22 July 2025

.IBM New gTLD Application

22 July 2025

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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: International Business Machines Corporation

Application Downloaded On: 19 Mar 2014

String: IBM

Application ID: 1-992-57662

Applicant Information

Full legal name

International Business Machines Corporation

Address of the principal place of business

New Orchard Road Armonk, New York - 10504 US

Phone number

+1 914 499 1900

Fax number

If applicable, website or URL

http://www.ibm.com

Primary Contact

6(a). Name

Leonora Hoicka

6(b). Title

Associate General Counsel, IP Law

6(c). Address

6(d). Phone Number

+1 914 499 1900

6(e). Fax Number

6(f). Email Address

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Secondary Contact

7(a). Name

Lisa Ulrich

7(b). Title

Attorney

7(c). Address

7(d). Phone Number

+1 914 499 1900

7(e). Fax Number

7(f). Email Address

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Proof of Legal Establishment

8(a). Legal form of the Applicant

Corporation

8(b). State the specific national or other jurisdiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).

New York, United States

8(c). Attach evidence of the applicant's establishment.

Attachments are not displayed on this form.

9(a). If applying company is publicly traded, provide the exchange and symbol.

New_York_Stock_Exchange / IBM

9(b). If the applying entity is a subsidiary, provide the parent company.

9(c). If the applying entity is a joint venture, list all joint venture partners.

Applicant Background

11(a). Name(s) and position(s) of all directors

Name

Position

Alain J.P. Belda Managing Director Warburg Pincus LLC

Andrew N. Liveris Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer The Dow Chemical Company

David N. Farr Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Emerson Electric Co.

James W. Owens Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Catepillar Inc

Joan E. Spero Adjunct Senior Research Scholar Columbia University School of International and Public Relations

Kenneth I. Chenault Chairman and Chief Executive Officer American Express Company

Lorenzo H. Zambrano Chairman and Chief Executive Officer CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V.

Michael L. Eskew Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer United Parcel Service, Inc.

Shirley Ann Jackson (Dr.) President Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Sidney Taurel Senior Advisor Capital Royalty L.P.

Virginia M. Rometty Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer IBM

James McNerney, Jr. Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer The Boeing Company

William R. Brody (Dr.) President Salk Institute for Biological Studies

11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners

Name

Position

Bridget Van Kralingen Senior Vice President Global Business Services

Bruno Di Leo Senior Vice President, Sales & Distribution

Colleen F. Arnold Senior Vice President, Sales & Distribution

Diane J. Gherson Senior Vice President Human Resources

Erich Clementi Senior Vice President Global Technology Services

James Kavanaugh Vice President and Controller

John E. Kelly III Senior Vice President and Director of Research

Jon C. Iwata Senior Vice President Communications and Marketing

Linda Sanford Senior Vice President, Enterprise Transformation

Martin J. Schroeter Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Finance & Enterprise Transformation

Michael D. Rhodin Senior Vice President, IBM Watson Group

Michelle H. Browdy Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Secretary

Robert C. Weber Senior Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel

Robert J. LeBlanc Senior Vice President Software and Cloud Solutions Group

Robert J. Picciano Senior Vice President, Information & Analytics Group

Rodney C. Adkins Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy

Stanley J. Sutula III Vice President and Treasurer

Steven A. Mills Senior Vice President and Group Executive Systems and Software

Thomas W. Rosamilia Senior Vice President, Systems and Technology Group and Integrated Supply Chain

Timothy Shaughnessy Senior Vice President GTS Services Delivery

Virginia M. Rometty President and Chief Executive Officer

11(c). Name(s) and position(s) of all shareholders holding at least 15% of shares

11(d). For an applying entity that does not have directors, officers, partners, or shareholders: Name(s) and position(s) of all individuals having legal or executive responsibility

Applied-for gTLD string

Provide the applied-for gTLD string. If an IDN, provide the U-label.

IBM

14A. If applying for an IDN, provide the A-label (beginning with "xn--").

14B. If an IDN, provide the meaning, or restatement of the string in English, that is, a description of the literal meaning of the string in the opinion of the applicant.

