully TLD and a great user experience for users of .SiTE. Among the factors analyzed were;

 • defining its market
 • marketing techniques used in today’s TLDs;
 • analysis of how various price points impact the number, quality, and type of registrations and associated content.

Interlink has worked closely with its backend provider, Neustar to come up with a viable plan to launch a successful registry that user benefits. These factors were taken into account and have been implemented in Interlink’s business approach as described in Questions 45-50.

As described above in relation to point II, a registry’s choice of policies and price points at which to sell domain names has an impact on the safety for other Internet users. Generic, TLDs and non-regulated, inexpensive ccTLDs are targets for cybercriminals. Interlink will implement a Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which is further described in response to Question 28. The strict enforcement of this policy will allow for a cleaner namespace compared with existing gTLDs.

Interlink will use a proven system with industry-standard connect-ability, and can ensure that all current ICANN accredited registrars have immediate access to the registry system upon execution of the Registry-Registrar agreement and passing all requisite operational testing. The utilization of a proven registry system, which already maintains over 300 registrar connections globally will positively affect the integration pace of .SiTE among registrars who wish to sell the TLD, thereby rapidly growing sales channels.


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

Maintaining a safe, stable and reliable environment for registrars and registrants is central to Interlinkʹs mission for the .SiTE top-level domain. Interlink proposes that .SiTE shall be an open, unrestricted top-level domain for all consumers. The objective of the registry is to achieve seamless implementation by participating ICANN accredited registrars in order to easily allow legitimate registrations by all consumers.

Interlink has developed the following policies to facilitate in reaching our goals:

 1. SiTE Domain Name Eligibility Requirements
 2. Acceptable Use Policy
 3. Reserved Names
 4. Founders Program
 5. Sunrise Launch Policies
 6. Landrush Launch Policies
 7. ICANN Consensus Policies and Proposed Rights Protection Mechanisms


1. SiTE Domain Name Eligibility Requirements

SiTE Domain Name Eligibility Requirements defines who or what entities can register a domain name, the types of names that maybe registered, as well as the technical criteria for allowable labels within the .SiTE top-level domain. A brief description of each criterion is briefly outlined below:

1a Registrant Restrictions

No restrictions on who or what entities can register a domain name. All registrants will be required to apply for registration, renewal and transfer of domain names through ICANN accredited registrars which have signed an agreement with the registry operator, Interlink Co., Ltd. Furthermore, Interlink will make an list of registrars available on its website.

1b Domain Name Restrictions

A domain names that will be accepted as valid for registration is a domain name that;

 • has not been blocked or reserved by the registry (see Reserved Names policy below)
 • meets the technical requirements (defined below)
 • has not already been registered (registrants will be encouraged to use the WHOIS database
  provided by the registry to ensure the availability of a domain)

Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) registrations will be permitted in the .SiTE TLD. Interlink believes that IDNs provide a means of creating a more global namespace. Interlink’s philosophy regarding the implementation of IDNs is to take a very cautious approach to ensure that conflicts with naming do not occur. Additional information regarding Interlink’s IDN implementation can be found in response to Question 44.


Technical Requirements

 • Labels containing letters ʺaʺ to ʺzʺ or ʺAʺ to ʺZʺ in standard US ASCII character set, the digits ʺ0ʺ to ʺ9ʺ
  and the hyphen (ʺ-ʺ); (the registry plans to initially reserve all one and two letter domain names as briefly
  described below under ʺ2. Reserved Namesʺ below. The release of one and two character strings will be
  implemented at the registryʹs discretion.)
 • Labels may contain a maximum of 63 characters. (This does not include the ʺ.SiTEʺ suffix)
 • Labels may not begin or end with a hyphen (ʺ-ʺ) and may not include a hyphen (ʺ-ʺ) in the third and fourth positions
  unless they represent valid internationalized domain names in their ASCII encoding).

