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29 Rights Protection Mechanisms

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.tubeBoss Castle, LLCdonuts.coView
Q29 Standard CHAR: 25023


1.0. INTRODUCTION

To minimize abusive registrations and other activities that affect the legal rights of others, our approach includes well-developed policies for rights protection, both during our TLD’s rollout period and on an ongoing basis. As per gTLD Registry Agreement Specification 7, we will offer a Sunrise Period and a Trademark Claims service during the required time periods, we will use the Trademark Clearinghouse, and we will implement Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) on an ongoing basis. In addition to these newly mandated ICANN protections, we will implement two other trademark protections that were developed specifically for the new TLD program. These additional protections are: (i) a Domain Protected Marks List (DPML) for the blocking of trademarked strings across multiple TLDs; and (ii) a Claims Plus product to alert registrars to registrations that potentially infringe existing marks.

Below we detail how we will fulfill these requirements and further meet or exceed ICANN’s requirements. We also describe how we will provide additional measures specific to rights protection above ICANN’s minimum, including abusive use policies, takedown procedures, and other covenants.

Our RPM approach leverages staff with extensive experience in a large number of gTLD and ccTLD rollouts, including the Sunrises for .CO, .MOBI, .ASIA, .EU, .BIZ, .US., .TRAVEL, TEL, .ME, and .XXX. This staff will utilize their first-hand, practical experience and will effectively manage all aspects of Sunrise, including domain application and domain dispute processes.

The legal regime for our gTLD will include all of the ICANN-mandated protections, as well as some independently developed RPMs proactively included in our Registry-Registrar Agreement. Our RPMs exceed the ICANN-required baseline. They are:

- Reserved names: to protect names specified by ICANN, including the necessary geographic names.
- A Sunrise Period: adhering to ICANN requirements, and featuring trademark validation via the Trademark Clearinghouse.
- A Trademark Claims Service: offered as per ICANN requirements, and active after the Sunrise period and for the required time during wider availability of the TLD.
- Universal Rapid Suspension (URS)
- Uniform Dispute Resolution Process (UDRP)
- Domain Protected Marks List (DPML)
- Claims Plus
- Abusive Use and Takedown Policies



2.0. NARRATIVE FOR Q29 FIGURE 1 OF 1

Attachment A, Figure 1, shows Rollout Phases and the RPMs that will be used in each. As per gTLD Registry Agreement Specification 7, we will offer a Sunrise Period and a Trademark Claims service during the required time periods. In addition, we will use the Trademark Clearinghouse to implement URS on an ongoing basis.

3.0. PRE-SUNRISE: RESERVED AND PREMIUM NAMES

Our Pre-sunrise phase will include a number of key practices and procedures. First, we will reserve the names noted in the gTLD Registry Agreement Specification 5. These domains will not be available in Sunrise or subsequent registration periods. As per Specification 5, Section 5, we will provide national governments the opportunity to request the release of their country and territory names for their use. Please also see our response to Question 22, “Protection of Geographic Names.”

We also will designate certain domains as “premium” domains. These will include domains based on generic words and one-character domains. These domains will not be available in Sunrise, and the registry may offer them via special means such as auctions and RFPs.

As an additional measure, if a trademark owner objects to a name on the premium name list, the trademark owner may petition to have the name removed from the list and made available during Sunrise. The trademark must meet the Sunrise eligibility rules (see below), and be an exact match for the domain in question. Determinations of whether such domains will be moved to Sunrise will be at the registry’s sole discretion.

4.0. SUNRISE

4.1. SUNRISE OVERVIEW

Sunrise registration services will be offered for a minimum of 30 days during the pre-launch phase. We will notify all relevant trademark holders in the Trademark Clearinghouse if any party is seeking a Sunrise registration that is an identical match to the name to be registered during Sunrise.

As per the Sunrise terms, affirmed via the Registry-Registrar Agreement and the Registrar-Registrant Agreement, the domain applicant will assert that it is qualified to hold the domain applied for as per the Sunrise Policy and Rules.

We will use the Trademark Clearinghouse to validate trademarks in the Sunrise.

If there are multiple valid Sunrise applications for the same domain name string, that string will be subject to auction between only the validated applicants. After receipt of payment from the auction winning bidder, that party will become the registrant of the domain name. (note: in the event one of the identical, contending marks is in a trademark classification reflective of the TLD precedence to that mark may be given during Sunrise).

Sunrise applicants may not use proxy services during the application process.

4.2. SUNRISE: ELIGIBLE RIGHTS

Our Sunrise Eligibility Requirements (SERs) are:

1. Ownership of a qualifying mark.

a. We will honor the criteria in ICANN’s Trademark Clearinghouse document section 7.2, number (i): The registry will recognize and honor all word marks that are nationally or regionally [see Endnote 1] registered and for which proof of use — which can be a declaration and a single specimen of current use – was submitted to, and validated by, the Trademark Clearinghouse.

b. In addition, we may accept marks that are not found in the Trademark Clearinghouse, but meet other criteria, such as national trademark registrations or common law rights.