14C1. If an IDN, provide the language of the label (in English).

14C2. If an IDN, provide the language of the label (as referenced by ISO-639-1).

14D1. If an IDN, provide the script of the label (in English).

14D2. If an IDN, provide the script of the label (as referenced by ISO 15924).

14E. If an IDN, list all code points contained in the U-label according to Unicode form.

15A. If an IDN, upload IDN tables for the proposed registry. An IDN table must include:

the applied-for gTLD string relevant to the tables,

the script or language designator (as defined in BCP 47),

table version number,

effective date (DD Month YYYY), and

contact name, email address, and phone number.

Submission of IDN tables in a standards-based format is encouraged.

15B. Describe the process used for development of the IDN tables submitted, including consultations and sources used.

15C. List any variants to the applied-for gTLD string according to the relevant IDN tables.

Describe the applicant's efforts to ensure that there are no known operational or rendering problems concerning the applied-for gTLD string. If such issues are known, describe steps that will be taken to mitigate these issues in software and other applications.

A number of operational and rendering issues may arise with the delegation, and subsequent operation and use of a new TLD. Some of these issues may be experienced just by the users of one or two particular TLDs, due to the nature or composition of the string itself; whereas other issues (such as software support) may be experienced across all new TLDs.

Evaluation of the potential operational and rendering issues for this TLD was delegated to ARI. ARI is experienced with:

– The operational issues of operating TLDs

– TLDs that offer registrations at the third level (eg .com.au, .net.au) and below

– The rendering and operational issues surrounding the introduction of IDNs

ARI has executed a suite of tests to evaluate any issues arising from the use of the TLD string. ARI configured a test environment that consisted of DNS software, web server software, and an email server configured for sample domains in this TLD. Where possible, ARI attempted to test many equivalent applications, however the number of and different versions of applications means that testing was limited to the most common environments.

The tests executed by ARI indicate that this TLD is subject to the same issues already experienced by TLDs in the root, which are neither new nor unique. A summary of these common issues is provided below.

- Some applications make assumptions about known valid TLDs and fail to recognize new TLDs

- Some Non-IDN aware applications require the user to provide input in A-labels

- Some IDN aware applications present the user with the domain name using A-labels instead of U-labels

- Some IDN aware applications fail to render IRIs in a manner consistent with user expectations.

To mitigate these issues, ARI will work with us to ensure that maintainers of applications are made aware of the delegation and operation of this TLD. When relevant, we will refer the maintainers to the verification code produced by ICANN in the area for Universal Acceptance of All Top Level Domains such that operational issues can be mitigated for other TLDs.

ARI and us will work with maintainers of applications to provide subject matter knowledge where required, and provide directions to the tools provided by third parties such as the International Components for Unicode project and other groups, that can assist the application maintainer in adding the required support. User education may be required enabling users to configure their applications for correct functioning of this TLD. An informational section on the TLD website will be considered to address questions raised by the Internet community.

The steps ARI will take to mitigate these issues are more than adequate. Thus, we do not believe this TLD raises stability concerns and there is no reason that it should be denied on an operational and rendering issues bases.

OPTIONAL.

Provide a representation of the label according to the International Phonetic Alphabet (http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/).

18A. Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD.

“International Business Machines”, more familiarly known by the abbreviation “IBM”, is a world-famous corporation and the oldest technology company in the world. Headquartered in Armonk, N.Y., IBM has offices and affiliated companies around the world and employs over 400,000 people globally. Tracing its roots to the 1880s, IBM is and has been a leading innovator in the design and manufacture of a wide array of products that record, process, communicate, store and retrieve information, including computers and computer hardware, software and accessories, and has received the most United States patents annually for the past 19 years. The company was incorporated on June 16, 1911 as Computer-Tabulating-Recording Co. (“C-T-R”), an amalgamation of three previously existing companies, and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the C-T-R name in 1915. IBM officially became International Business Machines Corporation on February 14, 1924, and has been traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange under the International Business Machines name, stock symbol ʺIBMʺ, since then. IBM’s market capitalization is currently over $237 billion.

