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

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.babyAuburn Beach, 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
.GROCERYWal-Mart Stores, Inc.wileyrein.comView
A. Background of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Founded in 1962, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (“Walmart”) services customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 10,130 retail units under 69 different banners in 27 countries. With fiscal year 2012 sales of approximately $444 billion, Walmart employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart is a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.

Walmart operates retail stores in various formats around the world and is committed to saving people money so they can live better. Walmart earns the trust of its customers every day by providing a broad assortment of quality merchandise and services at everyday low prices (ʺEDLPʺ), while fostering a culture that rewards and embraces mutual respect, integrity and diversity. EDLP is Walmartʹs pricing philosophy under which it prices items at a low price everyday so its customers trust that Walmartʹs prices will not change under frequent promotional activities. Working with suppliers, Walmart offers the most relevant, broadest assortment possible across all categories.

Walmartʹs focus for its Samʹs Club membership-only retail warehouse club is to provide exceptional value on brand name and private label merchandise at ʺmembers onlyʺ prices for both business and personal use. Internationally, Walmart operates with similar philosophies. Walmart is engaged in the operation of: retail stores located throughout the United States; wholly-owned subsidiaries in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan and the United Kingdom; majority-owned subsidiaries in Chile, Mexico, 12 countries in Africa, and 5 countries in Central America; and joint ventures in India and China and other controlled subsidiaries in China.

Walmart customers want expanded offerings in produce, meat and bakery, and Walmart added more than 100 new fresh items last year, with many more coming this year. Health and wellness is becoming more important to Walmart customers, and Walmart is responding by adding services to pharmacies, such as free monthly health screenings and hearing centers. Additionally, Walmart continues to add exciting brands in key categories, including apparel, jewelry, technology and entertainment. Walmart has also stepped up technology offerings, from free wireless networks in the clubs, to a more robust eCommerce site and the Sam’s Club smart phone application. Sam’s Club Plus Members can now access their personalized eValues through a kiosk in the club, the Sam’s Club smart phone application, or online.

Walmart’s culture is at the heart of how it operates its business. The core beliefs that Sam Walton established – respect for the individual, service to our customers and striving for excellence – drive Walmart to help customers and communities live better. Walmart has an enormous responsibility to lead on issues that make a difference for associates and communities. Several key pillars define this commitment: economic opportunity, sustainability, responsible sourcing, healthy living and community involvement.

Walmart recruits and develops the best talent around the globe and develops an engaged workforce by providing all associates with opportunities to learn, grow and advance. Since October 2005, when Walmart’s sustainability program was launched, Walmart’s focus has been on three goals: be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy, create zero waste, and sell products that sustain people and the environment. Sustainability is now ingrained in Walmart’s business strategy, and Walmart has broadened and deepened this commitment.

Walmart values the trust customers place in us to provide them with safe and sustainable choices, and Walmart strives to be a leader in responsible sourcing and product compliance. Walmart made a global commitment to sustainable agriculture to help both farmers and customers in all of our markets. Walmart also kicked off a new initiative in the United States to make the food we sell healthier and healthier foods more affordable for customers. Walmart is also proud of the bold commitment we made last year to end hunger in America. Through financial contributions, in-kind donations and volunteerism, Walmart supports local communities everywhere we operate. The Walmart Foundation supports causes and efforts around the world, from alleviating hunger to disaster relief. Leading on social issues is now a key strategy in building the Next Generation Walmart, and we are using our size and scale to make a difference for customers and our world.

B. The Mission⁄Purpose of the .GROCERY gTLD

Walmart is the world’s largest grocer and is seeking approval for the .GROCERY gTLD in furtherance of Walmart’s core goal of providing a broad assortment of quality merchandise and services at everyday low prices. Walmart’s proposed .GROCERY gTLD will be a cornerstone of Walmart’s future online strategic initiatives by providing a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive namespace for consumers of Walmart’s products and services. The .GROCERY gTLD registry will be wholly owned and operated by Walmart as a “single-enterprise” TLD.

Over the past decade, ICANN has approved 15 new gTLDs that have historically been classified as either generic (.INFO, .BIZ, .NAME, etc.) or sponsored (.ASIA, .COOP, .TRAVEL, .JOBS, etc.). It is anticipated that in the current new gTLD application round, many corporations will take the opportunity to register their brands as “single-enterprise” or “.BRAND” gTLDs. This is a new approach to the operation of a gTLD in which the business relies on three important distinctions between it and the gTLDs that were approved in the 2001 and 2004 TLD expansion rounds.

First, there are presently approximately ten small gTLDs, each with fewer than 300,000 registrations, and each offering clear models of successful operation that can be followed by new gTLDs; second, experienced technical back-end suppliers (i.e., SRS⁄DNS services) are already engaged by Walmart; and third, with single-enterprise gTLDs, registry operations will be fully supported by established and financially sound companies such as Walmart that will operate the gTLDs in conjunction with their primary businesses. Walmart’s plans for the .GROCERY gTLD remove the risk and uncertainty of prior gTLDs by relying on the aforementioned three defining factors.

Walmart will operate the .GROCERY gTLD in a manner similar to many of the small gTLDs now in operation—with the distinction that Walmart does not intend to create a public registration market for sale of second level .GROCERY domain names. A shared principle feature of such existing small gTLD operations is reliance on trusted back-end suppliers. Walmart will rely on outsourcing all SRS, DNS, DNSSEC, WHOIS, Data Escrow, and registrar support operations to well-established technical service providers. Walmart will also take advantage of its existing sophisticated corporate departments to interface with outside vendors on technical, legal, accounting, marketing, communications, and compliance issues associated with the .GROCERY gTLD.