2. Acceptable Use Policy

The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is one of central policies of the SiTE registry and will be implemented to ensure that the registry maintains the rights to protect the integrity of its registry and achieve its goal of maintaining a safe and stable operation. The policy further describes the process for applying for and registering, renewing, and transferring a .SiTE domain name as well as any restrictions, and how Interlink, the registry can enforce its policies. Additional details can be found in response to Question 28.

3. Reserved Names

This Reserved Names Policy satisfies ICANN contractual requirements and protects the interests of governmental organizations. Certain names on the Reserved Names List will also be utilized for the general promotion of the registry.

Interlink will reserve all names according to Specification 5 of the New gTLD Registry agreement as described below. Additionally, Interlink will, at it’s own discretion, reserve other names it sees fit.

The term ʺexampleʺ will be reserved at the second level. No other levels will be available for registration.

b. Two-Character Labels:

All two-character labels will be initially reserved, however may be released in the event that the registry reaches an agreement with the relevant government or country code manager or so long as the implementation of the two-character labels does not cause confusion with existing country codes.

c. Tagged Domain Names:

These are names with hyphens in the third and fourth position that do not represent valid IDN (Internationalized Domain Names) in ASCII encoding.

d. Second-Level Reservations for Registry Operations:

The following names will be reserved or registry operations: NIC, WWW, IRIS, and WHOIS.

e. Country and Territory Names:

All country and territory names indicated in Specification 5 of the New gTLD Agreement will be initially reserved. A process for the release of these names as well as names listed above in ʺb. Two Character Labelsʺ is further described in Question 22.

4. Founders Program

The SiTE registry may elect to introduce an early domain adoption program, or founders program. The SiTE founders program is an initiative recruit Internet users who are enthusiastic about .SiTE to come forward with their idea and plan to launch a name or names that will help relay the message about .SiTE to worldwide audiences.

It is anticipated that communications regarding this program will be launched as soon as the Registry Agreement with ICANN is signed. The registry will publish a proposal format and evaluate applications against predetermined criteria. Approved applicants will be required to agree to some basic terms and conditions and have their name launched before the official pubic launch of the registry.

Specific timelines and criteria are currently under development and depend on the progress of this application for the .SiTE TLD.

5. Sunrise Launch Policies

The sunrise period is a pre-launch mechanism that will allow Trademark holders to the first right to register their trademarks as .SiTE domain names. The overall purpose of the .SiTE sunrise launch is to ensure that trademark holders have the ability to secure domain names in a straightforward manner as well as ensure that their brand names are not victimized by cybersquatting. The sunrise period will run for at least a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 60 days in total. Eligible participants in the sunrise phase will be constrained to those entities that a valid mark registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse.

In processing Sunrise applications, Interlink will collect all the applications submitted through ICANN accredited registrars throughout the duration of the sunrise period. All applications will be considered as having been received at the same time. The registry will verify that each application matches the data in the Trademark Clearinghouse. Duplicate applications having met the criteria specified by the registry will auctioned off at a later date. Interlink will fully publish details and policy related information regarding the auction on its website well in advance of the launch.

To ensure the protection of trademark holders, Interlink will implement the trademark claims services for the life of the registry. As of the submission date of this application, the Trademark Clearinghouse is still in the early stages of development and the actual protocol for connecting to the clearinghouse is not yet known. Further details regarding the sunrise launch can be found in answer to question 29.

6. Landrush Launch Policies

The registry will offer a landrush period in which any interested party will be permitted to submit one or more applications to purchase high value domains at reasonable costs. Only domain names that have not been reserved, restricted, or registered will be available during this launch period. Applications in the landrush period will be accepted throughout the period and will be considered as accepted at the same time. At the end of the landrush period domain names for applications that do not have any competing applications will be approved and the domain name will be allocated to the registrant.

Applications for domain names having one or more competing applications will be auctioned at prescribed date and time.

7. ICANN Consensus Policies and Proposed Rights Protection Mechanisms

Interlink is aware of, and understands, all current ICANN consensus policies listed at http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄en⁄general⁄consensus-policies.htm. As the registry operator for .SiTE, Interlink will ensure continuing compliance with all existing and future consensus policies.