IBM owns trademark registrations for the IBM mark in 170 countries all around the world, including numerous federal registrations in the United States that have become incontestable, for a broad range of goods and services, including but not limited to information technology-related goods and services. IBM also uses multiple URLs and its content is accessible through various IBM-identified websites, such as ibm.com and a large domain name portfolio consisting of 259 domain names and including 223 ccTLDs, all contributing to the high global recognition of the IBM name and brand. In fact, the IBM trademark is one of the two or three most recognizable global brands according to independent surveys conducted by brand management agencies Interbrand (http:⁄⁄www.interbrand.com⁄en⁄best-global-brands⁄best-global-brands-2008⁄best-global-brands-2011.aspx) and Millward Brown (http:⁄⁄www.millwardbrown.com⁄BrandZ⁄default.aspx).

IBM sells its offerings and services in over 190 countries around the world. IBM’s business spans the manufacture of computer products, computer parts, software, servers, and related technology, and the provision of consulting and system integration services, including design and installation of computer systems, servers and software, and trouble-shooting and maintenance services. In 2011, IBM was ranked the 18th largest firm in the United States by Fortune magazine and the 31st largest by Forbes. Other rankings this year include #1 company for leaders (Fortune), #2 best global brand (Interbrand, for the fourth year in a row), #1 green company (Newsweek), #12 most admired company (Fortune), and #29 most innovative company (Fast Company).

Mission ⁄ Purpose of the .IBM gTLD: The intended mission and purpose of the .IBM TLD is to provide clarity, authenticity and logic to the IBM brand’s many parts including business units, geographic divisions, products, services, and applications, and to create an intuitive web identity for the company, its employees and departments, and its customers, vendors and business partners (“IBM Users”). Websites that are launched using .IBM domain names will be able to reflect and differentiate among IBM’s various markets and product architecture, likely incorporating either descriptive identifiers or IBM trademarks, i.e. software.ibm, smarterplanet.ibm, smartcloud.ibm, etc. Domain names under the .IBM TLD may be used to denote separation between traditional Internet marketing sites and consumable applications or services. In addition, use of the TLD will enable the company to strengthen and preserve its brand name and reputation, and provide IBM Users with a trusted space that will ensure they are accessing IBM and are not falling victim to piracy or other internet schemes. IBM is not intending to use the TLD to sell domain names or host third party websites, however in certain instances URLs under the TLD may point to content on third party servers. There will initially be no registrants of the .IBM TLD other than the IBM Corporation, and access will only be provided to verified IBM Users. The .IBM TLD will be a closed registry.

18B. How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels or reputation?

In terms of reputation, the .IBM TLD will provide clarity and consistency to the use of the IBM name and will establish a trusted source of information for IBM Users. Through the .IBM TLD and the different portals that can be created in the space, IBM will be able to provide increased access and ease of navigation to IBM Users. Further, in an age of malware, phishing, cyberpiracy and counterfeit products, the establishment of the .IBM TLD under IBM’s exclusive control creates a legitimate, secure platform that IBM Users can be assured is devoid of piracy, cybersquatting, counterfeiting or other malicious conduct.

Clarity and consistency are key elements of branding and are vital in promoting and maintaining the IBM brand. A brand name enables direct communication between the brand owner and customer, and facilitates customer choice in purchase decisions. Furthermore, a brand name lends its owner intellectual property rights that prevent it from being used, in exact or similar form, by competitors. IBM’s existing naming strategies and guidelines have been developed to align the company with our customer’s frame of reference. By encouraging IBM Users to request the establishment of .IBM domain names specific to individual brands or projects, IBM will enable IBM Users to easily identify and centralize IBM’s related products, services and programs, and to ensure consistency across the company. The ultimate goal is to create domain names that leverage the power of the IBM name, enabling IBM Users to more conveniently and directly access IBM’s breadth of products and services, while protecting the IBM brand and reputation.

What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?

