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29 Rights Protection Mechanisms

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.livestrongLance Armstrong Foundationlivestrong.orgView
Mechanisms Designed to Prevent abusive registrations
Rights protection is a core objective of The Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Lance Armstrong Foundationwill implement and adhere to any rights protection mechanisms (RPMs) that may be mandated from time to time by ICANN, including each mandatory RPM set forth in the Trademark Clearinghouse model contained in the Registry Agreement, specifically Specification 7. The Lance Armstrong Foundation acknowledges that, at a minimum, ICANN requires a Sunrise period, a Trademark Claims period, and interaction with the Trademark Clearinghouse with respect to the registration of domain names for the .livestrong gTLD. It should be noted that because ICANN, as of the time of this application submission, has not issued final guidance with respect to the Trademark Clearinghouse, The Lance Armstrong Foundation cannot fully detail the specific implementation of the Trademark Clearinghouse within this application. The Lance Armstrong Foundation will adhere to all processes and procedures to comply with ICANN guidance once this guidance is finalized.
As described in this response, The Lance Armstrong Foundation will implement a Sunrise period and Trademark Claims service with respect to the registration of domain names within the .livestrong gTLD. Certain aspects of the Sunrise period and⁄or Trademark Claims service may be administered on behalf of The Lance Armstrong Foundation by The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrars or by subcontractors of The Lance Armstrong Foundation, such as its selected backend registry services provider, Verisign.
〈In this space, the applicant should detail its plan to execute these two services. While the text below details the specific services that are implemented (i.e., Sunrise period and Trademark Claims service) and how each service is performed, the text does not detail the entity that is responsible for executing the service. Thus for a complete implementation plan, the applicant should consider defining which entity [(e.g., applicant, applicant-approved registrars, applicant subcontractors (such as its selected backend registry services provider, Verisign)] is charged to execute the required service upon gTLD launch. Furthermore, if the applicant plans to implement any additional mechanisms in support of the .livestrong gTLD, please add them below. For example, if applicant has outlined any eligibility restrictions as part of its registration policies (e.g., in Question 18b-iv of the new gTLD application), or if applicant anticipates defensive registrations and⁄or eligibility dispute resolution procedures, the applicant should include them below.〉
Sunrise Period. As provided by the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook, the Sunrise service pre-registration procedure for domain names continues for at least 30 days prior to the launch of the general registration of domain names in the gTLD (unless The Lance Armstrong Foundation decides to offer a longer Sunrise period).
During the Sunrise period, holders of marks that have been previously validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse receive notice of domain names that are an identical match (as defined in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook) to their mark(s). Such notice is in accordance with ICANN’s requirements and is provided by The Lance Armstrong Foundation either directly or through The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrars.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation requires all registrants, either directly or through The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrars, to i) affirm that said registrants meet the Sunrise Eligibility Requirements (SER) and ii) submit to the Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP) consistent with Section 6 of the Trademark Clearinghouse model. At a minimum The Lance Armstrong Foundation recognizes and honors all word marks for which a proof of use was submitted and validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse as well as any additional eligibility requirements as specified in Question 18.
During the Sunrise period, The Lance Armstrong Foundation and⁄or The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrars, as applicable, are responsible for determining whether each domain name is eligible to be registered (including in accordance with the SERs).
Trademark Claims Service. As provided by the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook, all new gTLDs will have to provide a Trademark Claims service for a minimum of 60 days after the launch of the general registration of domain names in the gTLD (Trademark Claims period).
During the Trademark Claims period, in accordance with ICANN’s requirements, The Lance Armstrong Foundation or the The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrar will send a Trademark Claims Notice to any prospective registrant of a domain name that is an identical match (as defined in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook) to any mark that is validated in the Trademark Clearinghouse. The Trademark Claims Notice will include links to the Trademark Claims as listed in the Trademark Clearinghouse and will be provided at no cost.
Prior to registration of said domain name, The Lance Armstrong Foundation or the The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrar will require each prospective registrant to provide the warranties dictated in the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook. Those warranties will include receipt and understanding of the Trademark Claims Notice and confirmation that registration and use of said domain name will not infringe on the trademark rights of the mark holders listed. Without receipt of said warranties, the The Lance Armstrong Foundation or the The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrar will not process the domain name registration.
Following the registration of a domain name, the The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrar will provide a notice of domain name registration to the holders of marks that have been previously validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse and are an identical match. This notice will be as dictated by ICANN. At a minimum The Lance Armstrong Foundation will recognize and honor all word marks validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse.
2 Mechanisms Designed to Identify and address the abusive use of registered names on an ongoing basis
In addition to the Sunrise and Trademark Claims services described in Section 1 of this response, The Lance Armstrong Foundation implements and adheres to RPMs post-launch as mandated by ICANN, and confirms that registrars accredited for the .livestrong gTLD are in compliance with these mechanisms. Certain aspects of these post-launch RPMs may be administered on behalf of The Lance Armstrong Foundation by The Lance Armstrong Foundation-approved registrars or by subcontractors of The Lance Armstrong Foundation, such as its selected backend registry services provider, Verisign.
〈 In this space the applicant should detail its plan to execute these post-launch services. Furthermore, the applicant should include below any additional mechanisms that it plans to implement in support of its applied-for gTLD. For example, the applicant should review the “additional measures” section below to determine whether it will be offering some or all of those options. The applicant may also add to the list.〉
These post-launch RPMs include the established Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), as well as the newer Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS) and Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (PDDRP). Where applicable, The Lance Armstrong Foundation will implement all determinations and decisions issued under the corresponding RPM.