Interlink believes that SiTE will grow to be an important public resource and has committed to ensuring that all rights holders have adequate protections for their intellectual property assets. The SiTE registry will implement the fall mandated rights protection mechanisms as described in Part C below.


v. Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.

Interlink takes the privacy of its users very seriously and will not market information obtained from registrars pertaining to registrants in any way. All data obtained with regards to a registration of a domain name will only be used for the purposes of running the .SiTE Registry. No personal data will be shared with unrelated third parties and such data will only be accessed in cases where the registry needs it to be necessary for the operation of .SiTE.

All registrant data as required by the WHOIS policy and ICANN standards will be publicly available where the registrant does not use privacy registration services at their registrar of choice. Registrars will be responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the payment information used in conjunction with a domain name registration. A detailed discussion of the WHOIS database can be found in response to Question 26.

Interlink will notify each ICANN-accredited registrar of their requirement to adhere to specific consensus policies. Additionally Interlink is aware of the current work being done to analyze the current WHOIS model as well as the movement to improve it. Along with ourselves, our partners are involved deeply in the ICANN community and we commit to implementing any and all new procedures as approved by ICANN.


vi. Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.

Interlink believes that an effective and wide-spread marketing plan coupled with an effective distribution network will play a vital role in building consumer confidence in .SiTE. The registry plans to launch the TLD on a global scale with an emphasis on the growth of Internet, the ability to register a memorable name under a new domain space.

Interlink will use a unified strategy for creating a strong brand, consumer awareness, sales, and use of the TLD by influential companies and people. The actual timing of the marketing and communications campaign may prove challenging due to several anticipated issues with timelines in the New gTLD evaluation process, however, Interlink has set aside sufficient marketing funds and will use appropriate judgment on when to implement and subsequently ramp up marketing communication and outreach programs.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.kyotoAcademic Institution: Kyoto Jyoho Gakuenkcg.ac.jpView
The ʺ.kyotoʺ top-level domain will play a vital role in expanding online communities in Kyoto as well as promoting the Kyoto brand. One of the overall goals is to ensure that the ʺ.kyotoʺ top-level domain becomes a trusted, secure, and stable operation that benefits communities, individuals, businesses, organizations, and government bodies in Kyoto as well as global Internet users who provide information⁄services about Kyoto by allowing them to own and operate memorable domain names.

The operation of the “.kyoto” TLD enables the creation of a “virtual Kyoto” in which global Internet users can utilize in order to discover more about Kyoto in an intuitive way. KCGI expects that the TLD will create more interest in Kyoto from global users and stimulate the desire for users to visit the “real Kyoto” for themselves. KCGI is confident that “virtual Kyoto” will bring tremendous benefits to the local economy of Kyoto. KCGI will continue to conduct research in collaboration with other academic institutions in Kyoto and Osaka as well as other cities to better develop online services for geographic communities.

Names under the “.kyoto” top-level will become the standard for finding local, relevant content. As local search and location-based services become more and more prevalent “.kyoto” will help usher in a new era of user behavior on the web in terms of finding goods, services, and relevant content.

In order to accomplish the goals of maintaining a strong platform for building strong branding opportunities, KCGI will implement policies that ensure names are used appropriately. KCGI believes that purely speculative registrations must be minimized in order to create a highly useful geographic top-level domain. Thus, KCGI proposes that a nexus requirement for registrants is a key ingredient to its success in maintaining the reputation and quality of the Kyoto’s top-level domain due to the correlation of policy enforcement and malicious domains as described in the first section above.

By running the registry with a “community-first” philosophy, KCGI can ensure the “.kyoto” TLD evolves into a platform for the future. As more and more governments move toward providing online services for citizens, the Kyoto government will have access to a new and intuitive platform for providing unrivaled online services for its citizens. Citizens will be able to leverage the platform to find local information more easily. Tourists and visitors to Kyoto will have the luxury of having the entire virtual world of Kyoto at their fingertips.


