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18(a) Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.bikeGrand Hollow, LLCdonuts.coView
Q18A CHAR: 7985

ABOUT DONUTS
Donuts Inc. is the parent applicant for this and multiple other TLDs. The company intends to increase competition and consumer choice at the top level. It will operate these carefully selected TLDs safely and securely in a shared resources business model. To achieve its objectives, Donuts has recruited seasoned executive management with proven track records of excellence in the industry. In addition to this business and operational experience, the Donuts team also has contributed broadly to industry policymaking and regulation, successfully launched TLDs, built industry-leading companies from the ground up, and brought innovation, value and choice to the domain name marketplace.

DONUTS’ PLACE WITHIN ICANN’S MISSION
ICANN and the new TLD program share the following purposes:
1. to make sure that the Internet remains as safe, stable and secure as possible, while
2. helping to ensure there is a vibrant competitive marketplace to efficiently bring the benefits of the namespace to registrants and users alike.

ICANN harnesses the power of private enterprise to bring forth these public benefits. While pursuing its interests, Donuts helps ICANN accomplish its objectives by:

1. Significantly widening competition and choice in Internet identities with hundreds of new top-level domain choices;
2. Providing innovative, robust, and easy-to-use new services, names and tools for users, registrants, registrars, and registries while at the same time safeguarding the rights of others;
3. Designing, launching, and securely operating carefully selected TLDs in multiple languages and character sets; and
4. Providing a financially robust corporate umbrella under which its new TLDs will be protected and can thrive.

ABOUT DONUTS’ RESOURCES
Donuts’ financial resources are extensive. The company has raised more than US$100 million from a number of capital sources including multiple multi-billion dollar venture capital and private equity funds, a top-tier bank, and other well-capitalized investors. Should circumstances warrant, Donuts is prepared to raise additional funding from current or new investors. Donuts also has in place pre-funded, Continued Operations Instruments to protect future registrants. These resource commitments mean Donuts has the capability and intent to launch, expand and operate its TLDs in a secure manner, and to properly protect Internet users and rights-holders from potential abuse.

Donuts firmly believes a capable and skilled organization will operate multiple TLDs and benefit Internet users by:

1. Providing the operational and financial stability necessary for TLDs of all sizes, but particularly for those with smaller volume (which are more likely to succeed within a shared resources and shared services model);
2. Competing more powerfully against incumbent gTLDs; and
3. More thoroughly and uniformly executing consumer and rights holder protections.

THIS TLD
This TLD is attractive and useful to end-users as it better facilitates search, self-expression, information sharing and the provision of legitimate goods and services. Along with the other TLDs in the Donuts family, this TLD will provide Internet users with opportunities for online identities and expression that do not currently exist. In doing so, the TLD will introduce significant consumer choice and competition to the Internet namespace – the very purpose of ICANN’s new TLD program.

This TLD is a generic term and its second level names will be attractive to a variety of Internet users. Making this TLD available to a broad audience of registrants is consistent with the competition goals of the New TLD expansion program, and consistent with ICANN’s objective of maximizing Internet participation. Donuts believes in an open Internet and, accordingly, we will encourage inclusiveness in the registration policies for this TLD. In order to avoid harm to legitimate registrants, Donuts will not artificially deny access, on the basis of identity alone (without legal cause), to a TLD that represents a generic form of activity and expression.

DONUTS’ APPROACH TO PROTECTIONS
No entity, or group of entities, has exclusive rights to own or register second level names in this TLD. There are superior ways to minimize the potential abuse of second level names, and in this application Donuts will describe and commit to an extensive array of protections against abuse, including protections against the abuse of trademark rights.

We recognize some applicants seek to address harms by constraining access to the registration of second level names. However, we believe attempts to limit abuse by limiting registrant eligibility is unnecessarily restrictive and harms users by denying access to many legitimate registrants. Restrictions on second level domain eligibility would prevent law-abiding individuals and organizations from participating in a space to which they are legitimately connected, and would inhibit the sort of positive innovation we intend to see in this TLD. As detailed throughout this application, we have struck the correct balance between consumer and business safety, and open access to second level names.