2. Representation by the applicant that all provided information is true and correct; and

3. Provision of data sufficient to document rights in the trademark. (See information about required Sunrise fields, below).


4.3. SUNRISE TRADEMARK VALIDATION

Our goal is to award Sunrise names only to applicants who are fully qualified to have them. An applicant will be deemed to be qualified if that applicant has a trademark that meets the Sunrise criteria, and is seeking a domain name that matches that trademark, as per the Sunrise rules.

Accordingly, we will validate applications via the Trademark Clearinghouse. We will compare applications to the Trademark Clearinghouse database, and those that match (as per the Sunrise rules) will be considered valid applications.

An application validated according to Sunrise rules will be marked as “validated,” and will proceed. (See “Contending Applications,” below.) If an application does not qualify, it will be rejected and will not proceed.

To defray the costs of trademark validation and the Trademark Claims Service, we will charge an application and⁄or validation fee for every application.

In January 2012, the ICANN board was briefed that “An ICANN cross-functional team is continuing work on implementation of the Trademark Clearinghouse according to a project plan providing for a launch of clearinghouse operations in October 2012. This will allow approximately three months for rights holders to begin recording trademark data in the Clearinghouse before any new gTLDs begin accepting registrations (estimated in January 2013).” (http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄en⁄minutes⁄board-briefing-materials-4-05jan12-en.pdf) The Clearinghouse Implementation Assistance Group (IAG), which Donuts is participating in, is working through a large number of process and technical issues as of this writing. We will follow the progress of this work, and plan our implementation details based on the final specifications.

Compliant with ICANN policy, our registry software is designed to properly check domains and compare them to marks in the Clearinghouse that contain punctuation, spaces, and special symbols.

4.5. CONTENDING APPLICATIONS, SUNRISE AUCTIONS

After conclusion of the Sunrise Period, the registry will finish the validation process. If there is only one valid application for a domain string, the domain will be awarded to that applicant. If there are two or more valid applications for a domain string, only those applicants will be invited to participate in a closed auction for the domain name. The domain will be awarded to the auction winner after payment is received.

After a Sunrise name is awarded to an applicant, it will then remain under a “Sunrise lock” status for a minimum of 60 days in order to allow parties to file Sunrise Challenges (see below). Locked domains cannot be updated, transferred, or deleted.

When a domain is awarded and granted to an applicant, that domain will be available for lookup in the public Whois. Any party may then see what domains have been awarded, and to which registrants. Parties will therefore have the necessary information to consider Sunrise Challenges.

Auctions will be conducted by very specific rules and ethics guidelines. All employees, partners, and contractors of the registry are prohibited from participating in Sunrise auctions.

4.6. SUNRISE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCESS (SUNRISE CHALLENGES)

We will retain the services of a well-known dispute resolution provider (such as WIPO) to help formulate the language of our Sunrise Dispute Resolution Process (SDRP, or “Sunrise Challenge”) and hear the challenges filed under it. All applicants and registrars will be contractually obligated to follow the decisions handed down by the dispute resolution provider.

Our SDRP will allow challenges based on the following grounds, as required by ICANN. These will be part of the Sunrise eligibility criteria that all registrants (applicants) will be bound to contractually:

(i) at the time the challenged domain name was registered, the registrant did not hold a trademark registration of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty;

(ii) the domain name is not identical to the mark on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration;

(iii) the trademark registration on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration is not of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty; or

(iv) the trademark registration on which the domain name registrant based its Sunrise registration did not issue on or before the effective date of the Registry Agreement and was not applied for on or before ICANN announced the applications received.

Our SDRP will be based generally on some SDRPs that have been used successfully in past TLD launches. The Sunrise Challenge Policies and Rules used in the .ASIA and .MOBI TLDs (minus their unique eligibility criteria) are examples.

We expect that that there will be three possible outcomes to a Sunrise Challenge:

1. Original registrant proves his⁄her right to the domain. In this case the registrant keeps the domain and it is unlocked for his⁄her use.
2. Original registrant is not eligible or did not respond, and the challenger proved his⁄her right to the domain. In this case the domains is awarded to the complainant.
3. Neither the original registrant nor the complainant proves rights to the domain. In this case the domain is cancelled and becomes available at a later date via a mechanism to be determined by the registry operator.

After any Sunrise name is awarded to an applicant, it will remain under a “Sunrise Lock” status for at least 60 days so that parties can file Sunrise Challenges. During this Sunrise Lock period, the domain will not resolve and cannot be modified, transferred, or deleted by the sponsoring registrar. A domain name will be unlocked at the end of that lock period only if it is not subject to a Sunrise Challenge. Challenged domains will remain locked until the dispute resolution provider has issued a decision, which the registry will promptly execute.

