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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
.REALESTATEdotRealEstate LLCsecondgen.comView
The proposed .REALESTATE gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users and others by, among other reasons, providing a trusted and valued space for NAR, REALTORS®, NAR members, NAR affiliates, NAR licensees and other NAR-contracted parties to provide real estate related information. Use of the .REALESTATE gTLD under NAR’s stewardship will provide new on-line opportunities for REALTORS®, other NAR-related entities and users alike.

NAR, REALTORS®, NAR members, NAR affiliates, NAR licensees and other NAR contracted parties will benefit from the .REALESTATE gTLD by having expanded domain options (an example of beneficial TLD competition). For example, a REALTOR® will be able to use a domain for marketing their services comprising a term which is inherently associated with the professional services offered, including the geographic location(s) of such offerings. Such an appropriate domain may not be available in other TLD’s. NAR members, affiliates, licensees, etc. will further benefit from using a domain in a trusted, valued gTLD that is associated with NAR’s Vision.

NAR-related entities will benefit from the .REALESTATE gTLD by having a new opportunity to provide real estate related services to NAR members and consumers alike. For example, NAR-related entities may provide content, such as real estate buying tips, or content services, such as real estate listings, to a NAR member’s website at an appropriate .REALESTATE second-level domain.

Awareness of the existence of the .REALESTATE gTLD will also benefit Internet users -- such awareness will create new choice within the DNS for how to access and locate real estate-related information. Users will also benefit from the trusted, valued nature of the .REALESTATE space. Users can be confident that a domain in the .REALESTATE gTLD is associated with NAR, a REALTOR®, an NAR member, an NAR affiliate, NAR licensees and other NAR-contracted parties.

1. The goals of the .REALESTATE gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels and reputation.

NAR and NAR members are associated with NAR’s Vision and other professionalism in the provision of real estate services, and specifically with adherence with the strict Code of Ethics set forth by NAR. It is NAR’s goal to continue such association under operation and use of the .REALESTATE gTLD. In this regard, NAR anticipates that the same level of specialty associated with its Vision and REALTORS® in the non-digital world, the same level of service provided in association with its Vision and REALTORS® in the non-digital world, and the same level of reputation associated with its Vision and REALTORS® in the non-digital world, will continue in the .REALESTATE gTLD.

NAR and NAR members are associated in a consumer’s mind with NAR’s Vision, NAR’s reputation and the provision of professional real estate services by those members. Use of a .REALESTATE second level domain, under the stewardship of NAR, should bring forth the same association in the mind of the consumer. Nowhere is NAR’s and reputation better exemplified than the Pledge of Performance and Service which is shared by all REALTORS®, which include the following elements:

a) To protect and promote their clients’ interests while treating all parties honestly.

b) To refrain from exaggeration, misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent facts related to property or transactions.

c) To not provide professional services where they have any present or contemplated interest in property without disclosing that interest to all affected parties.

d) To make sure that contract details are spelled out in writing and that parties receive copies.

e) To give equal professional service to all clients and customers irrespective of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

f) To be knowledgeable and competent in the fields of practice in which they engage or they get assistance from a knowledgeable professional, or disclose any lack of expertise to their client.

g) To paint a true picture in their advertising and in other public representations.

h) To not engage in the unauthorized practice of law.

i) To willingly participate in ethics investigations and enforcement actions.

j) To make only truthful, objective comments about other real estate professionals.

Use of a .REALESTATE second level domain, under the stewardship of NAR, should evoke the same reputation in the mind of the consumer.

2. What the .REALESTATE gTLD will add to the current space in terms of competition, differentiation and innovation.

Creation of .REALESTATE will provide competition to existing TLD’s in the form of a new name space for registration of real estate-related domain names.