The .IBM TLD will enable the company to better compete and differentiate our offerings in the global marketplace. Our traditional customer is changing. Information technology purchases are increasingly made by non-IT decision makers such as business strategists and line-of-business executives. IBM’s competition is not standing still. Competitors are moving beyond their core competencies of hardware, software or services to capture new revenue and market opportunities as well as focusing on return on investment and cost efficiency. The emergence of non-traditional competitors and new technologies will threaten market leaders and render some business models obsolete. The competitive landscape is being redefined not only by what products and services a company offers, but also by the partnerships and alliances that are formed. Value is created in the network of business relationships within and across industries, and IBM hopes to use the .IBM TLD to bring together and enhance that network of existing relationships for the benefit of IBM’s consumers and partners alike.

As IBM transitions into a leading provider of integrated technology solutions, the fundamental strength of our business model remains the ability to assemble the optimal mix of our offerings to design tailored solutions for customers. The shifts in the industry and competitive landscape are heightening the importance of the brand and managing brands as assets. The role of the brand is to establish a powerful and enduring ʺsource of valueʺ that maintains relevance with customers, differentiates us from competitors, and resonates across the entire enterprise.

The IBM brand is a strategic asset for the company. It continues as one of the most powerful and recognizable brands in the world. In fact, the leading brand consultancy agency Interbrand valued the IBM trademark at over 69 billion dollars in 2011. (http:⁄⁄www.interbrand.com⁄en⁄best-global-brands⁄best-global-brands-2008⁄best-global-brands-2011.aspx)

Keeping the IBM brand strong and relevant is vital to our continued success. It helps us deliver on our business strategy. It affects the bottom line. It connects us to the past, guides us in the present, and leads us into the future.

What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

We expect the .IBM TLD to enhance IBM User trust in the IBM brand and provide assurance of genuine IBM online engagement and communication. The .IBM TLD will also provide a consistent web presence, and will enhance digital engagements such as enablement, communications and⁄or applications between IBM and its base of Internet-based IBM Users. IBM Users will also be confident that they are exchanging data with IBM and not an unauthorized third party.

Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registrations policies in support of the goals listed above

The .IBM TLD will be a closed registry. IBM will not use the TLD to sell domain names or host third party websites however in certain instances URLs under the TLD may point to content on third party servers. There will be no registrants of the .IBM TLD other than the IBM Corporation. The Administrative Contact, a generic email address to be created and managed by the IBM Corporate Trademark department following establishment of the .IBM registry, will manage requests by IBM Users for domain names in the .IBM TLD. This is similar to IBM’s current management of IBM-owned domain names (such as ibm.com) under its This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. generic email address. All domain name registrations and transfers in the .IBM TLD will be managed by IBM’s Corporate Trademark department.

Requests for the establishment and use of .IBM domain names will only be open to IBM Users. IBM Users will only have the ability to submit modifications to websites and add content to websites in the form of comments or discussion groups through an IBM controlled content management tool, and will have no control over or ability to alter the domain name servers or the domain name Registration Data, such as the WhoIs information. IBM has extensive policies governing the use of the ibm.com domain name, as set forth below and in response to question 18(c)(i), and will consistently apply these policies to the .IBM TLD. IBM will also incorporate into its policies all existing and future ICANN consensus policies and other legal and policy requirements imposed on new TLD applicants.

Requester criteria

Prior to development or deployment or publication of a domain name at any level, approval must be obtained from the IBM Corporate Webmaster.
A request for establishment and use of a domain name will only be accepted from a verified IBM User (“Requester”).
The Corporate Webmaster will review for compliance and validate all requests for domain names submitted by Requesters.
In connection with any request, the Requester must review any use of IBM trademarks and service marks with the IBM Intellectual Property Law group supporting the Requester. The use of other companiesʹ trademarks and service marks in a domain name requires division IP legal approval but is strongly discouraged since this poses a legal exposure to IBM.

Reserved codes and names:

All two character paths are reserved and may only be used as country and language codes. The country codes follow IANA domain naming conventions.
All country and region names are reserved.
Country and language codes cannot be used as part of a domain name at the second level or any other level domain name within .IBM, but only within the non-domain name portion of URLs for purposes of clarification.
uk.ibm⁄software is not allowed.
software.ibm⁄uk⁄ is allowed.
If in the future, IBM desires to use a country code in its second or third level domain names, it will seek agreement from that country’s government and approval from ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee.