After a domain name is registered, trademark holders can object to the registration through the UDRP or URS. Objections to the operation of the gTLD can be made through the PDDRP.

The following descriptions provide implementation details of each post-launch RPM for the .livestrong gTLD:

UDRP: The UDRP provides a mechanism for complainants to object to domain name registrations. The complainant files its objection with a UDRP provider and the domain name registrant has an opportunity to respond. The UDRP provider makes a decision based on the papers filed. If the complainant is successful, ownership of the domain name registration is transferred to the complainant. If the complainant is not successful, ownership of the domain name remains with the domain name registrant. The Lance Armstrong Foundation and entities operating on its behalf adhere to all decisions rendered by UDRP providers.
URS: As provided in the Applicant Guidebook, all registries are required to implement the URS. Similar to the UDRP, a complainant files its objection with a URS provider. The URS provider conducts an administrative review for compliance with filing requirements. If the complaint passes review, the URS provider notifies the registry operator and locks the domain. A lock means that the registry restricts all changes to the registration data, but the name will continue to resolve. After the domain is locked, the complaint is served to the domain name registrant, who has an opportunity to respond. If the complainant is successful, the registry operator is informed and the domain name is suspended for the balance of the registration period; the domain name will not resolve to the original website, but to an informational web page provided by the URS provider. If the complainant is not successful, the URS is terminated and full control of the domain name registration is returned to the domain name registrant. Similar to the existing UDRP, The Lance Armstrong Foundation and entities operating on its behalf adhere to decisions rendered by the URS providers.
PDDRP: As provided in the Applicant Guidebook, all registries are required to implement the PDDRP. The PDDRP provides a mechanism for a complainant to object to the registry operator’s manner of operation or use of the gTLD. The complainant files its objection with a PDDRP provider, who performs a threshold review. The registry operator has the opportunity to respond and the provider issues its determination based on the papers filed, although there may be opportunity for further discovery and a hearing. The Lance Armstrong Foundation participates in the PDDRP process as specified in the Applicant Guidebook.

Additional Measures Specific to Rights Protection. The Lance Armstrong Foundation provides additional measures against potentially abusive registrations. These measures help mitigate phishing, pharming, and other Internet security threats. The measures exceed the minimum requirements for RPMs defined by Specification 7 of the Registry Agreement and are available at the time of registration. These measures include:


Rapid Takedown or Suspension Based on Court Orders: The Lance Armstrong Foundation complies promptly with any order from a court of competent jurisdiction that directs it to take any action on a domain name that is within its technical capabilities as a TLD registry. These orders may be issued when abusive content, such as child pornography, counterfeit goods, or illegal pharmaceuticals, is associated with the domain name.
Anti-Abuse Process: The Lance Armstrong Foundation implements an anti-abuse process that is executed based on the type of domain name takedown requested. The anti-abuse process is for malicious exploitation of the DNS infrastructure, such as phishing, botnets, and malware.
Authentication Procedures: Verisign, The Lance Armstrong Foundation’s selected backend registry services provider, uses two-factor authentication to augment security protocols for telephone, email, and chat communications.
Registry Lock: This Verisign service allows registrants to lock a domain name at the registry level to protect against both unintended and malicious changes, deletions, and transfers. Only Verisign, as The Lance Armstrong Foundation’s backend registry services provider, can release the lock; thus all other entities that normally are permitted to update Shared Registration System (SRS) records are prevented from doing so. This lock is released only after the registrar makes the request to unlock.
Malware Code Identification: This safeguard reduces opportunities for abusive behaviors that use registered domain names in the gTLD. Registrants are often unknowing victims of malware exploits. As The Lance Armstrong Foundation’s backend registry services provider, Verisign has developed proprietary code to help identify malware in the zones it manages, which in turn helps registrars by identifying malicious code hidden in their domain names.
DNSSEC Signing Service: Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) helps mitigate pharming attacks that use cache poisoning to redirect unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites or addresses. It uses public key cryptography to digitally sign DNS data when it comes into the system and then validate it at its destination. The .livestrong gTLD is DNSSEC-enabled as part of Verisign’s core backend registry services.
3. Resourcing Plans
Resource Planning
Resource Planning Specific to Backend Registry Activities
Verisign, The Lance Armstrong Foundation’s selected backend registry services provider, is an experienced backend registry provider that has developed a set of proprietary resourcing models to project the number and type of personnel resources necessary to operate a TLD. Verisign routinely adjusts these staffing models to account for new tools and process innovations. These models enable Verisign to continually right-size its staff to accommodate projected demand and meet service level agreements as well as Internet security and stability requirements. Using the projected usage volume for the most likely scenario (defined in Question 46, Template 1 – Financial Projections: Most Likely) as an input to its staffing models, Verisign derived the necessary personnel levels required for this gTLD’s initial implementation and ongoing maintenance. Verisign’s pricing for the backend registry services it provides to The Lance Armstrong Foundation fully accounts for cost related to this infrastructure, which is provided as Line IIb.G, Total Critical Registry Function Cash Outflows, within the Question 46 financial projections response.
Verisign employs more than 1,040 individuals of which more than 775 comprise its technical work force. (Current statistics are publicly available in Verisign’s quarterly filings.) Drawing from this pool of on-hand and fully committed technical resources, Verisign has maintained DNS operational accuracy and stability 100 percent of the time for more than 13 years for .com, proving Verisign’s ability to align personnel resource growth to the scale increases of Verisign’s TLD service offerings.
Verisign projects it will use the following personnel roles, which are described in Section 5 of the response to Question 31, Technical Overview of Proposed Registry, to support the implementation of RPMs:
Customer Affairs Organization: 9
Customer Support Personnel: 36
Information Security Engineers: 11

To implement and manage the .livestrong gTLD as described in this application, Verisign, The Lance Armstrong Foundation’s selected backend registry services provider, scales, as needed, the size of each technical area now supporting its portfolio of TLDs. Consistent with its resource modeling, Verisign periodically reviews the level of work to be performed and adjusts staff levels for each technical area.
When usage projections indicate a need for additional staff, Verisign’s internal staffing group uses an in-place staffing process to identify qualified candidates. These candidates are then interviewed by the lead of the relevant technical area. By scaling one common team across all its TLDs instead of creating a new entity to manage only this proposed gTLD, Verisign realizes significant economies of scale and ensures its TLD best practices are followed consistently. This consistent application of best practices helps ensure the security and stability of both the Internet and this proposed gTLD, as Verisign holds all contributing staff members accountable to the same procedures that guide its execution of the Internet’s largest TLDs (i.e., .com and .net). Moreover, by augmenting existing teams, Verisign affords new employees the opportunity to be mentored by existing senior staff. This mentoring minimizes start-up learning curves and helps ensure that new staff members properly execute their duties.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.CAREERdotCareer LLCsecondgen.comView
1 MECHANISMS DESIGNED TO PREVENT ABUSIVE REGISTRATIONS