Over time, NAR anticipates a single dedicated name space under the unique .REALESTATE gTLD, in combination with the reputation and professionalism users associate with NAR, NAR members, affiliates, etc., will resonate with users of the Internet to create differentiation that otherwise could not exist in current gTLD’s. Further, provision of the .REALESTATE gTLD as a trusted, valued space due to NAR⁄REALTOR-related registration restrictions will differentiate .REALESTATE from other, untrusted TLD’s. Association in the minds of consumers with the reputation of NAR, NAR’s members, affiliates, etc. and the associated provision of professional real estate services will differentiate .REALESTATE from other TLD’s which do not benefit from such consumer association, whether by the generic or descriptive nature of the TLD itself, or by association of the TLD with products and⁄or services unrelated to the real estate industry, or related to the real estate industry but not associated with NAR or membership in NAR.

While it is difficult to predict in exact terms what future innovation may occur as a result of the existence of the .REALESTATE gTLD, we expect NAR, NAR members, affiliates, etc. to demonstrate the same capacity to innovate and adapt to new media as they have shown for over one hundred years. One possible example of this innovation which NAR intends to explore is the option of providing a hierarchical and intuitive framework for the .REALESTATE namespace by using geographical identifiers as second-level domain names. Such framework could provide an online, single-source identifying function, allowing consumers to locate real estate-related information regarding real esatate within domain-specified geographic areas.

3. User experience goals of the .REALESTATE gTLD.

A goal of .REALESTATE is for users to experience robust DNS industry standards for technical back-end operations, including but not limited to near 100% uptime; timely zone file dissemination; searchable WHOIS capabilities; and additional security measures such as for DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC).

Over time, an additional goal is for users to experience .REALESTATE websites as trusted, valued sources for professional real estate related information. A goal NAR intends to explore is to provide real estate listings at domains which are associated with geographic and⁄or subject matter terms. Over time, users desiring information relating to real estate in a specific area, or information relating to services in a particular type of real estate (such as, for example, commercial properties), will be conditioned to navigate to “geographic.REALESTATE” or “subjectmatter.REALESTATE” in order to obtain relevant information.

4. Intended registration policies in the .REALESTATE gTLD in support of the goals listed above.

Consistent with NAR’s mission⁄purpose for the .REALESTATE gTLD, NAR will determine, in its sole discretion, who may register domains in .REALESTATE, and, at least during initial operations of the .REALESTATE gTLD, only NAR, REALTORS®, NAR members, NAR affiliates (including societies and counsels), NAR licensees and parties otherwise in a contractual relationship with NAR will be permitted such registration. To the extent, during initial operations, a registrant⁄REALTOR® lapses in membership as a REALTOR®, or a registrant⁄NAR member ceases to be an NAR member, or a registrant⁄NAR affiliate ceases to be an NAR affiliate, or a registrant⁄NAR licensee ceases to be an NAR licensee, or a registrant⁄NAR contracted-party ceases to be an NAR contracted party, registration of the affected domain will have to be withdrawn. NAR will also determine, in its sole discretion, how domains in .REALESTATE may be used.

During initial operation of the .REALESTATE gTLD, NAR further may elect, in its discretion, to still further restrict who will be permitted registration in .REALESTATE, and to provide other policies and practices relating to registration and use of domains in .REALESTATE, which are reasonably necessary for the management, operations and purpose of the gTLD, consistent with NAR’s Vision, so long as any such restrictions, policies or practices are consistent with the mission⁄purpose of .REALESTATE and the restrictions on registration set forth above. Any such restrictions, policies or practices will be implemented so that the .REALESTATE gTLD can be launched and initially operated in a controlled manner, granting the gTLD the opportunity to fulfill its stated mission(s)⁄purpose(s), and allowing NAR the opportunity to study use of the gTLD and user adoption of the gTLD. Any such restrictions, policies or practices will also allow NAR the ability to explore and implement user experience goals noted above and to find ways of achieving the missions⁄purposes identified above, such as provision of real estate listings at non-reserved geographic .REALESTATE domains.

