.nikon New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: NIKON CORPORATION
Application Downloaded On: 18 Mar 2015
String: nikon
Application ID: 1-1808-6217
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
NIKON CORPORATION
- Address of the principal place of business
4-6, Kanda-Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062 Japan
- Phone number
+81 3 3214 5311
- Fax number
+81 3 3773 8409
- If applicable, website or URL
http://www.nikon.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Naoya Ogasawara
6(b). Title
General Manager
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+81 3 3773 1259
6(e). Fax Number
+81 3 3773 8409
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Daisuke Aoki
7(b). Title
Manager
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+81 3 3773 8842
7(e). Fax Number
+81 3 3773 8409
7(f). Email Address
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).
JAPAN
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.
Tokyo_Stock_Exchange / 7731
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
Hiroshi Ohki Senior Vice President and Director
Junichi Itoh Senior Executive Vice President, CFO and Representative Director
Kazuo Ushida President and Representative Director
Kenji Matsuo Director
Koukei Higuchi Director
Makoto Kimura Chairman of the Board and Representative Director
Michio KARIYA Representative Director, Chairman of the Board
Norio Hashizume Senior Vice President and Director
Takaharu Honda Senior Vice President and Director
Tomohide Hamada Senior Vice President and Director
Toshiyuki Masai Director
Yasuyuki Okomoto Senior Vice President and Director
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
Name
Position
Atsumi Nakamura Corporate Vice President
Hiroshi Ohki Senior Vice President and Director
Hiroyuki HIRAIWA Corporate Vice President
Jun Nagatsuka Corporate Vice President
Junichi Itoh Senior Executive Vice President, CFO and Representative Director
Kazuo USHIDA President and Representative Director
Kazuyuki KAZAMI Corporate Vice President
Kenji YOSHIKAWA Corporate Vice President
Kiyoyuki Muramatsu Corporate Vice President
Kunio Kawabata Corporate Vice President
Masao Nakajima Corporate Vice President
Naoya Sugimoto Corporate Vice President
Nobuyoshi Gokyu Senior Vice President
Norio Hashizume Senior Vice President and Director
Osamu Shimoda Corporate Vice President
Tadashi Nakayama Corporate Vice President
Takaharu Honda Senior Vice President and Director
Takumi Odajima Corporate Vice President
Tetsuya Yamamoto Corporate Vice President
Tomohide Hamada Senior Vice President and Director
Toru Iwaoka Corporate Vice President
Toshikazu Uamtate Senior Vice President
Tsuneyoshi Kon Corporate Vice President
Yasuyuki Okamoto Senior Vice President and Director
Yojiro Tanii Corporate Vice President
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.
nikon
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.
The .NIKON string and A-Label were developed in line with and checked against the eligibility, stability and policy criteria as stated in the ICANN Applicant Guidebook - version 2012-01-11. The results of those checks are as follows:
- The string has less than 63 characters;
- The string in ASCII is composed of three or more visually distinct characters;
- The ASCII label consists entirely of letters;
- The string is not a reserved name as shown in section 2.2.1.2.1
- Reserved Names of the ICANN Applicant Guidebook - version 2012-01-11; and
- .NIKON is not identical or similar to any of the top 10 invalid TLDʹs responsible for the majority of DNS pollution, as referenced in the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC)ʹs report on this topic at http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄en⁄committees⁄security⁄sac045.pdf. It is likely that the .NIKON has not already been queried with meaningful frequency at the root. Therefore, it is unlikely that .NIKON will inherit significant invalid query traffic.
Due to the positive results of these checks, NIKON CORPORATION does not believe that the .NIKON gTLD will be subject to any operational or rendering problems.
- 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.
The mission and purpose of the new restricted .nikon gTLD is to benefit internet users by ensuring increased trust, confidence and a sense of security through the elimination of user confusion and assurance of brand authenticity.
The .nikon gTLD will be a new generation gTLD serving the interests of end users by providing an authoritative Internet space where information, services and resources of NIKON CORPORATION (Nikon) and its brand will be closely controlled by Nikon. The majority of the anticipated domain name registrations in the .nikon gTLD will be used in the promotion and communication of the Nikon brand and its associated products. It is anticipated that the primary use of .nikon domain names will be used for communication and marketing purposes, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.