By applying our array of protection mechanisms, Donuts will make this TLD a place for Internet users that is far safer than existing TLDs. Donuts will strive to operate this TLD with fewer incidences of fraud and abuse than occur in incumbent TLDs. In addition, Donuts commits to work toward a downward trend in such incidents.

OUR PROTECTIONS
Donuts has consulted with and evaluated the ideas of international law enforcement, consumer privacy advocacy organizations, intellectual property interests and other Internet industry groups to create a set of protections that far exceed those in existing TLDs, and bring to the Internet namespace nearly two dozen new rights and protection mechanisms to raise user safety and protection to a new level.

These include eight, innovative and forceful mechanisms and resources that far exceed the already powerful protections in the applicant guidebook. These are:

1. Periodic audit of WhoIs data for accuracy;
2. Remediation of inaccurate Whois data, including takedown, if warranted;
3. A new Domain Protected Marks List (DPML) product for trademark protection;
4. A new Claims Plus product for trademark protection;
5. Terms of use that prohibit illegal or abusive activity;
6. Limitations on domain proxy and privacy service;
7. Published policies and procedures that define abusive activity; and
8. Proper resourcing for all of the functions above.

They also include fourteen new measures that were developed specifically by ICANN for the new TLD process. These are:

1. Controls to ensure proper access to domain management functions;
2. 24⁄7⁄365 abuse point of contact at registry;
3. Procedures for handling complaints of illegal or abusive activity, including remediation and takedown processes;
4. Thick WhoIs;
5. Use of the Trademark Clearinghouse;
6. A Sunrise process;
7. A Trademark Claims process;
8. Adherence to the Uniform Rapid Suspension system;
9. Adherence to the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy;
10. Adherence to the Post Delegation Dispute Resolution Policy;
11. Detailed security policies and procedures;
12. Strong security controls for access, threat analysis and audit;
13. Implementation DNSSEC; and
14. Measures for the prevention of orphan glue records.

DONUTS’ INTENTION FOR THIS TLD
As a senior government authority has recently said, “a successful applicant is entrusted with operating a critical piece of global Internet infrastructure.” Donuts’ plan and intent is for this TLD to serve the international community by bringing new users online through opportunities for economic growth, increased productivity, the exchange of ideas and information and greater self-expression.
gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.melbourneThe Crown in right of the State of Victoria, represented by its Department of Business and Innovationdbi.vic.gov.auView
The mission and purpose of the new .melbourne gTLD is to benefit internet users by ensuring increased trust, convenience and utility as well as extending and strengthening the City of Melbourne’s brand in the online environment.

The .melbourne gTLD will create a new generation gTLD serving the interests of residents of Melbourne and the State of Victoria and other internet users looking for products, services and information relating to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The .melbourne gTLD will be a domain space specifically related to Melbourne, the capital city of the State of Victoria in Australia. The .melbourne gTLD will provide a dedicated internet space for businesses, residents, community groups, organisations and government bodies in Victoria seeking to identify themselves with Melbourne, thus offering these potential registrants new marketing opportunities and an additional channel of communication focused on their geographic location. Internet users will also benefit from the .melbourne gTLD through the increased accuracy and quantity of locality-specific content.

As the applicant for the .melbourne gTLD, the State Government of Victoria through its Department of Business and Innovation, Innovation and Technology Division (DBI) aims to connect individuals, businesses and groups in Victoria to other local, national and international businesses and markets and to promote Melbourne as a great place to live, work, invest, visit and learn. The application for the .melbourne gTLD has the full support of the State Government of Victoria and the Melbourne City Council, the Local Government of the City of Melbourne.

