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:

I. Registrant Eligibility
Registrations within the community may be made by the following businesses, institutions, or organizations:

(a) Qualified subsidiaries and affiliates
(b) Merck foundations and related parties
(c) Approved licensees

As the operator of the .MERCK gTLD, MRH will take its responsibilities to the community extremely seriously. Due to the nature of the activities that will be conducted using the .MERCK gTLD, it is essential that registrations only be permitted by verified members of the community, namely qualified subsidiaries and affiliates of Merck, Merck foundations and related parties, as well as approved licensees. In addition to validating the eligibility of the registrant, a further requirement will be that all registered domain names comply with appropriate name selection and use measures.

To ensure strict compliance with these policies, the .MERCK gTLD will develop and implement a Registrant Eligibility Criteria Process. This process will require registrars qualified to distribute .MERCK domain names to gather materials from proposed registrants that will be used by the registry to authenticate the registrants’ eligibility as part of the community.

Furthermore, MRH will develop and implement a Registrant Eligibility Evaluation Process. This process will require registrars qualified to distribute .MERCK domain names to collect registrant information that will be used by MRH to authenticate that the registrant is a member of the Merck community. These requirements will be hard coded into the .MERCK Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA).

As part of the registration process of a .MERCK domain name, potential applicants must provide the registrar with the following information:
Registrant Name
Registrant Organization
Registrant Address
Registrant Phone
Registrant Email

Applicants who pass these eligibility tests will then be able to register their applied-for names. These names will then undergo a test to ensure compliance with the .MERCK content and use policy.

Domain Names that pass the pre-check will enter Pending Create status, and the .MERCK Registry Operator will validate each domain name and either approve or reject the create. Any registrant whose domain name fails the pre-check will be notified with reasons. Any registrant that is either denied initial registration of a domain or has their domain name suspended or canceled has the opportunity to appeal such action by MRH through an administrative procedure. In resolving this dispute, the administrative procedure will ensure that MRH has properly applied the terms and conditions of the .MERCK registrant agreement. Additionally, this administrative procedure shall be binding and non-appealable.

MRH will randomly audit all approved registrants and their second-level domains to ensure compliance with all applicable eligibility and use requirements.

II. Name Selection: What Types of Second-Level Names may be Registered in the gTLD.
At the time of filing this application, MRH has not yet finalized the specific name selection criteria. When this criteria is finalize it will be publicly posted on the MRH website.

III. Content Use
MRH has not yet finalized an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). A draft policy has been included in response to Question 28 of this application, but has not yet been finalized by Merck’s legal team. Such approval and posting of the policy will be done in advance of the launch of the registry.

IV. Enforcement
MRH will enforce the AUP (which is still subject to legal review) during the term of the .MERCK Registry Agreement.
MRH will have complete enforcement rights over registrants’ use of their .MERCK domain names. If a registrant violates the then in effect AUP, the registrant will be in material breach of the Agreement, and along with all other rights and remedies that MRH has under this Agreement with respect to such a breach, MRH reserves the right to revoke, suspend, terminate, cancel, or otherwise modify the registrant’s rights to the domain name.
On a regular basis, MRH will randomly audit domain names registered in the .MERCK gTLD to ensure compliance with all eligibility and use criteria. If a violation is discovered, an investigation will immediately begin to rectify the violation.

If an applicant chooses to appeal, MRH will review the appeal to determine if there are any material changes to the action or activity. MRH will retain the right to assign the dispute to an ombudsman if necessary.

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