Will your proposed gTLD impose any measure for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.

IBM has extensive corporate directives that provide guidance on privacy and that control the dissemination of sensitive data. In addition, all IBM employees worldwide receive training on IBM’s Business Conduct Guidelines and recertify such training annually. IBM has a privacy policy in place for users of the ibm.com website, which policy will be consistently enforced for the .IBM TLD. The privacy policy is available on-line at http:⁄⁄www.ibm.com⁄privacy⁄us⁄en⁄?lnk=ft and is reproduced in its entirety in response to question 30(b) of this application.

Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits

Communications and outreach to IBM Users will draw traffic and increase usage of the .IBM TLD. IBM will inform IBM Users that .IBM will allow them to more easily identify IBM products, services and programs and have the confidence that they are indeed dealing with IBM. This will allow IBM to better leverage its name and enable IBM Users to better understand the breadth of IBM product offerings and services.

18C. What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs (e.g., time or financial resource costs, as well as various types of consumer vulnerabilities)? What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences/costs imposed upon consumers?

IBM’s proposed operating rules limit registration of .IBM domain names to IBM’s Domain Name Administrator and will only accept registration requests from IBM Users. Because registration is closed, IBM Users know that a .IBM URL signifies a URL authorized by IBM. Thus, IBM Users will be protected by having access to a trusted online environment. As such, IBM sees no IBM User or consumer vulnerability.

i) How will multiple applications for a particular domain be resolved, for example, by auction of on a first-come⁄first-serve basis?

IBM does not currently envision competing external applications for a particular domain name as domain names will be registered only to IBM Corporation at this time. In the event that internal competing requests arise, IBM currently has several procedures in place in regard to domain name requests involving the ibm.com domain (including as set forth in response to question 18(b)(iv) and below), and these procedures will remain consistent with administration of the .IBM TLD.

A Requester must follow the approved procedures. Since the procedures incorporate several checks and levels of approval, multiple requests by IBM Users for overlapping nomenclature can be resolved during the approval process. The use of the IBM naming tool provides a further safeguard against attempts to register domain names containing words or phrases listed on IBM’s list of Protected Words and Trademark Words.

An authorized IBM User requesting registration of a domain name in the .IBM TLD (“Requestor “) may submit a request through the following procedure:

A Requester contacts its IBM sponsor with a request for a .IBM domain name.
The IBM sponsor contacts Business Unit Senior Marketing Manager (“Marketing”) presenting a business case for the external .IBM domain name.
The IBM sponsor submits a request for pre-approval of the external .IBM domain name through an internal IBM Naming Tool for Business Unit Branding (“Branding”) and Business Unit Intellectual Property Legal (“IP Legal”) approval. All requests for an external .IBM domain name must follow the IBM Corporate Naming Guidelines. Since there are over 17,000 IBM named products and services, the naming process attempts to eliminate redundancy and inconsistency; increase cost efficiency; reduce customer and internal confusion; protect the company from legal risk; and build brand equity into making IBM ʺeasy to do business withʺ. Some of the naming considerations highlighted in the IBM Corporate Naming Guidelines include the following:

How would you describe what you are naming? Outline the naming objectives.
Is this a new name, renaming or consolidation of products and services?
Who is the target audience?
Who are the key competitors?
What is the key message to be communicated i.e., capability, benefit, differentiation?
How will the name be supported and funded in the marketplace?
Is trademark registration desired?
In what countries will the product be marketed?

Upon approval of Marketing, Branding, IP Legal and the Corporate Webmaster, the Technical Contact configures the servers and the Administrative Contact registers the domain name and confirms registration with the IBM Sponsor.
The IBM Sponsor contacts the Requester with confirmation or denial of the requested external .IBM domain name.

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

This is not applicable to .IBM. IBM will not use the TLD to sell domain names or host third party websites however in certain instances URLs under the TLD may point to content on third party servers. There will be no registrants of the .IBM TLD other than the IBM Corporation. The .IBM TLD will be a closed registry.

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