Since its establishment in 1917, Nikon has been creating a path as a pioneer of optical technology. Nikon currently develops a broad spectrum of products with advanced technologies from optical product for consumer goods such as camera-related products focused on digital cameras and binoculars to industrial precision instruments such as Semiconductor exposure equipment, liquid crystal exposure equipment, microscope and measuring instruments. Further, Nikon has sold over 22.8 million Nikon digital cameras and digital single-lens reflex cameras worldwide and has over 23% international market share for measuring instruments.
Nikon has over 24,000 employees with business operation in over 150 countries and consolidated net sales of 887,512 million Japanese Yen for March 2011 year end. The .nikon gTLD intends to support Nikonʹs core business products and services by consolidating its online presence and Nikon brand image at a global level enhancing the brand value, free from false impersonation of third parties, together with improved user experience and user-friendly .nikon domain space on the internet. Nikon was ranked as one of ʺJapanʹs Best Global Brands 2011ʺ in a survey conducted by Interbrand. Further ʺTrustworthiness & Creativityʺ is Nikonʹs corporate philosophy. In this regard, security, innovation and accessibility are paramount considerations in all of the business activities of Nikon.
Business activities are increasingly conducted over the internet, allowing for greater levels of interaction between businesses and customers. As a result, both businesses and end users benefit from ease of interaction and a wider range of choices with lower transaction costs. However, the development in this arena in the current domain name system has exposed both businesses and consumers to increased criminal activities over the internet, including data breach, hacking and phishing. These sophisticated criminal activities cause reputational damage to businesses as internet users lose consumer confidence and trust with the businesses targeted by such criminal activities. The .nikon gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with Nikon online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction.
Nikonʹs mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANNʹs initiatives to promote public interest. Nikon is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANNʹs Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- consumer trust: the .nikon gTLD registry will be operated in a centralized manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to Nikon and its affiliate entities, which will provide added consumer trust that .nikon domain names are trustworthy. As .nikon domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under Nikonʹs control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .nikon domain space;
- competition: the proposed new gTLD is not intended to instigate competition and consumer choice among prospective registrants. Instead it is anticipated to contribute to ICANNʹs initiatives to promote public interest through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust. Increased trust in .nikon gTLD will 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 and innovations assisting Nikonʹs marketing efforts through its ability to create new second and third level domain names on demand. These names will provide the consumers with more choices for interacting with Nikon. As Nikon has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under .nikon domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.
Given the restricted nature of the .nikon gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a more limited number of domain names (10-20) will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase up to about 1000 domain names as new services and marketing campaigns are developed and implemented by Nikon.
As the .nikon gTLD expands and evolves, Nikon may consider offering the use of second level domain names to its official agents and other eligible business partners at a later date. In this endeavor, Nikon will continue to comply with all operational, technical and policy requirements, as well as maintaining consumer trust and the stability of the internet. Nikon will keep ICANN reasonably informed of any material developments relating to .nikon gTLD including compliance with the continued operations instrument obligations as set out in Specification 8 of the Registry Agreement.
Nikon intends to create relevant domain names for use including product, services or geographic names in the second or third level domain names. In accordance with registration policies and the proposed measures for protection of geographic names as outlined in response to Question 22, Nikon will use geographic names to localize its websites in the countries in which it operates. The use of geographic names is intended to:
- connect internet users with relevant information as applicable to the territory; and
- comply with required rules and regulations in the national territory.
Nikon does not intend to utilize Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level initially. However, as the use of the .nikon gTLD evolves, it is anticipated that Nikon may utilize IDNs within the .nikon domain space to allow internet users to engage with .nikon in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity.
Nikon is a well-recognized global brand with a total of 1,853 trademarks registered in 138 countries and territories worldwide. The ʺNikonʺ trademarks are registered under various categories including but not limited to class 9, which covers Nikonʹs core business of video equipment and optical precision measuring equipment. Further, Nikon is currently applying for additional 1,112 trademarks in over 195 countries for better protection and promotion of its ʺNikonʺ brand.
Nikon has an extensive portfolio of registered domain names in both generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) and country-code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) including nikon.com, nikon.sa, nikon.qa, nikon.com.de, nikon.com.co, nikon.co, nikon.com.tn, nikon.tn, nikon.do, nikon.com.au, mynikonlife.com.au.
