gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.SHOP	GMO Registry, Inc.	gmoregistry.com	View

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

Specialty
.SHOP is a domain for business entities or organizations that deploy commercial activities in an online or offline environment. The goal of .SHOP in this respect is to build a quality, meaningful, safe and secure domain name space that can be trusted to complement the inherent advantages of .SHOP: that it is direct, simple, and intuitive. The Applicant strives to achieve the following characterizations by each of the following groups of .SHOP stakeholders:

SHOP registrants: a namespace where registrants can effectively and efficiently provide information on goods and services offered.

Internet users: a name space where Internet users can access and interact with their target business entities or organizations in a safe and productive way, obtaining access to genuine content, products and services. The .SHOP TLD is able to contribute to reducing the sale of counterfeit and pirated goods, as registrants will be identified and remain identifiable throughout the term during which the domain name is registered in the .SHOP TLD;

For others: a TLD that contributes to growth in the industry, and hence the economy.

Service Levels
Aims for the service levels of .SHOP are:

1. Registry Operation
The Applicant aims to operate the TLD in a secure and stable manner, adopting industry best practices where applicable. The Applicant’s operational goals are to have DNS load dispersion that is resistant to DDoS attacks, industry-leading level of Whois information change and DNS record change reflection time, substantial registrar support, and abuse window operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Applicant will also implement proven security measures at every level of the registry business and technical operation to provide maximum protection for its stakeholders. This includes stringent security policies and procedures, as well as comprehensive abuse handling mechanisms to mitigate security threats to the TLD. In addition, the Applicant will strive to provide an outstanding level of technical and operational support to the registrars.

2. High Quality Content
In order to maintain high quality content and provide a safe .SHOP namespace for Internet users, the Applicant will develop a set of abusive use policies and takedown processes to prevent and respond to abuse in an efficient manner. In addition, the Applicant will publish an information page on its website describing recommended ways to use the TLD. The information page will include best practices for web contents and a list of prohibited activities under the TLD. The Applicant believes that the information page will help registrants understand the purpose of the TLD, preserve the characteristics of the TLD and help mitigate abusive activities.

Reputation
The aims for the reputations of .SHOP are:
1. to become well recognized as a TLD for commercial activities;
2. to become a namespace that Internet users appreciate for its quality, meaningfulness, pleasure, safety, stability, and truthfulness; and
3. to provide various benefits to the target community and become regarded as a contributing factor to the expansion thereof..


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

The Applicant believes that .SHOP will promote competition, differentiation, and innovation for domain name registrants, Internet users, and business, considering that the .SHOP TLD is an Internet extension exclusively reserved for business entities or organizations that deploy commercial activities or provide information in relation thereto over the Internet.

However there is no TLD that is exclusively for them among the 22 gTLDs and sTLDs available for public registration. As a result, owners of related businesses are required to select domain names from the currently-available TLDs that are not necessary related to their business.

Unlike currently existing or new TLDs with broad interpretations, the Applicant believes that the specificity of .SHOP will be welcomed by business entities or organizations. Since .SHOP also provides compelling marketing and branding value, the Applicant anticipates that a significant number of business entities or organizations who are currently operating under domain names registered in existing TLDs will switch to using a .SHOP domain name as their primary online identity. The Applicant also anticipates new businesses will select .SHOP, given that it is the only TLD that exactly represents the nature and identity of their businesses. New businesses will also be attracted by the advantages that .SHOP offers them as stated in part (a) of this question. The Applicant expects to infuse positive competition and differentiation in the current space.

Furthermore, .SHOP will be an additional choice for registrars to provide to customers. However, registrars will not select TLDs that do not bring benefits in various ways to both Internet users and their businesses. In order to meet these demands, registries need to make an effort to provide quality services, business operations, system operations, pricing, customer support, and so on. It is expected that this will also promote competition and differentiation in the current space.

Competition and differentiation in turn will spur innovation. In the case of .SHOP, the Applicant intends to discuss ideas with registrars and introduce tools, products, and services that are effective or necessary in achieving goals and roles set forth for .SHOP. The Applicant believes that these efforts will promote innovation and lead to a better name space.