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

In planning for the “.kyoto” top-level domain, KCGI proposes that it is important to build a roadmap and ensure that key names are allocated to users with the highest likelihood to produce legitimate content and maintain ongoing operations of those names in a consistent matter. KCGI will map out a well-organized namespace in order to create a logical structure that breeds trust for users.

In order to build trust among its users KCGI will promote the use of the name among established organizations in Kyoto. Kyoto has a rich history in technology, innovation and longevity, and “.kyoto” offers an opportunity for over 28,000 registered businesses in the area to revitalize their online presence and drive competition.

Further along the lines of establishing a reputable TLD, KCGI believes that it is important to build a web full of useful names. It is not uncommon for generic or “open” TLDs to contain a lot of so-called “junk sites.” Relatively low price points and lack of clear rules creates a favorable atmosphere for cyber criminals, squatters, and speculators. “.kyoto” will implement policies that allow it to specialize in being a utility for its citizens, and other global users who have a tie to Kyoto.

In order to accomplish its goals of exceeding ICANN service level requirements and providing users with a reliable namespace, KCGI has selected a world-class service provider. Together with enforced registration eligibility requirements and secure operations, “.kyoto” will earn a reputation as a leading geographic TLD and first-rate domain name registry.


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

The aim of “.kyoto” is to ensure that the TLD is a community-driven online space that benefits Internet users. KCGI’s philosophy is to produce quality over quantity. KCGI anticipates that its approach will be different from the current geographic naming scheme in the .jp zone and other proposed geographic TLDs in Japan.

The current geographic naming scheme in the .JP zone is overly complex; consisting of four distinct labels. For example, individual users can currently register a name such as ʺUSER.fushimi.kyoto.jpʺ. The manager of the JP zone, Japan Registry Services had worked to remedy this problem and is currently planning to launch third-level geographic names as part of it’s offering under the .JP zone. Thus, registrants will be able to own names such as ʺUSER.kyoto.jpʺ. It is anticipated that these names will be introduced to the public in the first quarter of 2012.

While this new program may be good for smaller cities and⁄or prefectures, these names are less intuitive for the average Internet user when compared to a dedicated TLD. A name directly under the “.kyoto” top-level is intuitive, easy to remember, and will surely become the default name for users seeking information related to Kyoto. A TLD for Kyoto will allow registrants to connect with targeted audiences as well as be part of a new movement to grow online communities.

KCGI will make a reasonable effort to work with the .jp ccTLD manager to ensure that minimal consumer confusion occurs with the introduction of “.kyoto”.


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

The registry’s philosophy of structuring the namespace with quality over quantity will help ensure that junk sites and speculative registrations are minimized. KCGI’s plan to build and promote the “.kyoto” namespace will allow users to intuitively locate relevant information specific to the Kyoto area. Registrants of “.kyoto” will be the conduits to innovation in the “.kyoto” online space by designing and building out intuitive domain names.

It is the goal of the registry to have a strong set of base registrations already registered in the zone and fully operational with useful content before the public launch of the TLD. These base registrations will be intricately planned with the assistance of government planning authorities, as well as part of the pre-launch phases (Sunrise, and Founders Program). Having a base of active registrations ensure that users of “.kyoto” are greeted with instant access to the relevant local information.

KCGI will seek to achieve convergence with other geographic TLDs in Japan to ensure user confusion is minimized. This will enable Japan to have a strong network of geographic TLDs that work in tandem for the benefit of the public.


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

Registration policies are a very important step in building up to a successful launch. Construction of policies requires careful planning that will ultimately assist the registry in accomplishing its goals without alienating the Internet user population. KCGI’s technology provider, Neustar, has extensive experience with launching TLDs, and is the only registry operator to have launched a number of TLDs with diverse Rights Protection Mechanisms. Furthermore KCGI and its consulting partner, UrbanBrain Company, have extensively studied the registration policies and launch process for several TLDs and have observed some of the benefits and drawbacks of certain methods.