5.0. TRADEMARK CLAIMS SERVICES

The Trademark Claims Service requirements are well-defined in the Applicant Guidebook, in Section 6 of the “Trademark Clearinghouse” attachment. We will comply with the details therein. We will provide Trademark Claims services for marks in the Trademark Clearinghouse post-Sunrise and then for at least the first 60 days that the registry is open for general registration (i.e. during the first 60 days in the registration period(s) after Sunrise). The Trademark Claims service will provide clear notice to a prospective registrant that another party has a trademark in the Clearinghouse that matches the applied-for domain name—this is a notice to the prospective registrant that it might be infringing upon another party’s rights.

The Trademark Clearinghouse database will be structured to report to registries when registrants are attempting to register a domain name that is considered an “Identical Match” with the mark in the Clearinghouse. We will build, test, and implement an interface to the Trademark Clearinghouse before opening our Sunrise period. As domain name applications come into the registry, those strings will be compared to the contents of the Clearinghouse.

If the domain name is registered in the Clearinghouse, the registry will promptly notify the applicant. We will use the notice form specified in ICANN’s Module 4, “Trademark Clearinghouse” document. The specific statement by the prospective registrant will warrant that: (i) the prospective registrant has received notification that the mark(s) is included in the Clearinghouse; (ii) the prospective registrant has received and understood the notice; and (iii) to the best of the prospective registrant’s knowledge, the registration and use of the requested domain name will not infringe on the rights that are the subject of the notice.

The Trademark Claims Notice will provide the prospective registrant access to the Trademark Clearinghouse Database information referenced in the Trademark Claims Notice. The notice will be provided in real time (or as soon as possible) without cost to the prospective registrant or to those notified.

“Identical Match” is defined in ICANN’s Module 4, “Trademark Clearinghouse” document, paragraph 6.1.5. We will examine the Clearinghouse specifications and protocol carefully when they are published. To comply with ICANN policy, the software for our registry will properly check domains and compare them to marks in the Clearinghouse that contain punctuation, spaces, and special symbols.

6.0. GENERAL REGISTRATION

This is the general registration period open to all registrants. No trademark or other qualification will be necessary in order to apply for a domain in this period.

Domain names awarded via the Sunrise process, and domain strings still being contended via the Sunrise process cannot be registered in this period. This will protect the interests of all Sunrise applicants.

7.0. UNIFORM RAPID SUSPENSION (URS)

We will implement decisions rendered under the URS on an ongoing basis. (URS will not apply to Sunrise names while they are in Sunrise Lock period; during that time those domains are subject to Sunrise policy and Sunrise Challenge instead.)

As per URS policy, the registry will receive notice of URS actions from ICANN-approved URS providers. As per ICANN’s URS requirements, we will lock the domain within 24 hours of receipt of the Notice of Complaint from the URS Provider. Locking means that the registry restricts all changes to the registration data, including transfer and deletion of domain names, though names will continue to resolve.

Our registry’s compliance team will oversee URS procedures. URS e-mails from URS providers will be directed immediately to the registry’s Support staff, which is on duty 24⁄7⁄365. Support staff will be responsible for executing the directives from the URS provider, and all support staff will receive training in the proper procedures.

Support staff will notify the URS Provider immediately upon locking the domain name, via e-mail.

Support staff for the registry will retain all copies of e-mails from the URS providers. Each case or order will be assigned a tracking or ticket number. This number will be used to track the status of each opened URS case through to resolution via a database.

Registry staff will then execute further operations upon notice from the URS providers. Each URS provider is required to specify the remedy and required actions of the registry, with notification to the registrant, the complainant, and the sponsoring registrar.

The guidelines provide that if the complainant prevails, the registry “shall suspend the domain name, which shall remain suspended for the balance of the registration period and would not resolve to the original web site. The nameservers shall be redirected to an informational web page provided by the URS Provider about the URS. The WHOIS for the domain name shall continue to display all of the information of the original Registrant except for the redirection of the nameservers. In addition, the WHOIS shall reflect that the domain name will not be able to be transferred, deleted or modified for the life of the registration.” We will execute the DNS re-pointing required by the URS guidelines, and the domain and its WHOIS data will remain unaltered until the domain expires, as per the ICANN requirements.

8.0. ONGOING RIGHTS PROTECTION MECHANISMS - UDRP

As per ICANN policy, all domains in the TLD will be subject to a Uniform Dispute Resolution Process (UDRP). (Sunrise domains will first be subject to the ICANN-mandated Sunrise SDRP until the Sunrise Challenge period is over, after which those domains will then be subject to UDRP.)