Rights protection is a core objective of dotCareer LLC (“DC”). DC will implement and adhere to any rights protection mechanisms (RPMs) that may be mandated from time to time by ICANN, including each mandatory RPM set forth in the Trademark Clearinghouse model contained in the Registry Agreement, specifically Specification 7. DC acknowledges that, at a minimum, ICANN requires a Sunrise period, a Trademark Claims period, and interaction with the Trademark Clearinghouse with respect to the registration of domain names for the .CAREER gTLD. It should be noted that because ICANN, as of the time of this application submission, has not issued final guidance with respect to the Trademark Clearinghouse, DC cannot fully detail the specific implementation of the Trademark Clearinghouse within this application. DC will adhere to all processes and procedures to comply with ICANN guidance once this guidance is finalized.

As described in this response, DC will implement a Sunrise period and Trademark Claims service with respect to the registration of domain names within the .CAREER gTLD. Certain aspects of the Sunrise period and⁄or Trademark Claims service may be administered on behalf of DC by DC-approved registrars or by subcontractors of DC, such as its selected backend registry services provider, Verisign.

Sunrise Period. As provided by the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook, the Sunrise service pre-registration procedure for domain names continues for at least 30 days prior to the launch of the general registration of domain names in the gTLD (unless DC decides to offer a longer Sunrise period).

During the Sunrise period, holders of marks that have been previously validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse receive notice of domain names that are an identical match (as defined in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook) to their mark(s). Such notice is in accordance with ICANN’s requirements and is provided by DC either directly or through DC-approved registrars.

DC requires all registrants, either directly or through DC-approved registrars, to i) affirm that said registrants meet the Sunrise Eligibility Requirements (SER) and ii) submit to the Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP) consistent with Section 6 of the Trademark Clearinghouse model. At a minimum DC recognizes and honors all word marks for which a proof of use was submitted and validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse as well as any additional eligibility requirements as specified in Question 18.

During the Sunrise period, DC and⁄or DC-approved registrars, as applicable, are responsible for determining whether each domain name is eligible to be registered (including in accordance with the SERs).

Trademark Claims Service. As provided by the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook, all new gTLDs will have to provide a Trademark Claims service for a minimum of 60 days after the launch of the general registration of domain names in the gTLD (Trademark Claims period).

During the Trademark Claims period, in accordance with ICANN’s requirements, DC or the DC-approved registrar will send a Trademark Claims Notice to any prospective registrant of a domain name that is an identical match (as defined in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook) to any mark that is validated in the Trademark Clearinghouse. The Trademark Claims Notice will include links to the Trademark Claims as listed in the Trademark Clearinghouse and will be provided at no cost.

Prior to registration of said domain name, DC or the DC-approved registrar will require each prospective registrant to provide the warranties dictated in the Trademark Clearinghouse model set forth in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook. Those warranties will include receipt and understanding of the Trademark Claims Notice and confirmation that registration and use of said domain name will not infringe on the trademark rights of the mark holders listed. Without receipt of said warranties, DC or the DC-approved registrar will not process the domain name registration.

Following the registration of a domain name, the DC-approved registrar will provide a notice of domain name registration to the holders of marks that have been previously validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse and are an identical match. This notice will be as dictated by ICANN. At a minimum DC will recognize and honor all word marks validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse.

2 MECHANISMS DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS THE ABUSIVE USE OF REGISTERED NAMES ON AN ONGOING BASIS

In addition to the Sunrise and Trademark Claims services described in Section 1 of this response, DC implements and adheres to RPMs post-launch as mandated by ICANN, and confirms that registrars accredited for the .CAREER gTLD are in compliance with these mechanisms. Certain aspects of these post-launch RPMs may be administered on behalf of DC by DC-approved registrars or by subcontractors of DC, such as its selected backend registry services provider, Verisign.

These post-launch RPMs include the established Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), as well as the newer Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS) and Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (PDDRP). Where applicable, DC will implement all determinations and decisions issued under the corresponding RPM.

After a domain name is registered, trademark holders can object to the registration through the UDRP or URS. Objections to the operation of the gTLD can be made through the PDDRP.