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

The Applicant will endeavor to achieve the goals listed in (b).i. in this section as well as to build a namespace that Internet users are satisfied with for its meaningfulness, safety and effectiveness.

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

In order to achieve the goals stated above, the plans for .SHOP domain name registration policies are as follows. All .SHOP TLD registrars are required to include policies and restrictions including but not limited to the following in their registration agreement with their customers to which registrants must agree and comply.

1. Registrant Eligibility Requirements
The Applicant intends to put in place the following eligibility requirements for registrants in .SHOP:
In order to qualify for registering a domain name in the .SHOP TLD, the registrant must be a business entity or organization that deploys commercial activities in an online or offline environment, i.e. offering for sale and selling products or services on a more than occasional basis, or provide information in relation thereto over the Internet.
.SHOP domain name registrations will also be made available to business entities or organizations that currently do not deploy commercial activities, but that have expressed intention to engage in the activities within one year following the registration of a .SHOP domain name.

Proof of Corporation⁄Company Establishment
All .SHOP domain name registrants will be required to prove that the business entities or organizations are legally established by providing the following information at the time of domain name registration:
- Country name where the business entity or organization is established
- Business entity or organization identification number type (Business ID, Tax ID, VAT, etc.)
- Business entity or organization identification number
Furthermore, registrants that are not currently engaged but have expressed intention to deploy commercial activities in an online environment may be required to submit additional information to prove their intent, anytime during the course of the registration term and as deemed necessary by the registry.

2. Restrictions on Domain Name Strings
Registrants will be entitled to register domain names that are identical or similar to their current or future trademark, business name, trade name, business identifier, name of business entity or organization, names under which they are commonly known, slogans, acronyms, etc., including combinations thereof, in the .SHOP gTLD.

3. Usage Restrictions
The purpose of the domain name usage will be restricted as follows:
a. Registered .SHOP domain names must be used for commercial activities in an online or offline environment, or to provide information in relation thereto over the internet; or
b. Registered .SHOP domain names must be intended to be used primarily for commercial activities in an online or offline environment, or to provide information in relation thereto over the internet.

Registration of a .SHOP domain name solely for the purpose of selling, exchanging, trading, leasing the domain name shall be deemed as inappropriate use or intent.

4. Random Checks
The Applicant will conduct random checks to determine compliance with registrant eligibility, name selection, and usage restrictions (hereafter ʺeligibility requirementsʺ) using sampling methodologies. In case the Applicant determines a sampled domain is in violation of the eligibility requirements, the domain name may be deleted or placed on lock, hold, or similar status.

5. Draft Abusive Use Policy
The Applicant defines abuse as any activity that may harm the stability and security of the DNS and Internet, including, but not limited to:

- Illegal or fraudulent activities;
- Phishing;
- Pharming;
- Using or distributing malicious software (malware);
- Sending unsolicited bulk messages (spam);
- Posting, trading, or exchanging information that harms minors;
- Posting, trading, or exchanging child pornography;
- Posting information that encourages illegal acts, crimes, murders, or suicides; and
- Posting information that is offensive to public order or morals.

The Applicant reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name on lock, hold or similar status, at its sole discretion, to enforce the policy.

In addition, the Applicant intends to set up an abuse support window (abuse report form and abuse support window) for .SHOP operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to be able to provide prompt responses to abuse activities.

In case an abuse use is reported, the Applicant will promptly take appropriate measures in accordance with the suspension flow provided separately (Please refer to Question 28).

6. Accuracy of Registration Information and Restriction of Whois Proxy
In order for Internet users to use the .SHOP name space with confidence, it is important that registration data associated with domain names is appropriate and accurate, and that there are not any fraudulent registrations and uses. The Applicant believes that it is important for .SHOP registrants to be identifiable, provide bona fide information, and not use their domain names in bad faith. Therefore, .SHOP registrants are obliged to provide and maintain correct, complete, and up-to-date registration information (Whois information). In addition, no Whois protection service of any kind will be permitted.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in the domain name registration being denied, cancelled, or transferred; the Applicant shall also be entitled, in such cases, to delete any such domain names, or place them on lock, hold, or similar status.

