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

gTLDFull Legal NameE-mail suffixDetail
.agencySteel Falls, 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
.kyotoAcademic Institution: Kyoto Jyoho Gakuenkcg.ac.jpView
The Kyoto Jyoho Gakuen, hereafter referred to by its school name, The Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics, (KCGI) is proposing to run the “.kyoto” top-level domain for Kyoto, a geographical area once known as the old capital and historic center of Japan. A top-level domain for Kyoto will play an important function in expanding the Internet, fostering communications, improving commerce, and growing the online communities of Kyoto.

KCGI is a non-profit academic institute approved by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology established in 1963 as a professional graduate school for the Kyoto Computer Gakuin, the first private computer educational institute established in Japan. Since its founding, the school has placed a high value on education as a means to achieve social prosperity and happiness, resulting in a 50-year successful track record of achievements that are widely recognized within the Japanese educational community as well as by the National Government. The school also has extensive experience in providing support for computer-based learning opportunities for computer professionals in developing countries. Additional information about KCGI can be found at: http:⁄⁄en.kcg.edu⁄school_info⁄brief.html, and messages to KCGI from Dr. Susan Fuhrman, the President of Teachers College, Columbia University and Dr. Kathleen McCartney, the Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education can be found at the following links respectively:

 - http:⁄⁄kcg.edu⁄ceremony⁄32.html
 - http:⁄⁄kcg.edu⁄ceremony⁄33.html

KCGI has received full support for its application to operate and manage the “.kyoto” top-level domain from not only the Kyoto Prefectural Government but also the Commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency (National Government), the President of Kyoto University (a very prestigious university, which turned out five Nobel laureates), President of Doshisha University, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, Kyoto Notre Dame University, and other well-known Universities in Japan. Additionally, KCGI has gained valued support from famous business organizations such as All Nippon Information Industry Association Federation (Also known as ANIA, which consists of 1600 ICT related companies all over Japan), among others.

A full list of supporters can be found at the following URL: http:⁄⁄www.kcg.ac.jp⁄endorsement_letter⁄

The above organizations are an honorable part of the Kyoto community, and their support demonstrates that KCGI’s proposal to manage and operate the “.kyoto” registry has been well received.

The mission and purpose of the “.kyoto” namespace is to create a high performance top-level domain registry that will foster global communications, improve international commerce, and expand the online communities of Kyoto.

KCGI has identified four objectives within its mission:

 1. Operate and maintain a safe, stable top-level domain registry while projecting exemplary operational standards for other geographic top-level domains.
 2. Play a role in improving the Kyoto brand on a local and international scale.
 3. Create a top-level domain which Kyoto residents and companies alike can be proud to own.
 4. Contribute to ideas of free competition, democratic administration, and technological edge.


1. Running a Safe, Stable TLD for Kyoto

KCGI will operate and maintain one of the safest, most stable top-level domain registries in the world while projecting exemplary operational standards for other geographic top-level domains.

KCGI envisions the ʺ.kyotoʺ namespace as becoming the global standard in safe, secure, and stable registry operations. In order to achieve this goal, KCGI has carefully examined current gTLD and ccTLD registry service providers in the marketplace and selected Neustar, Inc, (Neustar), a leading provider of registry services, to be the registry backend systems provider for “.kyoto”. In addition, KCGI has partnered with UrbanBrain Company, a gTLD consulting division of Interlink Co., Ltd., to provide policy related guidance, and Iron Mountain as its Registry Data Escrow provider.

KCGI believes that running the registry focused on security and stability is the foundation for building a platform to improve various aspects of the Kyoto brand (tourism, commerce, industry, culture, sports, and regional development) both locally within Japan and internationally. Working closely with its partners, KCGI will ensure that “.kyoto” is operated with the highest standards and industry best practices to create an exemplary model for other city TLDs in Japan and around the world.

The foundation of running a registry operation from a technical aspect should be grounded in long-term industry best practices using proven infrastructure and registry software. The “.kyoto” TLD will stand for stability and longevity with a mission to serve the community of Kyoto residents, individuals, businesses, organizations, and government bodies that choose to build an identity under the ʺ.kyotoʺ brand.


2. “.kyoto” as a Vital Role in Branding Kyoto

The “.kyoto” gTLD will play a vital role in improving the “Kyoto” brand on a local and international scale.

Implementing a creative approach to operating and marketing the “.kyoto” top-level domain will play a vital role in contributing to the utility, which the Internet, specifically the ʺ.kyotoʺ namespace, provides for the community on a local level, as well as improving the brand name for Kyoto on an international level. One of the first priorities will be to ensure that the registry is operational as soon as the TLD is delegated by ICANN.

Kyoto is a leading area in terms of technology. Through times of recession in Japan, Kyoto has always been able to thrive due to maintaining its culture of innovation and focus on quality. Kyoto fosters a culture of creativity and development both in business and academia. The “.kyoto” TLD will provide a new platform for local governments, business, organizations, and individuals to continue Kyotoʹs long tradition of sophistication, creativity, and innovation.


3 “.kyoto”: A Sense of Pride for Kyoto

KCGI envisions strengthening the Kyoto brand by prioritizing the allocation of names that are key to the public interest.

KCGI envisions strengthening the Kyoto brand by prioritizing the allocation of names that are key to the public interest. KCGI will work closely with the community in devising a schedule of key names for cities, districts, towns, and villages as well as prioritization of the allocation of such names. By doing so, KCGI will be able build a strong base of domain registrations that greatly benefit the community as well as show the usefulness of the TLD before opening the registry for general registrations. Additionally, KCGI will implement strict domain eligibility requirements and an acceptable use policy to ensure that registrations or content hosted on a “.kyoto” domain do not cause damage or harm to the Kyoto brand, and any such breaches of policy can be swiftly remedied.


4. Free Competition, Democratic Administration, and Technological Edge

The goal of “.kyoto” is to run a registry that benefits all parties in Kyoto. As such, KCGI proposes that customers who wish to register domain names will directly deal with ICANN accredited registrars who have signed an agreement to sell “.kyoto” names with KCGI, the registry operator. The Registry will create fair and non-discriminatory criteria for qualification to become a registrar. In this way the name space will play a role of incubation medium for new businesses with technological edges.

Registrars will be required execute an agreement with the registry operator and abide by its terms.