20(e) Provide a description of the applicant's intended registration policies in support of the community-based purpose of the applied-for gTLD

Prototypical answer:

● Eligibility: who is eligible to register a second-level name in the gTLD, and how will eligibility be determined.

Registrants in the .SHOP gTLD will include the following:

- business entities or organizations that deploy commercial activities in an online or offline environment or provide information in relation thereto over the internet, including, but not limited to, merchants, retailers, business-to-business sales channels, marketplaces, etc.;

.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 these activities within one year following the registration of a .SHOP domain name.

Therefore, the Applicant – when awarded the gTLD – will develop detailed guidelines and restrictions in regard to the use of a gTLD, and an Abusive Use Policy.

All .SHOP domain name registrants will be required to prove that they are legally established business entities or organizations 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, the registry operator, accredited registrars and registrants will be bound by applicable ICANN policies.

● Name selection: what types of second-level names may be registered in the gTLD

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.

The Registry Operator will also make available certain premium domain names, which correspond to a generic word or product or service category. These premium domain names may be retained by the registry operator, leased or rented, or offered for registration to eligible members of the community.

Insofar and to the extent such premium domain names are registered in the name of the registry operator, these domain names will be used in order to generate additional platforms for community members. Such platforms may include but are not necessarily limited to directory services, social media platforms, and search engines, all intending to drive additional Internet traffic to the active websites resolving from a .SHOP domain name registration.


● Content and Use: what restrictions, if any, the registry operator will impose on how a registrant may use its registered name

The registry operator will impose the following restrictions for the use of domain names:

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 for commercial activities in an online or offline environment or to provide information in relation thereto over the internet.

Registering a .SHOP domain name solely for the purpose of selling, exchanging, trading, or leasing such domain name shall be deemed as inappropriate use or intent, and will be prohibited by the registry operator.


● Enforcement: what investigation practices and mechanisms exist to enforce the policies above, what resources are allocated for enforcement, and what appeal mechanisms are available to registrants

The registry operator will encourage domain name registrants to use digital certificates in conjunction with the websites deployed under their .SHOP domain name registrations.

In addition, the registry operator will conduct on a regular basis compliance checks to ascertain whether .SHOP registrants are acting in compliance with the registry operator’s policies.

Any such checks may be carried out by using sampling methodologies, thorough ex officio investigations, Whois accuracy requests, etc.

If the Registry Operator or a third party that it appoints for this purpose determines that a registered domain name or the content violates the policies mentioned hereunder, the Registry Operator or its appointee may do any of the following:

- depending on the nature of the domain name registrant’s noncompliance, the Registry Operator may provide the registrant, directly or through the registrar, with a grace period within which the registrant needs to demonstrate that registration and⁄or use of the domain name is compliant with the policies, and that the breach has been cured; and⁄or

- if it appears that the registrant’s breach may have significant consequences for the Internet, Registry Operator, the credibility or integrity of the .SHOP gTLD, the community, or the reputation of the Registry Operator and⁄or the extension, the Registry Operator may immediately suspend, block, revoke and⁄or delete the domain name(s) registered in the name of the registrant.

Please refer to Question 28 for a more detailed description of the takedown procedure.

In this respect, the Abuse Public Contact that will be established by the registry operator will play a pivotal role:

- first, the Abuse Public Contact will be the primary addressee of any complaints made in relation to a .SHOP domain name registration; of course, its intervention is without prejudice to procedures that can be initiated by a complainant under ICANN’s Consensus Policies as well as those developed in the context of the Applicant Guidebook;

- second, the Abuse Public Contact can play a moderating role in disputes between a .SHOP domain name registrant and an Internet user as regards the registrant’s compliance with the policies set by the registry operator;

- third, the Abuse Public Contact may carry out ex officio investigations in order to ensure registrant compliance with the policies that have been devised by the registry operator.

In addition to the above, the Applicant will also endeavor to facilitate resolution of conflict between consumers on the one hand
and .SHOP registrants on the other hand in relation to products or services purchased by such consumers with the registrant.
The Applicant may register certain names (for example geographic names) in the name of the government bodies or alternative dispute resolution agencies that are competent to decide upon disputes in relation to distance selling.
Therefore, for instance, a consumer residing in Australia and buying a product from a .SHOP registrant residing in the United States is able
to file a complaint with the competent authority in the US from within the .SHOP namespace.
Please refer to Question 22 for more details in this respect, in particular regarding the Applicant’s compliance with Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement.

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