7. ICANN Policies
The Applicant will adopt and comply with the Uniform Rapid Suspension System, Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, and all other ICANN Consensus policies, regulations, and rules (the “ICANN policies”). In any case, all .SHOP domain name registration policies will apply, but nonetheless be subject to these ICANN policies.

8. Website Best Practices Information Page
In order to help .SHOP domain name registrants understand the purpose of the TLD, clearly publicize usage restrictions of the TLD, and encourage registrants to use .SHOP domain names in an appropriate manner, the Applicant will publish an information page on its website describing recommended ways to use .SHOP domain names. The information page is for information purposes only and will include best practices for web contents and a list of prohibited activities under the TLD.

All .SHOP registrars will be required to place the link to the information page on their website or include it in domain name registration⁄renewal confirmation emails sent to the registrants.

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.

.SHOP will comply with the applicable laws of Japan, as well as applicable ICANN policies. As part of its responsibility as the registry operator of the .SHOP TLD, the Applicant will exercise due care to protect all information it receives from registrants or users through registrars, and will not disclose such information to any third party, with the exception of public Whois data.

As stated earlier, the Applicant believes that it is important that .SHOP registrants are identifiable in order to ensure registrants provide bona fide information, services, and products responsibly and do not use their domain names in bad faith. Also, the Applicant believes that Internet users gain a sense of safety and security when they have a means to access the registration information. As a consequence, as previously stated, no Whois proxy service of any kind will be allowed.

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

1. Communication with Registrars
In order to achieve the projected benefits, .SHOP must gain substantial mindshare among Internet users. The Applicant believes that the primary method of increasing recognition and registration numbers in the TLD is to gain strong support from .SHOP registrars. For that reason, the Applicant intends to:
- Maintain regular communication with registrars;
- Attend ICANN meetings and domain name⁄Internet related events and have face to face meetings with registrars; and
- Organize events for registrars
Feedback from registrars will then be taken into account and integrated into public relations and marketing activities where appropriate.

2. Other Outreach Activities and Communication
The Applicant believes that support from the community is also critical to achieving the projected benefits.

Therefore, it plans to establish communications and partnerships with related industries and their main representatives, and conduct joint promotional activities that will encourage development and growth of the industries as well as .SHOP. In addition, the Applicant will make an effort towards raising awareness of .SHOP in the relevant industries, working closely together with representatives of the community, and in particular those who have endorsed our bid for the .SHOP gTLD.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.TOKYO	GMO Registry, Inc.	gmoregistry.com	View

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

As a distinctive TLD representing Tokyo, .TOKYO provides a strong context and association for the domain names registered under it. As such, the Applicant expects .TOKYO to bring about expectations of increased marketing and branding values. The goal of the TLD in this respect is to build a high quality and meaningful domain name space to complement the inherent .TOKYO advantages: direct, simple, easy-to-understand, and memorable.

The Applicant believes that .TOKYO will bring about tangible benefits to the following groups of stakeholders:

For .TOKYO registrants: a namespace that effectively provides information on Tokyo, as well as businesses and services offered by the registrants.

For Internet users: a namespace where Internet users can discover new information about Tokyo and communicate with entities in the city in a safe and productive way.

For others: a TLD that contributes to growth of Tokyo.

Service Level
Registrants
Registration will be completely open in order to allow not only citizens and corporations of Tokyo, but also any individual or entity regardless of geographic location to register names in the TLD. The Applicant intends to price .TOKYO in a range reasonable enough to ensure it is universally accessible but not so low that it risks damaging its value as a TLD.

Promotion
The Applicant is planning to actively run promotions, rebate programs, and marketing programs.

Operation
The Applicant aims to operate the TLD in a secure and stable manner, adopting industry best practices where applicable. The Applicant’s operational goals are to have DNS load dispersion that is resistant to DDoS attacks, industry-leading level of Whois information change and DNS record change reflection time, substantial registrar support, and abuse window operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Applicant will also implement proven security measures at every level of the registry business and technical operation to provide maximum protection for its stakeholders. This includes stringent security policies and procedures, as well as comprehensive abuse handling mechanisms to mitigate security threats to the TLD. In addition, the Applicant will strive to provide an outstanding level of technical and operational support to the registrars.