9.0 ADDITIONAL RIGHTS PROTECTION MECHANISMS NOT REQUIRED BY ICANN

All Donuts TLDs have two new trademark protection mechanisms developed specifically for the new TLD program. These mechanisms exceed the extensive protections mandated by ICANN. These new protections are:

9.1 Claims Plus: This service will become available at the conclusion of the Trademark Claims service, and will remain available for at least the first five years of registry operations. Trademark owners who are fully registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse may obtain Claims Plus for their marks. We expect the service will be at low or no cost to trademark owners (contingent on Trademark Clearinghouse costs to registries). Claims Plus operates much like Trademark Claims with the exception that notices of potential trademark infringement are sent by the registry to any registrar whose customer performs a check-command or Whois query for a string subject to Claims Plus. Registrars may then take further implementation steps to advise their customers, or use this data to better improve the customer experience. In addition, the Whois at the registry website will output a full Trademark Claims notice for any query of an unregistered name that is subject to Claims Plus. (Note: The ongoing availability of Claims Plus will be contingent on continued access to a Trademark Clearinghouse. The technical viability of some Claims Plus features will be affected by eventual Trademark Clearinghouse rules on database caching).

9.2 Domain Protected Marks List: The DPML is a rights protection mechanism to assist trademark holders in protecting their intellectual property against undesired registrations of strings containing their marks. The DPML prevents (blocks) registration of second level domains that contain a trademarked term (note: the standard for DPML is “contains”— the protected string must contain the trademarked term). DPML requests will be validated against the Trademark Clearinghouse and the process will be similar to registering a domain name so the process will not be onerous to trademark holders. An SLD subject to DPML will be protected at the second level across all Donuts TLDs (i.e. all TLDs for which this SLD is available for registration). Donuts may cooperate with other registries to extend DPML to TLDs that are not operated by Donuts. The cost of DPML to trademark owners is expected to be significantly less than the cost of actually registering a name.

10.0 ABUSIVE USE POLICIES AND TAKEDOWN PROCEDURES

In our response to Question #28, we describe our anti-abuse program, which is designed to address malware, phishing, spam, and other forms of abuse that may harm Internet users. This program is designed to actively discover, verify, and mitigate problems without infringing upon the rights of legitimate registrants. This program is designed for use in the open registration period. These procedures include the reporting of compromised websites⁄domains to registrars for cleanup by the registrants and their hosting providers. It also describes takedown procedures, and the timeframes and circumstances that apply for suspending domain names used improperly. Please see the response to Question #28 for full details.

We will institute a contractual obligation that proxy protection be stripped away if a domain is proven to be used for malicious purposes. For details, please see “Proxy⁄Privacy Service Policy to Curb Abuse” in the response to Question 28.

11.0. REGISTRY-REGISTRAR CODE OF CONDUCT AS RELATED TO RIGHTS PROTECTION

We will comply fully with the Registry Code of Conduct specified in the New TLD Registry Agreement, Specification 9. In rights protection matters, we will comply by establishing an adequate “firewall” between the operations of any registrar we establish and the operations of the registry. As the Code requires, we will not “directly or indirectly show any preference or provide any special consideration to any registrar with respect to operational access to registry systems and related registry services”. Here is a non-exhaustive list of specific steps we will take to accomplish this:

- We will evaluate and execute upon all rights protection tasks impartially, using the same criteria and procedures, regardless of a domain’s sponsoring registrar.
- Any registrar we establish or have established at the time of registry launch will not receive preferential access to any premium names, any auctions, etc. Registry personnel and any registrar personnel that we may employ in the future will be prohibited from participating as bidders in any auctions for Landrush names.
- Any registrar staff we may employ in the future will have access to data and records relating only to the applications and registrations made by any registrar we establish, and will not have special access to data related to the applications and registrations made by other registrars.
- If a compliance function is involved, the compliance staffer will be responsible to the registry only, and not to a registrar we own or are “affiliated” with. For example, if a compliance staff member is assigned to conduct audits of WHOIS data, that staffer will not have duties with the registrar business. The staffer will be free of conflicts of interest, and will be enabled to discharge his or her duties to the registry effectively and impartially, regardless of the consequences to the registrar.

12.0. RESOURCING PLAN

Overall management of RPMs is the responsibility of Donuts’ VP of Business Operations. Our back-end registry operator will perform the majority of operational work associated with RPMs, as required by our agreement with them. Donuts VP of Business Operations will supervise the activity of this vendor.

Resources applied to RPMs include:

1. Legal team
a. We will have at least one legal counsel who will be dedicated to the registry with previous experience in domain disputes and Sunrise periods and will oversee the compliance and support teams with regard to the legal issues related to Sunrise and RPM’s
b. We have outside counsel with domain and rights protection experience that is available to us as necessary
2. Dispute Resolution Provider (DRP): The DRP will help formulate Sunrise Rules and Policy, Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy. The DRP will also examine challenges, but the challenger will be required to pay DRP fees directly to the DRP.
3. Compliance Department and Tech Support: There will be three dedicated personnel assigned to these areas. This staff will oversee URS requests and abuse reports on an ongoing basis.
4. Programming and technical operations. There are four dedicated personnel assigned to these functions.
5. Project Manager: There will be one person to coordinate the technical needs of this group with the registry IT department.

