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20(a) Provide the name and full description of the community that the applicant is committing to serve

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.LLCDot Registry LLChotmail.comView
DOT Registry plans to serve the Community of Registered Limited Liability Companies. Members of the community are defined as businesses registered as limited liability companies with the United States or its territories. Limited Liability Companies or (LLC’s) as they are commonly abbreviated, represent one of the most popular business entity structures in the US. LLCʹs commonly participate in acts of commerce, public services, and product creation.

Limited Liability Companies (LLC) are a relatively new business structure for the United States, the first LLC was validated in the state of Wyoming in 1977 and in 1996 the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws adopted the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act; providing for both the definition of an LLC and the governmental standards under which an LLC may be formed. It was through the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act that a standard set of policies were created to define, validate, and monitor the operations of LLC’s, thus creating a unique and accountable business community in the United States.

An LLC is defined as a flexible form of enterprise that blends elements of partnership and corporate structures. It is a legal form of company that provides limited liability to its owners in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions. LLC’s are a unique entity type because they are considered a hybrid, having certain characteristics of both a corporation and a partnership or sole proprietorship. LLC’s are closely related to corporations in the sense that they participate in similar activities and provide limited liability to their partners. Additionally, LLC’s share a key characteristic with partnerships through the availability of pass-through income taxation. LLC’s are a more flexibile entity type than a corporation and are often well suited for businesses owned by a single owner.

Common advantages to forming an LLC include:

1) Flexibility in tax reporting, LLC’s may choose if they would like to be taxed as a sole proprietorship, partnership, S Corporation, or C Corporation. This is the only business entity form in the United States that allows for taxation flexibility.
2) LLC’s have much less administrative paperwork and reporting requirements then corporations.
3) Unless the LLC elects to be taxed as a C Corp, LLC’s enjoy pass through taxation.
4) Limited liability, meaning that owners of an LLC, called “members” are protected from some or all liability acts and debts of the LLC.

LLC’s have become increasingly popular in the United States because their formation provides owners with the protection of a corporation and the flexibility of a partnership.

With the number of registered LLC’s in the United States totaling over five million in 2010 (as reported by the International Association of Commercial Administrators) it is hard for the average consumer to not conduct business with an LLC (popular LLC’s in the United States include: AOL and BMW). Through the creation of DOT Registry’s .LLC string, consumers can quickly validate that they are working with a member of the Community of Registered Limited Liability Companies, providing consumers with brand reassurance and peace of mind. DOT Registry believes that it is essential to identify limited liability companies online in order to expand on their creditability and further highlight their privilege to conduct business in the US. Proper representation of this community would allow consumers to make educated choices in choosing businesses to patronize and support.
LLCʹs can be formed through any jurisdiction of the United States. Therefore members of this community exist in all 50 US states and its territories. LLC formation guidelines are dictated by state law and can vary based on each state’s regulations. Persons form an LLC by filing required documents with the appropriate state authority, usually the Secretary of State. Most states require the filing of Articles of Organization. These are considered public documents and are similar to articles of incorporation, which establish a corporation as a legal entity. At minimum, the articles of organization give a brief description of the intended business purposes, the registered agent, and registered business address.
LLC’s are expected to conduct business in conjunction with the policies of the state in which they are formed, and the Secretary of State periodically evaluates a LLC’s level of good standing based on their commercial interactions with both the state and consumers. DOT Registry or its designated agents would verify membership to the Community of Registered Limited Liability Companies by collecting data on each Registrant and cross-referencing the information with their applicable registration state. In order to maintain the reputation of the “.LLC” string and accurately delineate the member to consumers, Registrants would only be awarded a domain that accurately represents their registered legal business name. Additionally, DOT Registry will not allow blind registrations or registration by proxy, therefore DOT Registry’s WHOIS service will tie directly back to each member’s state registration information and will be publicly available in order to provide complete transparency for consumers.
Entities are required to comply with formation practices in order to receive the right to conduct business in the US. Once formed an LLC must be properly maintained. LLC’s are expected to comply with state regulations, submit annual filings, and pay specific taxes and fees. Should an LLC fail to comply with state statutes it could result in involuntary dissolution by the state in addition to imposed penalties, taxes and fees.
While state statutes vary, the majority of states have adopted the following guidelines in regards to the formation of LLC’s:

(1) The name of each limited liability company must contain the words ʺLimited Liability Companyʺ or the abbreviation ʺL.L.C.ʺ or the designation ʺLLCʺ.