The primary objective of the launch policies, and inclusion of a Nexus Requirement, is to maximize the user experience and utility for local and global Internet users while minimizing the costs to trademark rights holders. The registry will implement the following registration policies for “.kyoto”:

 1. Kyoto Domain Name Eligibility Requirements
 2. Acceptable Use Policy
 3. Reserved Names
 4. Founders Program
 5. Sunrise Period
 6. Landrush Period
 7. ICANN Consensus Policies and Rights Protection Mechanisms


1. Kyoto Domain Name Eligibility Requirements

The Kyoto Domain Eligibility Requirements policy defines who or what entities can register a domain name, the types of names that may be registered, as well as the technical requirements for allowable labels in the “.kyoto” top-level domain.

1a Eligible Registrants

All registrants will be required to abide by a Nexus Requirement. The Nexus Requirement will require registrants to be in compliance with the registration agreement and Nexus Requirement at all times. The Registry will conduct scans of registration request information from time to time in order to ensure compliance with the registration requirements. Any failure of a registration request to satisfy the Nexus Requirement will result in the name being placed on a hold for an initial period of 30 days. The sponsoring registrar will be notified of such a hold and be given the opportunity to correct any information. If the registrant does not comply during the hold time frame, the domain name may be subject to deletion.

Eligible registrants include, but are not limited to:

 a. Kyoto municipalities and local governments
 b. Public and private institutions in Kyoto
 c. Organizations, companies, and other businesses in Kyoto
 d. Residents of Kyoto
 e. Others who have a legitimate purpose for registering and using a “.kyoto” domain

1b Eligible Domain Names

An acceptable domain name that is valid for registration is one that:

 • has not already been registered
 • has not been blocked or reserved
 • meets the technical requirements
 • does not construe an abusive or obscene meaning in Japanese
 • does not construe an abusive or obscene meaning in English or other languages

2b. Technical Requirements

The standard technical requirements of the domain name described below:

Names in the “.kyoto” TLD will be registered at the second level in the following format:

 • Labels containing the letters a - z in the standard US ASCII character set. Domain names may include the numbers 0 (zero) through 9 (nine) as well as a hyphen. (-).
 • The string my not begin with a hyphen (-)
 • The string my not contain a hyphen in both the third and forth positions unless it is a valid Internationalized Domain Name (in their ASCII encoding)
 • The string may be a maximum of 63 characters in length


2. Acceptable Use Policy

The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is one of central policies of the “.kyoto” registry and will be implemented to ensure that the registry maintains the rights to protect the integrity of its registry and achieve its goal of maintaining a safe and stable operation. The policy further describes the process for applying for and registering, renewing, and transferring a domain name in the “.kyoto” zone as well as any restrictions, and how the registry can enforce its policies.

The AUP will be incorporated into the Registry-Registrar Agreement and give the registry the right to take any appropriate actions needed to remedy a particular type of abuse. All ICANN accredited registrars which enter into an agreement with the registry will be required to pass through the Acceptable Use Policy to its Resellers (if applicable) and finally, to all registrants.


3. Reserved names

The registry will reserve names as required by the new gTLD Registry Agreement. These names will include:

 • The label ʺEXAMPLEʺ as required by ICANN
 • All two character labels will be initially reserved. Provisions for the release of these names is further described in relation to question 22: Protection of Geographic Names.
 • Tagged domain names (labels with a hyphen (ʺ-ʺ) in the third or fourth positions will only be allowed if they represent a valid internationalized domain name (IDN) in their ASCII encoding.
 • Second level names for registry operations, defined by ICANN as: NIC, WWW, IRIS, and WHOIS.
 • Country and territory names listed the following internationally recognized lists will be initially reserved:
   1. the ISO 3166-1 list including the short form and long form English versions,
   2. United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names,
    Part III Names of Countries of the World
   3. The list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the
    United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names

The registry plans to create a list of reserved names based on its work with the community and local governments to ensure that names that serve the public interest are allocated in the most efficient and beneficial way.


4. Founders Program

KCGI is dedicated to the long-term expansion and development of the “.kyoto” top-level domain. The Kyoto Founders Program will be developed in order to encourage usage of the TLD and ensure that a wide range of websites and online services are fully operational before the public launch of the TLD.