The following descriptions provide implementation details of each post-launch RPM for the .CAREER gTLD:

* UDRP: The UDRP provides a mechanism for complainants to object to domain name registrations. The complainant files its objection with a UDRP provider and the domain name registrant has an opportunity to respond. The UDRP provider makes a decision based on the papers filed. If the complainant is successful, ownership of the domain name registration is transferred to the complainant. If the complainant is not successful, ownership of the domain name remains with the domain name registrant. DC and entities operating on its behalf adhere to all decisions rendered by UDRP providers.

* URS: As provided in the Applicant Guidebook, all registries are required to implement the URS. Similar to the UDRP, a complainant files its objection with a URS provider. The URS provider conducts an administrative review for compliance with filing requirements. If the complaint passes review, the URS provider notifies the registry operator and locks the domain. A lock means that the registry restricts all changes to the registration data, but the name will continue to resolve. After the domain is locked, the complaint is served to the domain name registrant, who has an opportunity to respond. If the complainant is successful, the registry operator is informed and the domain name is suspended for the balance of the registration period; the domain name will not resolve to the original website, but to an informational web page provided by the URS provider. If the complainant is not successful, the URS is terminated and full control of the domain name registration is returned to the domain name registrant. Similar to the existing UDRP, DC and entities operating on its behalf adhere to decisions rendered by the URS providers.

* PDDRP: As provided in the Applicant Guidebook, all registries are required to implement the PDDRP. The PDDRP provides a mechanism for a complainant to object to the registry operator’s manner of operation or use of the gTLD. The complainant files its objection with a PDDRP provider, who performs a threshold review. The registry operator has the opportunity to respond and the provider issues its determination based on the papers filed, although there may be opportunity for further discovery and a hearing. DC participates in the PDDRP process as specified in the Applicant Guidebook.

Additional Measures Specific to Rights Protection. DC provides additional measures against potentially abusive registrations. These measures help mitigate phishing, pharming, and other Internet security threats. The measures exceed the minimum requirements for RPMs defined by Specification 7 of the Registry Agreement and are available at the time of registration. These measures include:

* Rapid Takedown or Suspension Based on Court Orders: DC complies promptly with any order from a court of competent jurisdiction that directs it to take any action on a domain name that is within its technical capabilities as a TLD registry. These orders may be issued when abusive content, such as child pornography, counterfeit goods, or illegal pharmaceuticals, is associated with the domain name.

* Anti-Abuse Process: DC implements an anti-abuse process that is executed on domain name takedown requests. The scope of the anti-abuse process includes malicious exploitation of the DNS infrastructure, such as phishing, botnets, and malware.

* Authentication Procedures: Verisign, DC’s selected backend registry services provider, uses two-factor authentication to augment security protocols for telephone, email, and chat communications.

* Registry Lock: This Verisign service allows registrants to lock a domain name at the registry level to protect against both unintended and malicious changes, deletions, and transfers. Only Verisign, as DC’s backend registry services provider, can release the lock; thus all other entities that normally are permitted to update Shared Registration System (SRS) records are prevented from doing so. This lock is released only after the registrar makes the request to unlock.

* Malware Code Identification: This safeguard reduces opportunities for abusive behaviors that use registered domain names in the gTLD. Registrants are often unknowing victims of malware exploits. As DC’s backend registry services provider, Verisign has developed proprietary code to help identify malware in the zones it manages, which in turn helps registrars by identifying malicious code hidden in their domain names.

* DNSSEC Signing Service: Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) helps mitigate pharming attacks that use cache poisoning to redirect unsuspecting users to fraudulent websites or addresses. It uses public key cryptography to digitally sign DNS data when it comes into the system and then validate it at its destination. The .CAREER gTLD is DNSSEC-enabled as part of Verisign’s core backend registry services.