NAR will periodically review progress and adoption of the .REALESTATE gTLD with an eye towards considering modification or removal of any such initial operation restrictions, policies or practices. NAR may choose to never remove these restrictions, policies and practices. Alternatively, NAR may choose to allow registrations in .REALESTATE to REALTORS®, NAR members, NAR affiliates, NAR licensees or NAR contracted parties as set forth herein.

As expanded operations under the .REALESTATE gTLD are contemplated (if indeed any such expansions are contemplated), NAR – in its sole discretion – may add, delete, amend or otherwise modify registration restrictions, policies and practices, in support of the goals listed above. NAR may adopt use policies consistent with the principles set forth herein and further consistent with NAR’s Vision.

5. Measures for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of registrants and users.

Applicant does not at this time propose any measures for protecting the privacy of confidential information of registrants or users of .REALESTATE domain names, outside of what is required under applicable statute, contract or law.

6. Outreach and communications which will help achieve projected benefits.

The primary outreach and communications that will occur for .REALESTATE will be through NAR, the largest trade association in North America. Through a combination of radio, television, print, and Web advertisements, as well as a syndicated radio show, NAR educates consumers and the media about everything from market conditions to hiring contractors, and then some. Over time, we expect these existing channels of communication to produce widespread awareness for .REALESTATE.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.REALTORReal Estate Domains LLCsecondgen.comView
The proposed .REALTOR gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users and others by, among other reasons, providing a trusted and valued space for NAR, REALTORS®, NAR members, NAR affiliates, NAR licensees and other NAR-contracted parties to provide real estate related information. Use of the .REALTOR gTLD under NAR’s stewardship will be complimentary to the current use and benefit of the REALTOR® mark, providing new on-line opportunities for REALTORS®, other NAR-related entities and users alike.

REALTORS will benefit from the .REALTOR gTLD by having expanded domain options (an example of beneficial TLD competition). For example, a REALTOR® will be able to use a domain which appropriately identifies the REALTOR®, such as myname.REALTOR. Such an appropriate domain may not be available in other TLD’s. REALTORS® will further benefit from using a domain in a trusted, valued gTLD that is associated with the NAR mark “REALTOR,” which itself is associated in consumer’s minds with provision of professional real estate services. REALTORS® will still further benefit from using a domain which identifies them as a REALTOR®, and which is easily associated with the REALTOR mark in a consumer’s mind.

NAR-related entities will benefit from the .REALTOR gTLD by having a new opportunity to provide real estate related services to REALTORS® and consumers alike. For example, NAR-related entities may provide content, such as home-buying tips, or content services, such as real estate listings, to a REALTOR’s website at an appropriate .REALTOR second-level domain.

Awareness of the existence of the .REALTOR gTLD will also benefit Internet users -- such awareness will create new choice within the DNS for how to access and locate a REALTOR®, REALTOR®-related information, and the goods and services REALTORS® offer to users of the Internet. Users will also benefit from the trusted, valued nature of the .REALTOR space. Users can be confident that a domain in the .REALTOR gTLD is associated with NAR, a REALTOR®, an NAR member, an NAR affiliate, NAR licensees and other NAR-contracted parties.

Over time, users will also benefit by easily being able to identify a REALTOR® simply by a web site URL or e-mail address that ends in .REALTOR. REALTORS® in turn will benefit from the increased user awareness of the .REALTOR gTLD.

1. The goals of the .REALTOR gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels and reputation.

The REALTOR® mark is associated with professionalism in the provision of real estate services, and specifically with membership in the National Association of REALTORS® and adherence with the strict Code of Ethics set forth by NAR. It is NAR’s goal to continue such association under operation and use of the .REALTOR gTLD. In this regard, NAR anticipates that the same level of specialty associated with REALTOR® in the non-digital world, the same level of service provided in association with the REALTOR® mark in the non-digital world, and the same level of reputation associated with the REALTOR® mark in the non-digital world, will continue in the .REALTOR gTLD.