13.0. ENDNOTES

1 “Regional” is understood to be a trans-national trademark registry, such as the European Union registry or the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property.


gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.boatsBlack Shadow, LLCdonuts.coView
Q29 Standard CHAR: 25023


1.0. INTRODUCTION

To minimize abusive registrations and other activities that affect the legal rights of others, our approach includes well-developed policies for rights protection, both during our TLD’s rollout period and on an ongoing basis. As per gTLD Registry Agreement Specification 7, we will offer a Sunrise Period and a Trademark Claims service during the required time periods, we will use the Trademark Clearinghouse, and we will implement Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) on an ongoing basis. In addition to these newly mandated ICANN protections, we will implement two other trademark protections that were developed specifically for the new TLD program. These additional protections are: (i) a Domain Protected Marks List (DPML) for the blocking of trademarked strings across multiple TLDs; and (ii) a Claims Plus product to alert registrars to registrations that potentially infringe existing marks.

Below we detail how we will fulfill these requirements and further meet or exceed ICANN’s requirements. We also describe how we will provide additional measures specific to rights protection above ICANN’s minimum, including abusive use policies, takedown procedures, and other covenants.

Our RPM approach leverages staff with extensive experience in a large number of gTLD and ccTLD rollouts, including the Sunrises for .CO, .MOBI, .ASIA, .EU, .BIZ, .US., .TRAVEL, TEL, .ME, and .XXX. This staff will utilize their first-hand, practical experience and will effectively manage all aspects of Sunrise, including domain application and domain dispute processes.

The legal regime for our gTLD will include all of the ICANN-mandated protections, as well as some independently developed RPMs proactively included in our Registry-Registrar Agreement. Our RPMs exceed the ICANN-required baseline. They are:

- Reserved names: to protect names specified by ICANN, including the necessary geographic names.
- A Sunrise Period: adhering to ICANN requirements, and featuring trademark validation via the Trademark Clearinghouse.
- A Trademark Claims Service: offered as per ICANN requirements, and active after the Sunrise period and for the required time during wider availability of the TLD.
- Universal Rapid Suspension (URS)
- Uniform Dispute Resolution Process (UDRP)
- Domain Protected Marks List (DPML)
- Claims Plus
- Abusive Use and Takedown Policies



2.0. NARRATIVE FOR Q29 FIGURE 1 OF 1

Attachment A, Figure 1, shows Rollout Phases and the RPMs that will be used in each. As per gTLD Registry Agreement Specification 7, we will offer a Sunrise Period and a Trademark Claims service during the required time periods. In addition, we will use the Trademark Clearinghouse to implement URS on an ongoing basis.

3.0. PRE-SUNRISE: RESERVED AND PREMIUM NAMES

Our Pre-sunrise phase will include a number of key practices and procedures. First, we will reserve the names noted in the gTLD Registry Agreement Specification 5. These domains will not be available in Sunrise or subsequent registration periods. As per Specification 5, Section 5, we will provide national governments the opportunity to request the release of their country and territory names for their use. Please also see our response to Question 22, “Protection of Geographic Names.”

We also will designate certain domains as “premium” domains. These will include domains based on generic words and one-character domains. These domains will not be available in Sunrise, and the registry may offer them via special means such as auctions and RFPs.

As an additional measure, if a trademark owner objects to a name on the premium name list, the trademark owner may petition to have the name removed from the list and made available during Sunrise. The trademark must meet the Sunrise eligibility rules (see below), and be an exact match for the domain in question. Determinations of whether such domains will be moved to Sunrise will be at the registry’s sole discretion.

4.0. SUNRISE

4.1. SUNRISE OVERVIEW

Sunrise registration services will be offered for a minimum of 30 days during the pre-launch phase. We will notify all relevant trademark holders in the Trademark Clearinghouse if any party is seeking a Sunrise registration that is an identical match to the name to be registered during Sunrise.

As per the Sunrise terms, affirmed via the Registry-Registrar Agreement and the Registrar-Registrant Agreement, the domain applicant will assert that it is qualified to hold the domain applied for as per the Sunrise Policy and Rules.

We will use the Trademark Clearinghouse to validate trademarks in the Sunrise.

If there are multiple valid Sunrise applications for the same domain name string, that string will be subject to auction between only the validated applicants. After receipt of payment from the auction winning bidder, that party will become the registrant of the domain name. (note: in the event one of the identical, contending marks is in a trademark classification reflective of the TLD precedence to that mark may be given during Sunrise).

Sunrise applicants may not use proxy services during the application process.

4.2. SUNRISE: ELIGIBLE RIGHTS

Our Sunrise Eligibility Requirements (SERs) are:

1. Ownership of a qualifying mark.

a. We will honor the criteria in ICANN’s Trademark Clearinghouse document section 7.2, number (i): The registry will recognize and honor all word marks that are nationally or regionally [see Endnote 1] registered and for which proof of use — which can be a declaration and a single specimen of current use – was submitted to, and validated by, the Trademark Clearinghouse.

b. In addition, we may accept marks that are not found in the Trademark Clearinghouse, but meet other criteria, such as national trademark registrations or common law rights.