3. RESOURCING PLANS

Resource Planning

Resourcing plans for the initial implementation of, and ongoing maintenance for, the rights protection mechanisms in Part 1 of the answer to this Question 29, except for those relating to eligibility requirements, are set forth in the answer to Question 49(a) – contingency planning (detailed further below). As ICANN has not issued final guidance with regard to the Trademark Clearinghouse, and particularly the costs associated with the Clearinghouse, subcontractors and backend providers, such as Verisign, have not been able to quote costs and resource allocations for implementation of the Clearinghouse and other RPMs which incorporate the Clearinghouse. DC will determine which entity(ies) will provide which services, and allocate costs and resources accordingly, once ICANN has determined a Clearinghouse cost and DC can determine subcontractor⁄Verisign pricing and availability. In any event, DC has a firm commitment from Verisign that, at minimum, Verisign will work with DC to provide all the necessary resources and services to implement and maintain the RPMs contemplated in this answer, and as set forth in Question 49(a), DC has allocated sufficient committed resources to ensure sufficient resources to cover Verisign’s (or other subcontractor’s) costs.

With regard to the other RPMs identified herein, DC’s management team is an experienced team which has managed an sTLD (.JOBS) for over six years and is well-acquainted with domain abuse prevention and mitigation.

DC internal operations for all RPMs will scale as needed to accommodate the volume and nature of all matters not handled by Verisign or subcontractors, including shifting allocations of time from the management team, General Counsel, Customer Support personnel and Technical Labor personnel. In the event registration volume and related income allow, and RPM matter volume dictates, additional personnel may be added to accommodate the matters, up to and including addition of a dedicated RPM Manager with a staff commensurate to need.

Costs for DC’s operations as detailed above are addressed in the response to Question 47. Specifically, $10,000 has been attributed to legal as part of general administrative expenses per year (see table 3 provided in response to Question 47). In addition, per the Financial Projections Template submitted in response to Question 46, $10,000 per year is budgeted under Other Operating Costs in case of unexpected contingencies, such as the use of outside legal counsel.

Resource Planning Specific to Backend Registry Activities

Verisign, DC’s selected backend registry services provider, is an experienced backend registry provider that has developed a set of proprietary resourcing models to project the number and type of personnel resources necessary to operate a TLD. Verisign routinely adjusts these staffing models to account for new tools and process innovations. These models enable Verisign to continually right-size its staff to accommodate projected demand and meet service level agreements as well as Internet security and stability requirements. Using the projected usage volume for the most likely scenario (defined in Question 46, Template 1 – Financial Projections: Most Likely) as an input to its staffing models, Verisign derived the necessary personnel levels required for this gTLD’s initial implementation and ongoing maintenance. Verisign’s pricing for the backend registry services it provides to DC fully accounts for cost related to this infrastructure, which is provided as Line IIb.G, Total Critical Registry Function Cash Outflows, within the Question 46 financial projections response.

Verisign employs more than 1,040 individuals of which more than 775 comprise its technical work force. (Current statistics are publicly available in Verisign’s quarterly filings.) Drawing from this pool of on-hand and fully committed technical resources, Verisign has maintained DNS operational accuracy and stability 100 percent of the time for more than 13 years for .com, proving Verisign’s ability to align personnel resource growth to the scale increases of Verisign’s TLD service offerings.

Verisign projects it will use the following personnel roles, which are described in Section 5 of the response to Question 31, Technical Overview of Proposed Registry, to support the implementation of RPMs:

* Customer Affairs Organization: 9
* Customer Support Personnel: 36
* Information Security Engineers: 11

To implement and manage the .CAREER gTLD as described in this application, Verisign, DC’s selected backend registry services provider, scales, as needed, the size of each technical area now supporting its portfolio of TLDs. Consistent with its resource modeling, Verisign periodically reviews the level of work to be performed and adjusts staff levels for each technical area.

When usage projections indicate a need for additional staff, Verisign’s internal staffing group uses an in-place staffing process to identify qualified candidates. These candidates are then interviewed by the lead of the relevant technical area. By scaling one common team across all its TLDs instead of creating a new entity to manage only this proposed gTLD, Verisign realizes significant economies of scale and ensures its TLD best practices are followed consistently. This consistent application of best practices helps ensure the security and stability of both the Internet and this proposed gTLD, as Verisign holds all contributing staff members accountable to the same procedures that guide its execution of the Internet’s largest TLDs (i.e., .com and .net). Moreover, by augmenting existing teams, Verisign affords new employees the opportunity to be mentored by existing senior staff. This mentoring minimizes start-up learning curves and helps ensure that new staff members properly execute their duties.