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18(c) What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.MERCKMerck Registry Holdings, Inc.fairwindspartners.comView
18.3.1 What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs (e.g., time or financial resource costs, as well as various types of consumer vulnerabilities)?

MRH has proposed operating rules to limit registration to MRH and potentially qualified subsidiaries and affiliates and will provide a trusted online environment for end-users.

Therefore, one way in which social costs will be eliminated is that there will be no defensive need for other trademark and brand owners to register second-level domains in the .MERCK gTLD. In addition, the .MERCK gTLD will provide end-users with a trusted source for MRH information, goods, and services.

18.3.2 What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences⁄costs imposed upon consumers?

MRH believes that the proposed operation of the .MERCK gTLD as set forth in this application has no known negative consequences or cost implications to end users. On the contrary, the proposed operation of this registry will likely lead to direct and quantifiable benefits to end users.

18.3.3 How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come⁄first-serve basis?

MRH does not envision multiple applicants for the same domain name, as domain names will only be allocated to its parent company, MSD, and potentially MSD’s qualified subsidiaries and affiliates.

18.3.4 Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).

MRH does not envision any advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, or bulk registration discounts at this time because these marketing⁄commercial initiatives are inconsistent with the mission and purpose of the .MERCK gTLD as a trusted online source identifier for MSD, and potentially its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates.

Moreover, it is the current intention of MSD to have MRH provide domain name registrations initially at no cost, at least for the first five years of operation.

However, the company reserves the right to reevaluate this decision and may choose to impose a fee in the future. Any potential registrant fees imposed upon licensees or strategic parties will be commensurate with commercial agreements and made if this class of registrants is permitted to register domain names in the .MERCK gTLD.

18.3.5 Note that the Registry Agreement requires that registrars be offered the option to obtain initial domain name registrations for periods of one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar, but no greater than ten years. Additionally, the Registry Agreement requires advance written notice of price increases. Do you intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation? If so, please describe your plans.

MRH is committed to providing the domain name registration periods set forth in the Registry Agreement. Moreover, it is the current intention of MSD to have MRH provide domain name registrations initially at no cost, at least for the first five years of operation. Therefore, providing contractual commitments in a domain name Registrant Agreement regarding the magnitude of price escalations does not seem relevant or appropriate. MRH acknowledges that the current template Registry Agreement requires that the Registry Operator “shall offer registrars the option to obtain registration periods for one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar.”

MRH acknowledges that the current template Registry Agreement requires that the Registry Operator “shall offer registrars the option to obtain registration periods for one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar.” However, MSD, as the sole registrant within the .MERCK gTLD, intends to only register domain names on an annual basis through a single registrar.

This is done to better account for costs on an annual basis as well as to provide for more concise financial statements in Question 46, (e.g., no multi-year registration or deferred revenue).
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.CAPITALONECapital One Financial Corporationfairwindspartners.comView
18.3.1 What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs (e.g., time or financial resource costs, as well as various types of consumer vulnerabilities)?

Capital One believes that its proposed plan to initially limit registration to Capital One and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates will provide a trusted online environment for consumers of Capital One’s financial products and services, and will thus minimize social costs. Therefore, there is no need for other trademark and brand owners to make defensive registrations in the gTLD. This verified ecosystem would also provide consumers with a single, secure source for Capital One content and information online, with a substantially lower risk of fraud and⁄or scams for its customers. Capital One’s expectation is that the usage of the .CAPITALONE gTLD will eliminate many of the vulnerabilities that Capital One consumers face in the wider Internet today.

18.3.2 What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences⁄costs imposed upon consumers?

Capital One believes that the proposed operation of the .CAPITALONE gTLD as set forth in this application has no known negative consequences or cost implications for consumers. To the contrary, the proposed operation of this registry, including Capital Oneʹs commitment to follow the core corporate values, will likely lead to direct benefits to consumers as outlined above.

18.3.3 How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come⁄first-serve basis?

Capital One does not envision multiple applicants for the same domain name, as domain names will initially only be allocated to Capital One and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates in accordance with the business strategy set forth in this application.

18.3.4 Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).

Capital One does not plan to implement advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, or bulk registration discounts. These marketing⁄commercial initiatives are inconsistent with the mission and purpose of the .CAPITALONE gTLD as a trusted online source identifier for Capital One and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. Moreover, it is the current intention of Capital One to provide domain name registrations to itself and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates at no cost, though the company reserves the right to re-evaluate this decision and may choose to impose a nominal fee in the future. Any potential registrant fees imposed upon licensees and strategic partners will be made in the future if this class of registrants are permitted to register domain names in the .CAPITALONE gTLD.

18.3.5 Note that the Registry Agreement requires that registrars be offered the option to obtain initial domain name registrations for periods of one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar, but no greater than ten years. Additionally, the Registry Agreement requires advance written notice of price increases. Do you intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation? If so, please describe your plans.

Capital One is committed to providing the domain name registration periods set forth in the Registry Agreement. However, as a branded gTLD, the registration and use of the domain name is conditioned upon a separate affiliate relationship with Capital One. Therefore, providing contractual commitments in a domain name registrant agreement regarding the magnitude of price escalations does not seem relevant or appropriate. Additionally, as noted above, the current business model envisions Capital One providing domain name registrations to itself and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates at no cost.

Capital One acknowledges that the current template Registry Agreement requires that the Registry Operator “shall offer registrars the option to obtain registration periods for one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar.” However, Capital One and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates, as the sole registrants within the .CAPITALONE gTLD will only be registering domain names on an annual basis. This is done to better account for costs on an annual basis as well as to provide for more concise financial statements in Question 46 of this application; therefore there will be no multi-year registrations or deferred revenue.