2. Representation by the applicant that all provided information is true and correct; and

3. Provision of data sufficient to document rights in the trademark. (See information about required Sunrise fields, below).


4.3. SUNRISE TRADEMARK VALIDATION

Our goal is to award Sunrise names only to applicants who are fully qualified to have them. An applicant will be deemed to be qualified if that applicant has a trademark that meets the Sunrise criteria, and is seeking a domain name that matches that trademark, as per the Sunrise rules.

Accordingly, we will validate applications via the Trademark Clearinghouse. We will compare applications to the Trademark Clearinghouse database, and those that match (as per the Sunrise rules) will be considered valid applications.

An application validated according to Sunrise rules will be marked as “validated,” and will proceed. (See “Contending Applications,” below.) If an application does not qualify, it will be rejected and will not proceed.

To defray the costs of trademark validation and the Trademark Claims Service, we will charge an application and⁄or validation fee for every application.

In January 2012, the ICANN board was briefed that “An ICANN cross-functional team is continuing work on implementation of the Trademark Clearinghouse according to a project plan providing for a launch of clearinghouse operations in October 2012. This will allow approximately three months for rights holders to begin recording trademark data in the Clearinghouse before any new gTLDs begin accepting registrations (estimated in January 2013).” (http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄en⁄minutes⁄board-briefing-materials-4-05jan12-en.pdf) The Clearinghouse Implementation Assistance Group (IAG), which Donuts is participating in, is working through a large number of process and technical issues as of this writing. We will follow the progress of this work, and plan our implementation details based on the final specifications.

Compliant with ICANN policy, our registry software is designed to properly check domains and compare them to marks in the Clearinghouse that contain punctuation, spaces, and special symbols.

4.5. CONTENDING APPLICATIONS, SUNRISE AUCTIONS

After conclusion of the Sunrise Period, the registry will finish the validation process. If there is only one valid application for a domain string, the domain will be awarded to that applicant. If there are two or more valid applications for a domain string, only those applicants will be invited to participate in a closed auction for the domain name. The domain will be awarded to the auction winner after payment is received.

After a Sunrise name is awarded to an applicant, it will then remain under a “Sunrise lock” status for a minimum of 60 days in order to allow parties to file Sunrise Challenges (see below). Locked domains cannot be updated, transferred, or deleted.

When a domain is awarded and granted to an applicant, that domain will be available for lookup in the public Whois. Any party may then see what domains have been awarded, and to which registrants. Parties will therefore have the necessary information to consider Sunrise Challenges.

Auctions will be conducted by very specific rules and ethics guidelines. All employees, partners, and contractors of the registry are prohibited from participating in Sunrise auctions.

4.6. SUNRISE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCESS (SUNRISE CHALLENGES)

We will retain the services of a well-known dispute resolution provider (such as WIPO) to help formulate the language of our Sunrise Dispute Resolution Process (SDRP, or “Sunrise Challenge”) and hear the challenges filed under it. All applicants and registrars will be contractually obligated to follow the decisions handed down by the dispute resolution provider.

Our SDRP will allow challenges based on the following grounds, as required by ICANN. These will be part of the Sunrise eligibility criteria that all registrants (applicants) will be bound to contractually:

(i) at the time the challenged domain name was registered, the registrant did not hold a trademark registration of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty;

(ii) the domain name is not identical to the mark on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration;

(iii) the trademark registration on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration is not of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty; or

(iv) the trademark registration on which the domain name registrant based its Sunrise registration did not issue on or before the effective date of the Registry Agreement and was not applied for on or before ICANN announced the applications received.

Our SDRP will be based generally on some SDRPs that have been used successfully in past TLD launches. The Sunrise Challenge Policies and Rules used in the .ASIA and .MOBI TLDs (minus their unique eligibility criteria) are examples.

We expect that that there will be three possible outcomes to a Sunrise Challenge:

1. Original registrant proves his⁄her right to the domain. In this case the registrant keeps the domain and it is unlocked for his⁄her use.
2. Original registrant is not eligible or did not respond, and the challenger proved his⁄her right to the domain. In this case the domains is awarded to the complainant.
3. Neither the original registrant nor the complainant proves rights to the domain. In this case the domain is cancelled and becomes available at a later date via a mechanism to be determined by the registry operator.

After any Sunrise name is awarded to an applicant, it will remain under a “Sunrise Lock” status for at least 60 days so that parties can file Sunrise Challenges. During this Sunrise Lock period, the domain will not resolve and cannot be modified, transferred, or deleted by the sponsoring registrar. A domain name will be unlocked at the end of that lock period only if it is not subject to a Sunrise Challenge. Challenged domains will remain locked until the dispute resolution provider has issued a decision, which the registry will promptly execute.