KCGI is currently in the process of selecting names (singular names and groups of names) to be part of the Kyoto Name Allocation Program. The registry will not select trademarked terms as part of this launch and will work closely with the relevant government authorities in Kyoto to produce a list of names that will maximize public utility. The purpose of allocating pre-selected names or groups of names will help Kyoto maintain high standards on a large number of key domain names though the use of special policy provisions for the selected names.

Having a coherent structure for “.kyoto” is key to achieving is mission of serving the Kyoto community. Once the names have been selected, they will be posted on the registry’s website with information on how an organization can apply to manage these names. This portion of the policy is under careful construction and a draft policy and agreement will be posted in advance of the application period for this portion of the founders program. All terms will be inline with the ICANN New gTLD Registry Agreement.


5. Sunrise Period

KCGI is committed to implement methods of rights protection in accordance with Specification 7 of the ICANN gTLD Agreement. As part of complying with this criteria, KCGI will offer a Sunrise period for a minimum of 30 days to allow trademark holders the opportunity to secure trademarked names under the “.kyoto” TLD before the public launch. KCGI will employ the Trademark clearinghouse for this phase and will utilize the Trademark Notification Service for the life of the registry (A full description of the registry’s compliance with specification 7 can be found in response to question 29.)

KCGI anticipates that eligible participants in the sunrise phase will be constrained to the following levels:

 1. Trademark holders with a principle place of business in Kyoto
 2. Trademark holders with a principle place of business in Japan
 3. Trademark holders worldwide

At the time of application submission during the sunrise phase, requested domains are checked against registrations in the ICANN-mandated Trademark Clearing House (TMCH).

* As of the submission date of this application the Trademark Clearinghouse is still in the early stages of development and the protocol is not yet known.

6. Landrush Period

KCGI will offer a landrush period in which any interested party will be permitted to submit one or more applications to purchase high value domains at reasonable costs. Only domain names that have not been reserved, restricted, registered and follow all registration rules and policies will be available during this launch period. Applications in the landrush period will be accepted throughout the period and will be considered as accepted at the same time.

At the end of the landrush period domain names for applications that do not have any competing applications will be approved and the domain name will be allocated to the registrant.
Applications for domain names having one or more competing applications will be auctioned at prescribed date and time.


7. ICANN Consensus Policies and Proposed Rights Protection Mechanisms

KCGI understands that “.kyoto” will be an important public resource for the Kyoto community and has committed to ensuring that all rights holders have adequate protections for their intellectual property assets. KCGI will implement the following RPMs in its TLD:

 • Trademark Clearinghouse
 • Sunrise and Trademark Claims Process
 • Implementation of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
 • Implementation of the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) mechanism

Additionally, KCGI is aware of, and understands, all current ICANN consensus policies listed at http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄en⁄general⁄consensus-policies.htm. As the registry operator for “.kyoto”, KCGI will ensure continuing compliance with all existing and future consensus policies.


v. Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.
All registrant data as required by the WHOIS policy and ICANN standards will be publicly available where the registrant does not use privacy registration services at their registrar of choice. Registrars will be responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the payment information used in conjunction with a domain name registration.

The Registry operator will notify each ICANN-accredited registrar of their requirement to adhere to specific consensus policies. Additionally KCGI is aware of the current work being done to analyze the current WHOIS model as well as the movement to improve it. KCGI’s partners are involved deeply in the ICANN community and KCGI commits to implementing any and all new procedures as approved by ICANN.


vi. Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.

KCGI believes that communications and community outreach will play a role in the ability of “.kyoto” to reach its projected benefits. KCGI will promote a strategy for creating a strong brand, consumer awareness, sales, and use of the TLD by influential companies and people. The communications and outreach strategy is still under development, however KCGI plans to base its strategy on creating stronger awareness of domain names, working with local registrars to market “.kyoto” and build a strong user base of companies, organizations and influential people before the public launch.