Greater Melbourne consists of the City of Melbourne and a further 30 municipalities, has an approximate population of 4 million people and is often referred to as “the cultural capital of Australia” (as mentioned in the Melbourne Tourist Guide, www.melbournetouristguide.com). Melbourne was ranked the number one city in “The Economist’s top 10 Worldʹs Most Liveable Cities” in 2011 (www.economist.com⁄node⁄21528162).

The registration of second level domain names within the .melbourne domain space will only be available to government bodies in Victoria and businesses and residents with a Victorian address. This restriction is imposed to ensure that the .melbourne gTLD is available to Victorian residents and to facilitate and encourage the availability of information relating to activities, businesses, community groups, organisations and government bodies related to Melbourne in an online space free from use that is illegitimate or inconsistent with the mission and purpose of the .melbourne gTLD. The .melbourne gTLD is intended to encourage innovation and growth by offering economic benefits on a macro scale, increased utilisation of technology resources and an increased opportunity for and facilitation of entrepreneurship by providing an online geo-distinctive presence and new marketing opportunities. This will benefit internet users and promote competition in the marketplace.

The internet has created a means for global communication and interaction, allowing for greater levels of information exchange, as well as facilitating efficient business transactions. Information about Melbourne is widely available on the internet, allowing internet users worldwide to access online information regarding work, play or life in Melbourne. A centralised .melbourne gTLD will, however, provide a clearly identified resource for internet users, including visitors to Melbourne, bringing together and giving easier access to information about events, businesses, communities, government bodies and organisations in Melbourne. The .melbourne gTLD will meet the need for a specific online space that captures the distinctive city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and thus will enhance the strength and value of the Melbourne brand.

The mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest. DBI is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
– consumer trust: the .melbourne gTLD registry will operate as a registry where only individuals and businesses with a Victorian address will be able to register domain names at the second level. Consumers will be able to have greater confidence in the information provided under the .melbourne gTLD knowing that the information is provided by businesses, organisations government bodies or residents connected to Melbourne. As domain names within .melbourne will be subject to registration standards, policies and procedures, the incidence of abuse and cybersquatting (through adequate protection of trademark holders) will be significantly lower and internet users will have greater confidence in the information they receive about the city of Melbourne; and
– competition: the .melbourne gTLD will contribute to the initiatives of competition and consumer choice through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust and convenience, as well as providing an alternative domain name space to registrations in other TLDs. The .melbourne gTLD will provide more choice for registrants to clearly distinguish themselves in the online environment by demonstrating their direct connection to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Increased trust in the .melbourne gTLD may drive existing and new top level domain (TLD) registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs; and
– consumer choice: the proposed new gTLD will enable user-driven improvements promoting Melbourne, with second level domains to be registered by eligible registrants. This will allow consumers more choice and options to register domain names and to interact with government bodies, community groups, businesses and organisations, as well as encourage competition between these potential registrant groups to best interact with such consumers. The .melbourne gTLD registration policy will provide clear guidance on the registration and use of domain names in the .melbourne gTLD, which will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.

Registration volume projections in this gTLD are based upon analysis of the target market, including registered trademark holders, businesses registered in Victoria and residents with a Victorian address. Projections have been developed with conservatism, taking into account the experience of existing gTLDs and ccTLDs and local market conditions.

In its endeavour to promote and expand the .melbourne gTLD, DBI will comply with all operational, technical and policy requirements and strive to maintain consumer trust and the stability of the internet. DBI will keep ICANN reasonably informed of any material developments relating to the .melbourne gTLD, including compliance with the continued operations instrument obligations as set out in Specification 8 of the Registry Agreement.

The DBI does not intend to make available Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and geographic names at the second level initially. However, as the use of the .melbourne gTLD evolves, it is anticipated that DBI may decide to make available IDNs and geographic names within the .melbourne domain space to allow internet users to engage with .melbourne in their native language, thus creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity. In accordance with Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement, and as specified in the response to Question 22, geographic names will not be available for registration without prior agreement from the relevant government or review and approval by the GAC.