A REALTOR® is associated in a consumer’s mind with membership in NAR and especially in connection with the provision of professional real estate services by those members. Use of a .REALTOR second level domain, under the stewardship of NAR, and particularly when the second level domain identifies a particular REALTOR®, should bring forth the same association with the same connotation in the mind of the consumer.

Similarly, the reputation of a REALTOR® is that of an ethical real estate professional who is a member of NAR. One area of reputation that all REALTORS® share is their Pledge of Performance and Service, which include the following elements:

a) To protect and promote their clients’ interests while treating all parties honestly.

b) To refrain from exaggeration, misrepresentation, or concealment of pertinent facts related to property or transactions.

c) To not provide professional services where they have any present or contemplated interest in property without disclosing that interest to all affected parties.

d) To make sure that contract details are spelled out in writing and that parties receive copies.

e) To give equal professional service to all clients and customers irrespective of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

f) To be knowledgeable and competent in the fields of practice in which they engage or they get assistance from a knowledgeable professional, or disclose any lack of expertise to their client.

g) To paint a true picture in their advertising and in other public representations.

h) To not engage in the unauthorized practice of law.

i) To willingly participate in ethics investigations and enforcement actions.

j) To make only truthful, objective comments about other real estate professionals.

Use of a .REALTOR second level domain, under the stewardship of NAR, and particularly when the second level domain identifies a particular REALTOR®, should evoke the same reputation in the mind of the consumer.

2. What the .REALTOR gTLD will add to the current space in terms of competition, differentiation and innovation.

Creation of .REALTOR will provide competition to existing TLD’s in the form of a new name space for registration of REALTOR®-related domain names (such as, for example, providing a REALTOR® with the ability to acquire their name as a domain name in .REALTOR).

Over time, NAR anticipates a single dedicated name space under the unique .REALTOR gTLD, in combination with the reputation and professionalism users associate with the REALTOR® brand, will resonate with users of the Internet to create differentiation that otherwise could not exist in current gTLD’s. Further, provision of the .REALTOR gTLD as a trusted, valued space due to NAR⁄REALTOR-related registration restrictions will differentiate .REALTOR from other, untrusted TLD’s. Association of the mark “REALTOR” in the minds of consumers with membership in NAR and provision of professional real estate services will differentiate .REALTOR from other TLD’s which do not benefit from such consumer association, whether by the generic or descriptive nature of the TLD itself, or by association of the TLD with products and⁄or services unrelated to the real estate industry, or related to the real estate industry but not associated with membership in NAR.

While it is difficult to predict in exact terms what future innovation may occur as a result of the existence of the .REALTOR gTLD, we expect REALTORS®, led by NAR, to demonstrate the same capacity to innovate and adapt to new media as they have shown for over one hundred years. One possible example of this innovation which NAR intends to explore is the option of providing a hierarchical and intuitive framework for the .REALTOR namespace by using geographical identifiers as second-level domain names. Such framework could provide an online, single-source identifying function, allowing consumers to locate and engage REALTORS® within domain-specified geographic areas.

3. User experience goals of the .REALTOR gTLD.

A goal of .REALTOR is for users to experience robust DNS industry standards for technical back-end operations, including but not limited to near 100% uptime; timely zone file dissemination; searchable WHOIS capabilities; and additional security measures such as for DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC).

Over time, an additional goal is for users to experience .REALTOR websites as trusted, valued sources for professional real estate related information, and particularly information related to REALTORS® themselves. One goal is to promote REALTORS® to use their “name.REALTOR” website to promote their REALTOR® services, such as home listings and other professional real estate services. Over time, the goal is to encourage users to associate a .REALTOR domain name with a particular REALTOR®, so that the user is conditioned to go to “name.REALTOR” to access that particular REALTOR’s services without having to search for the website or obtain the URL from another source, such as a newspaper advertisement or a “for sale” sign on a residential yard. The goal is to make accessing a REALTOR’s on-line presence intuitive and simple for users.