Reputation
The Applicant aims to achieve a reputation for .TOKYO as a namespace that is trusted, safe, secure, relevant and enjoyable, in addition to widely used and well recognized.

In order to maintain high quality content and to avoid diminishing the reputation of Tokyo, the Applicant will develop a set of abuse policies and takedown procedures to handle abuse usage in a timely and appropriate manner. In addition, the Applicant will publish an information page on its website describing the recommended ways to use the TLD. The information page will include best practices for web contents and a list of prohibited activities under the TLD. The Applicant believes that the information page will help registrants understand the purpose of the TLD, preserve the characteristics of .TOKYO, and help mitigate abusive activities.


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

While .TOKYO is a gTLD, as a city TLD it also shares some characteristics with ccTLDs. The Applicant believes that because .TOKYO differs from existing gTLDs, sTLDs, and ccTLDs, it promotes competition and encourages differentiation benefitting domain name registrants, Internet users, business, and the domain space.

The Applicant plans to leverage the characteristics “direct”, “simple”, “easy-to-understand”, and “memorable” and differentiate .TOKYO through the following activities;
- promotion and support of high quality websites;
- innovative marketing and outreach campaigns; and
- ensuring strong security and stability.
The Applicant believes that this will contribute to reducing cases of abusive use and help foster the development of a high quality namespace.

Local Identification with Brand
As a city TLD that directly represents a ʺplaceʺ, .TOKYO is expected to have brand appeal in the local market above and beyond .COM and .JP. The Applicant believes that the ability to link the registrant’s brand with the established, positive and high-profile image of Tokyo will benefit domain users and Internet users alike.

.TOKYO　vs　.JP
Outside of Japan, the countryʹs ccTLD has never been widely adopted due to high registration fees and limitations that require registrants to have an address in Japan. The Applicant believes that .TOKYO will be an attractive alternative to .JP for businesses and individuals who have been previously deterred by the obstacles to establishing a Japan web presence with .JP.
As a ccTLD, even within Japan, usage of .JP is low. Compared with German ccTLD, .DE that has over 14.5 million registered domain names, .JP has just 1.2 million registrations. This means that in Germany one person in every five has a .DE registration while in Japan the ratio is one in 105. Domain name registrations in .TOKYO will be offered at a lower price point than .JP, and for the first time there will be competition in the “Japanese TLD” market. The Applicant believes this will benefit both the end user and the Internet community as a whole in Japan.

.TOKYO　vs　.COM
While it is expected that the branding power of .COM will remain strong, the Applicant anticipates that in Japan and particularly in Tokyo, registrants may choose .TOKYO over .COM for its availability, relevance and local brand.

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

The Applicant will endeavor to achieve the following goals relating to user experience:
1. Internet users find that the services and contents associated with .TOKYO domain names are relevant, and of high quality;
2. Internet users discover new things about Tokyo; and
3. Internet users are not exposed to abusive or malicious content.


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

Plans for .TOKYO domain name registration policies that support the stated goals are as follows. All .TOKYO TLD registrars and registrants must agree to abide by the policies. Failure to comply with the policies may result in denial, cancelation or transfer of any registration or transaction, or domain names being placed on lock, hold or similar status.

1. Scope of Registration Eligibility
The Applicant believes that broad registration and usage of .TOKYO is essential to the goal of promoting Tokyo as a brand and establishing the namespace as a platform for the effective delivery of Tokyo related information to Internet users worldwide. Therefore, domain name registration in the .TOKYO TLD will be open to all.

2. Recommended Usage of the TLD
The Applicant will recommend that registrants incorporate information related to Tokyo on websites in the .TOKYO space. Information about best practices and prohibited usage will be published on the Applicant’s website. Seeking to ensure that .TOKYO delivers high quality Tokyo related content supports the Applicant’s objective of making a positive contribution to the economy, industry, culture and community in Tokyo.