5.0. TRADEMARK CLAIMS SERVICES

The Trademark Claims Service requirements are well-defined in the Applicant Guidebook, in Section 6 of the “Trademark Clearinghouse” attachment. We will comply with the details therein. We will provide Trademark Claims services for marks in the Trademark Clearinghouse post-Sunrise and then for at least the first 60 days that the registry is open for general registration (i.e. during the first 60 days in the registration period(s) after Sunrise). The Trademark Claims service will provide clear notice to a prospective registrant that another party has a trademark in the Clearinghouse that matches the applied-for domain name—this is a notice to the prospective registrant that it might be infringing upon another party’s rights.

The Trademark Clearinghouse database will be structured to report to registries when registrants are attempting to register a domain name that is considered an “Identical Match” with the mark in the Clearinghouse. We will build, test, and implement an interface to the Trademark Clearinghouse before opening our Sunrise period. As domain name applications come into the registry, those strings will be compared to the contents of the Clearinghouse.

If the domain name is registered in the Clearinghouse, the registry will promptly notify the applicant. We will use the notice form specified in ICANN’s Module 4, “Trademark Clearinghouse” document. The specific statement by the prospective registrant will warrant that: (i) the prospective registrant has received notification that the mark(s) is included in the Clearinghouse; (ii) the prospective registrant has received and understood the notice; and (iii) to the best of the prospective registrant’s knowledge, the registration and use of the requested domain name will not infringe on the rights that are the subject of the notice.

The Trademark Claims Notice will provide the prospective registrant access to the Trademark Clearinghouse Database information referenced in the Trademark Claims Notice. The notice will be provided in real time (or as soon as possible) without cost to the prospective registrant or to those notified.

“Identical Match” is defined in ICANN’s Module 4, “Trademark Clearinghouse” document, paragraph 6.1.5. We will examine the Clearinghouse specifications and protocol carefully when they are published. To comply with ICANN policy, the software for our registry will properly check domains and compare them to marks in the Clearinghouse that contain punctuation, spaces, and special symbols.

6.0. GENERAL REGISTRATION

This is the general registration period open to all registrants. No trademark or other qualification will be necessary in order to apply for a domain in this period.

Domain names awarded via the Sunrise process, and domain strings still being contended via the Sunrise process cannot be registered in this period. This will protect the interests of all Sunrise applicants.

7.0. UNIFORM RAPID SUSPENSION (URS)

We will implement decisions rendered under the URS on an ongoing basis. (URS will not apply to Sunrise names while they are in Sunrise Lock period; during that time those domains are subject to Sunrise policy and Sunrise Challenge instead.)

As per URS policy, the registry will receive notice of URS actions from ICANN-approved URS providers. As per ICANN’s URS requirements, we will lock the domain within 24 hours of receipt of the Notice of Complaint from the URS Provider. Locking means that the registry restricts all changes to the registration data, including transfer and deletion of domain names, though names will continue to resolve.

Our registry’s compliance team will oversee URS procedures. URS e-mails from URS providers will be directed immediately to the registry’s Support staff, which is on duty 24⁄7⁄365. Support staff will be responsible for executing the directives from the URS provider, and all support staff will receive training in the proper procedures.

Support staff will notify the URS Provider immediately upon locking the domain name, via e-mail.

Support staff for the registry will retain all copies of e-mails from the URS providers. Each case or order will be assigned a tracking or ticket number. This number will be used to track the status of each opened URS case through to resolution via a database.

Registry staff will then execute further operations upon notice from the URS providers. Each URS provider is required to specify the remedy and required actions of the registry, with notification to the registrant, the complainant, and the sponsoring registrar.

The guidelines provide that if the complainant prevails, the registry “shall suspend the domain name, which shall remain suspended for the balance of the registration period and would not resolve to the original web site. The nameservers shall be redirected to an informational web page provided by the URS Provider about the URS. The WHOIS for the domain name shall continue to display all of the information of the original Registrant except for the redirection of the nameservers. In addition, the WHOIS shall reflect that the domain name will not be able to be transferred, deleted or modified for the life of the registration.” We will execute the DNS re-pointing required by the URS guidelines, and the domain and its WHOIS data will remain unaltered until the domain expires, as per the ICANN requirements.

8.0. ONGOING RIGHTS PROTECTION MECHANISMS - UDRP

As per ICANN policy, all domains in the TLD will be subject to a Uniform Dispute Resolution Process (UDRP). (Sunrise domains will first be subject to the ICANN-mandated Sunrise SDRP until the Sunrise Challenge period is over, after which those domains will then be subject to UDRP.)