A goal NAR intends to explore is to provide REALTOR® listings at domains which are associated with geographic and⁄or subject matter terms. Over time, users desiring to contact a REALTOR® in a specific area, or who provides services in a particular type of real estate (such as, for example, commercial properties), will be conditioned to navigate to “geographic.REALTOR” or “subjectmatter.REALTOR” in order to obtain the contact information and URL of an appropriate REALTOR®. The goal is to make finding a REALTOR® on-line as simple as knowing what type of REALTOR® (or where) the user is looking.

4. Intended registration policies in the .REALTOR gTLD in support of the goals listed above.

Consistent with NAR’s mission⁄purpose for the .REALTOR gTLD, NAR will determine, in its sole discretion, who may register domains in .REALTOR, and only NAR, REALTORS®, NAR members, NAR affiliates (including societies and counsels), NAR licensees and parties otherwise in a contractual relationship with NAR relating to use of the REALTOR® mark will be permitted such registration. To the extent a registrant⁄REALTOR® lapses in membership as a REALTOR®, or a registrant⁄NAR member ceases to be an NAR member, or a registrant⁄NAR affiliate ceases to be an NAR affiliate, or a registrant⁄NAR licensee ceases to be an NAR licensee, or a registrant⁄NAR contracted-party ceases to be an NAR contracted party, registration of the affected domain will have to be withdrawn. NAR will also determine, in its sole discretion, how domains in .REALTOR may be used.

During initial operation of the .REALTOR gTLD, NAR may elect, in its discretion as the steward of the REALTOR® brand, to still further restrict who will be permitted registration in .REALTOR, and to provide other policies and practices relating to registration and use of domains in .REALTOR, which are reasonably necessary for the management, operations and purpose of the gTLD, consistent with NAR’s vested rights in, and in protection of, the REALTOR® mark, so long as any such restrictions, policies or practices are consistent with the mission⁄purpose of .REALTOR and the restrictions on registration set forth above. Any such restrictions, policies or practices will be implemented so that the .REALTOR gTLD can be launched and initially operated in a controlled manner, granting the gTLD the opportunity to fulfill its stated mission(s)⁄purpose(s), and allowing NAR the opportunity to study use of the gTLD and user adoption of the gTLD. Any such restrictions, policies or practices will also allow NAR the ability to explore and implement user experience goals noted above and to find ways of achieving the missions⁄purposes identified above, such as provision of REALTOR® listings at non-reserved geographic .REALTOR domains.

NAR will periodically review progress and adoption of the .REALTOR gTLD with an eye towards considering modification or removal of any such initial operation restrictions, policies or practices. NAR may choose to never remove these restrictions, policies and practices. Alternatively, NAR may choose, in its sole discretion as the steward of the REALTOR® mark, to allow registrations in .REALTOR to REALTORS®, NAR members, NAR affiliates, NAR licensees or NAR contracted parties as set forth herein.

As expanded operations under the .REALTOR gTLD are contemplated (if indeed any such expansions are contemplated), NAR – in its sole discretion as the steward of the REALTOR® mark – may add, delete, amend or otherwise modify registration restrictions, policies and practices, in support of the goals listed above, and consistent with NAR’s ownership of REALTOR®. NAR may adopt use policies consistent with the principles set forth herein and further consistent with their stewardship of the REALTOR® mark.

5. Measures for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of registrants and users.

Applicant does not at this time propose any measures for protecting the privacy of confidential information of registrants or users of .REALTOR domain names, outside of what is required under applicable statute, contract or law.

6. Outreach and communications which will help achieve projected benefits.

The primary outreach and communications that will occur for .REALTOR will be through the National Association of REALTORS®, the largest trade association in North America. Through a combination of radio, television, print, and Web advertisements, as well as a syndicated radio show, NAR educates consumers and the media about everything from market conditions to hiring contractors, and then some. Over time, we expect these existing channels of communication to produce widespread awareness for .REALTOR.