(2) In order to form a limited liability company, one or more authorized persons must execute the Articles of Organization. Which shall contain: the name of the limited liability company; the address of the registered office and the name and address of the registered agent for service of process required to be maintained; and any other matters the members determine to include therein.
(3) A Limited Liability Company may be organized to conduct or promote any lawful business or purposes, except as may otherwise be provided by the Constitution or other law of this State.
All entities bearing the abbreviation LLC in their business name create the assumption that they have been awarded the privileges associated to that title such as: the ability to conduct commerce transactions within US borders or territories, the ability to market products, solicit consumers and provide reputable services in exchange for monetary values, and finally to provide jobs or employment incentives to other citizens.
Membership in the Community of Registered Limited Liability Companies is established through your business entity registration. In order to maintain your membership to this community you must remain an “Active” member of the community. Active” in this context can be defined as any LLC registered with a Secretary of State in the United States and its territories, that is determined to be authorized to conduct business within that State at the time of their registration. Registrant’s “Active” status will be verified on an annual basis as described above in question 18 in order to ensure the reputation and validity of the “.LLC” gTLD.
Since LLC’s are not currently delineated on the Internet, the creation of this string would mark a unique advancement in consumer security and confidence in the United States. Essentially, this will create the first ever, clear delineator for the Community of Registered Limited Liability Companies.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.CorpDot Registry LLChotmail.comView
DOT Registry plans to serve the Community of Registered Corporations. Members of the community are defined as businesses registered as corporations within the United States or its territories. This would include Corporations, Incorporated Businesses, Benefit Corporations, Mutual Benefit Corporations and Non-Profit Corporations. Corporations or “CORP’s” as they are commonly abbreviated, represent one of the most complex business entity structures in the U.S. Corporations commonly participate in acts of commerce, public services, and product creation.
Corps are the oldest form of organized business in the United States, with the first organized corporation dating back to the 18th century. In 1819 The US Supreme Court formalized their policy on corporation formation by enhancing the rights granted to US Corporations. This policy change for the United States spurred increased corporate registrations and acted as an early economic boom for the states. Well-known early corporations included the British East India Company, Carnegie Steel Company, and Standard Oil. The creation of corps is synonymous with the development of free enterprise in the United States and much of our countries infrastructure and services were created by early and innovative corporations.
Corp. creation has been viewed as especially unique throughout US history because corporations are considered the only business model that are recognized by law to have the rights and responsibilities similar to natural persons. Corps can exercise human rights against real individuals and the state. Additionally, they themselves can be responsible for human rights violations. This unique human element makes corporations acutely responsible for their actions as an entity. This feature becomes especially applicable when we begin to view corporations as a community. “Community” is defined by Merriam Webster’s dictionary as a group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists. DOT Registry believes that corporations fall well within this definition due to their specific registration requirements, which set them apart from individuals and other business entities, while granting them operating privileges and distinct rights and responsibilities.
A corp is defined as a business created under the laws of a State as a separate legal entity, that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. While corporate law varies in different jurisdictions, there are four characteristics of the business corporation that remain consistent: legal personality, limited liability, transferable shares, and centralized management under a board structure. Corporate statutes typically empower corporations to own property, sign binding contracts, and pay taxes in a capacity separate from that of its shareholders.
Business formation favors the corporate entity structure because it provides its shareholders with limited personal liability and a unique taxing structure. Common benefits to forming a corporation include:
1) Limited liability protection to the owners (often called shareholders). Typically, the owners of a corp are not personally responsible for the debts or liabilities of the business, thus creditors cannot pursue owners’ personal assets to repay business debts.
2) Corps often gain tax advantages, such as the deductibility of health insurance premiums paid on behalf of an owner-employee, savings on self-employment taxes as corporate income is not subject to social security, workers compensation, or Medicare.
3) Incorporating may help a business establish credibility with potential customers, employees, vendors, and partners.
4) A corporation has an enduring life-span, not dependent on its owners. A corp possesses the feature of unlimited life, meaning that ownership can be transferred, sold, or redistributed amongst other owners without affecting the businesses ability to function. This feature allows corps to transcend time and play a lasting role in driving the economy and supporting the communities in which they exist.
5) Corps can easily raise capital through the sale of stock and bank related lending, as they are often seen as a more credible source to lend to.
Corps provide the backbone of the American business culture. Fortune 500’s top ten US corporations for 2011 include: Wal-Mart Stores, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Fannie Mae, General Electric, Berkshire Hathaway, General Motors, Bank of America and Ford Motors. From this listing one can ascertain that corps span every genre of business and play an intricate role in the daily lives of consumers. From gas stations to hospitals, grocery stores to financial lending institutions corps drive the stock market, industry production, and consumer spending.
With almost 470,000 new corps registered in the United States in 2010 (as reported by the International Association of Commercial Administrators) resulting in over 800,000 total corporations in the US, it is hard for the average consumer to not conduct business with a corp. Through the creation of DOT Registry’s “.CORP” string, consumers can quickly validate that they are working with a member of the Community of Registered Corporations, providing consumers with brand reassurance and peace of mind. Dot Registry believes that it is essential to identify corps online in order to expand on their creditability and further highlight their privilege to conduct business in the US. Proper representation of this community would allow consumers to make educated choices in choosing businesses to patronize and support.
Corps can be formed through any jurisdiction of the United States. Therefore members of this community exist in all 50 US states and its territories. Corp formation guidelines are dictated by state law and can vary based on each State’s regulations. Persons form a corp by filing required documents with the appropriate state authority, usually the Secretary of State. Most states require the filing of Articles of Incorporation. These are considered public documents and are similar to articles of organization, which establish a limited liability company as a legal entity. At minimum, the Articles of Incorporation give a brief description of proposed business activities, shareholders, stock issued and the registered business address.
Corps are expected to conduct business in conjunction with the policies of the State in which they are formed, and the Secretary of State periodically evaluates a corp’s level of good standing based on their commercial interactions with both the state and consumers. DOT Registry or its designated agents would verify membership to the Community of Corporations by collecting data on each Registrant and cross-referencing the information with their applicable registration state. In order to maintain the reputation of the “.CORP” string and accurately delineate the member to consumers, Registrants would only be awarded a domain that accurately represents their registered legal business name. Additionally, DOT Registry will not allow blind registrations or registration by proxy, therefore DOT Registry’s WHOIS service will tie directly back to each member’s state registration information and will be publicly available in order to provide complete transparency for consumers.Membership in the Community of Corporations is established through your business entity registration. In order to maintain your membership to this community you must remain an “Active” member of the community. Active” in this context can be defined as any corp registered with a Secretary of State in the United States and its territories, that is determined to be authorized to conduct business within that State at the time of their registration. Registrant’s “Active” status will be verified on an annual basis as described above in question 18.