9.0 ADDITIONAL RIGHTS PROTECTION MECHANISMS NOT REQUIRED BY ICANN

All Donuts TLDs have two new trademark protection mechanisms developed specifically for the new TLD program. These mechanisms exceed the extensive protections mandated by ICANN. These new protections are:

9.1 Claims Plus: This service will become available at the conclusion of the Trademark Claims service, and will remain available for at least the first five years of registry operations. Trademark owners who are fully registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse may obtain Claims Plus for their marks. We expect the service will be at low or no cost to trademark owners (contingent on Trademark Clearinghouse costs to registries). Claims Plus operates much like Trademark Claims with the exception that notices of potential trademark infringement are sent by the registry to any registrar whose customer performs a check-command or Whois query for a string subject to Claims Plus. Registrars may then take further implementation steps to advise their customers, or use this data to better improve the customer experience. In addition, the Whois at the registry website will output a full Trademark Claims notice for any query of an unregistered name that is subject to Claims Plus. (Note: The ongoing availability of Claims Plus will be contingent on continued access to a Trademark Clearinghouse. The technical viability of some Claims Plus features will be affected by eventual Trademark Clearinghouse rules on database caching).

9.2 Domain Protected Marks List: The DPML is a rights protection mechanism to assist trademark holders in protecting their intellectual property against undesired registrations of strings containing their marks. The DPML prevents (blocks) registration of second level domains that contain a trademarked term (note: the standard for DPML is “contains”— the protected string must contain the trademarked term). DPML requests will be validated against the Trademark Clearinghouse and the process will be similar to registering a domain name so the process will not be onerous to trademark holders. An SLD subject to DPML will be protected at the second level across all Donuts TLDs (i.e. all TLDs for which this SLD is available for registration). Donuts may cooperate with other registries to extend DPML to TLDs that are not operated by Donuts. The cost of DPML to trademark owners is expected to be significantly less than the cost of actually registering a name.

10.0 ABUSIVE USE POLICIES AND TAKEDOWN PROCEDURES

In our response to Question #28, we describe our anti-abuse program, which is designed to address malware, phishing, spam, and other forms of abuse that may harm Internet users. This program is designed to actively discover, verify, and mitigate problems without infringing upon the rights of legitimate registrants. This program is designed for use in the open registration period. These procedures include the reporting of compromised websites⁄domains to registrars for cleanup by the registrants and their hosting providers. It also describes takedown procedures, and the timeframes and circumstances that apply for suspending domain names used improperly. Please see the response to Question #28 for full details.

We will institute a contractual obligation that proxy protection be stripped away if a domain is proven to be used for malicious purposes. For details, please see “Proxy⁄Privacy Service Policy to Curb Abuse” in the response to Question 28.

11.0. REGISTRY-REGISTRAR CODE OF CONDUCT AS RELATED TO RIGHTS PROTECTION

We will comply fully with the Registry Code of Conduct specified in the New TLD Registry Agreement, Specification 9. In rights protection matters, we will comply by establishing an adequate “firewall” between the operations of any registrar we establish and the operations of the registry. As the Code requires, we will not “directly or indirectly show any preference or provide any special consideration to any registrar with respect to operational access to registry systems and related registry services”. Here is a non-exhaustive list of specific steps we will take to accomplish this:

- We will evaluate and execute upon all rights protection tasks impartially, using the same criteria and procedures, regardless of a domain’s sponsoring registrar.
- Any registrar we establish or have established at the time of registry launch will not receive preferential access to any premium names, any auctions, etc. Registry personnel and any registrar personnel that we may employ in the future will be prohibited from participating as bidders in any auctions for Landrush names.
- Any registrar staff we may employ in the future will have access to data and records relating only to the applications and registrations made by any registrar we establish, and will not have special access to data related to the applications and registrations made by other registrars.
- If a compliance function is involved, the compliance staffer will be responsible to the registry only, and not to a registrar we own or are “affiliated” with. For example, if a compliance staff member is assigned to conduct audits of WHOIS data, that staffer will not have duties with the registrar business. The staffer will be free of conflicts of interest, and will be enabled to discharge his or her duties to the registry effectively and impartially, regardless of the consequences to the registrar.

12.0. RESOURCING PLAN

Overall management of RPMs is the responsibility of Donuts’ VP of Business Operations. Our back-end registry operator will perform the majority of operational work associated with RPMs, as required by our agreement with them. Donuts VP of Business Operations will supervise the activity of this vendor.

Resources applied to RPMs include:

1. Legal team
a. We will have at least one legal counsel who will be dedicated to the registry with previous experience in domain disputes and Sunrise periods and will oversee the compliance and support teams with regard to the legal issues related to Sunrise and RPM’s
b. We have outside counsel with domain and rights protection experience that is available to us as necessary
2. Dispute Resolution Provider (DRP): The DRP will help formulate Sunrise Rules and Policy, Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy. The DRP will also examine challenges, but the challenger will be required to pay DRP fees directly to the DRP.
3. Compliance Department and Tech Support: There will be three dedicated personnel assigned to these areas. This staff will oversee URS requests and abuse reports on an ongoing basis.
4. Programming and technical operations. There are four dedicated personnel assigned to these functions.
5. Project Manager: There will be one person to coordinate the technical needs of this group with the registry IT department.

13.0. ENDNOTES

1 “Regional” is understood to be a trans-national trademark registry, such as the European Union registry or the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property.