3. Draft Abusive Use Policy
The Applicant defines abuse as any activity that may harm the stability and security of the DNS and Internet, including, but not limited to:

- Illegal or fraudulent activities;
- Phishing;
- Pharming;
- Using or distributing malicious software (malware);
- Sending unsolicited bulk messages (spam);
- Posting, trading, or exchanging information that harms minors;
- Posting, trading, or exchanging child pornography;
- Posting information that encourages illegal acts, crimes, murders, or suicides;
- Posting information that is offensive to public order or morals; and
- Posting information that harms the national interest or reputation of Japan including Tokyo.

The Applicant reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name on lock, hold or similar status, at its sole discretion, to enforce the policy.

In addition, the Applicant intends to set up an abuse support window (abuse report form and abuse support window) for .TOKYO that will be operated 24 hours a day, 365 days.

In case an abuse use is reported, the Applicant will promptly take appropriate measures in accordance with the suspension flow provided separately (Please refer to Question 28).

4. Accuracy of Registration Information
.TOKYO registrants are obligated to provide and maintain accurate, complete, and current registration information (Whois information).

Failure to comply with this policy may result in the domain name registration being denied, cancelled, or transferred; the Registry Operator shall also be entitled, in such cases, to delete any such domain names, or place them on lock, hold, or similar status.

5. ICANN Policies
The Applicant will adopt and comply with the Uniform Rapid Suspension System, Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, and all other ICANN policies, regulations, rules (collectively the “ICANN policies”), and all .TOKYO domain name registration will be subject to ICANN policies.

6. Website Best Practices Information Page
In order to help .TOKYO domain name registrants understand the purpose of the TLD, clearly publicize usage restrictions of the TLD, and encourage registrants to use .TOKYO domain names in an appropriate manner, the Applicant will publish an information page on its website describing recommended ways to use .TOKYO domain names. The information page is for information purposes only and will include best practices for web contents and a list of prohibited activities under the TLD.

All .TOKYO registrars will be required to place a link to the information page on their website or include it in domain name registration⁄renewal confirmation emails sent to the registrants.

Reserved Domain Names
The names of wards, cities, towns and villages in Tokyo, strings related to tourism and transportation in Tokyo, and other names related to the public interest will be reserved initially. These names may be released and used to promote Tokyo prefecture and activate the economy, industries and culture of Tokyo. The list of reserved domain names shall be revised upon request of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.


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.

.TOKYO will comply with the applicable laws of Japan and regulations of respective governments, as well as applicable ICANN consensus policies. As part of its responsibility as registry operator of the TLD, the Applicant will exercise due care to protect all information it receives from registrants or users through registrars, and will not disclose such information to any third party, with the exception of public Whois data.

The Applicant does not provide any additional measures beyond its obligation as a registry operator. The Applicant places no restrictions on the use of Whois proxy services, to the extent permissible by law.

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

Communication with Registrars
In order to achieve the projected benefits, .TOKYO must gain substantial mindshare among Internet users. The Applicant believes that the primary method of increasing recognition and registration numbers in the TLD is to gain strong support from .TOKYO registrars. For that reason, the Applicant intends to:
 Maintain regular communication with registrars;
 Attend ICANN meetings and domain name⁄Internet related events and have face to face meetings with registrars; and
 Organize events for registrars
Feedback from registrars will be then taken into account, and integrated into public relations and marketing activities that the Applicant organizes where appropriate.

Website Contests
Website contests will be held for websites using .TOKYO domain names. Events will be held on an irregular basis incorporating a wide range of themes such as web design contests aimed at promoting Tokyo culture and creativity, and informative sightseeing website contests aimed at tourism development. The objective of such contests is not only to encourage .TOKYO domain name registrants to create higher quality websites, but also to broaden recognition of .TOKYO. The top scoring websites will be actively promoted as use cases to further increase the profile of the TLD.

Briefing Sessions⁄Events Organized by the Applicant
The Applicant is planning to have domain related briefing sessions in Tokyo for registrars and resellers because it believes that close communications and industry networking, as well as the exchange of information on registry statistics, policies and technologies, is important to continually improve quality and boost number of registrations in the .TOKYO namespace. In addition, the Applicant is planning to hold events for registrars during the ICANN meetings to communicate and exchange ideas with registrars.