Recently, Nikon was successful in securing sunrise application for the following domain spaces based on existing trademark registration: nikon.xxx, nikion.sa, nikon.qa, nikon.com.de, nikon.com.co, nikon.co, nikon.com.tn, nikon.tn, nikon.do, nikon.tel.
18B. How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
18(b)i.
The key goals of the proposed new .nikon gTLD are in line with ICANNʹs Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. Nikon also seeks to foster its online reputation and provide an authoritative internet space through which Nikon is able to communicate with its customers directly and effectively. The ability to create domain names on demand related to specific marketing, specialty service and product development supports these goals. Strengthened security measures, service levels and more effective functionality will provide a trusted and positive user experience.
18(b)ii.
It is anticipated that the proposed .nikon gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:
Differentiation (Increased trust):
The .nikon gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with Nikon by providing a distinctive domain space. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to .nikon gTLD site, saving time and resources searching for an official site. The current domain name system has shown that it is vulnerable to malicious abuses due to registration of domain names which seek to exploit consumer confusion. Nikon can address some of these vulnerabilities by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .nikon domain space. Nikon will implement and utilize the integrated infrastructure of the .nikon gTLD to enhance its online reputation to achieve increased consumer trust. Together with consumer trust, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .nikon domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and Nikon.
Competition:
The differentiation of .nikon gTLD as a trusted site for Nikon will drive existing and new TLD registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs. Internet users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under .nikon domain space. As a result, .nikon will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .nikon will be distributed not only to its direct customers, but to the internet community at large forcing improved services and competitive pricing in the market place.
Innovation:
With the expansion of the internet community to all corners of the world, the existing TLD structure presents limitations, not only in the availability of domain names for registrants, but also to businesses and organizations establishing a coherent global online brand presence to meet their evolving business needs. It is often difficult to register a domain name in existing domain space due to unavailability of the desired name. Even when the desired domain name is available, it may come with a high price tag associated with a purchase of such desired name from a third party. Nikon will utilize the ability to create second or third level domain names, including the use of geographic names, on demand in .nikon domain space to foster its corporate philosophy of ʺTrustworthiness & Creativity.ʺ .nikon domain names will provide an opportunity for Nikon to provide relevant information to its specific customer base, services and products. Nikon will be able to combine its use of the domain space with innovative user focused marketing and services to address the currently unmet needs in the existing domain name system providing greater consumer choice.
18(b)iii.
The proposed .nikon gTLD will provide positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. Nikon will maintain control in the registration and use of domain names and will ensure that the new gTLD will only be used for purposes authorized by Nikon. Therefore, .nikon gTLD will:
- provide an easy and intuitive reference and access point for internet users;
- represent authenticity thus promoting user confidence;
- direct internet users to relevant information in a timely manner by creating domain names on demand;
- use geographic names to localize its websites to connect with internet users in the relevant regions and to comply with local laws;
- enhance security and minimize security risks by implementing necessary technical and policy measures;
- strengthen brand reputation and user confidence by eliminating user confusion; and
- prevent potential abuses in the registration process reducing overall costs to businesses and users.
The .nikon gTLD should address the concerns that the current domain name system is open to potential malicious abuse and user confusion in the registration processes. Although the current system allows an eligible party to lodge a claim through existing Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) or other dispute resolution processes, the .nikon will reduce potential abuses in the registration processes and overall costs to internet users. User confidence in the domain name system will be strengthened, which will ultimately contribute towards promoting ICANNʹs core values in benefiting the public interest.
18(b)iv.
The proposed registration policy is attached in response to Question 28.
Only affiliate entities of Nikon will be eligible to register domain names in .nikon gTLD at this stage. The domain name registration processes will address the requirements mandated by ICANN, including rights abuse prevention measures.
18(b)v.
Nikon is committed to protection of privacy and confidential information in accordance with its objective of increasing consumer trust and providing a safe and legitimate internet space for internet users. Privacy and confidential information will be protected in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations relating to internet security, privacy and userʹs confidential information including Private Information Protection Law (Japan).
Nikon has also implemented its own privacy policy (the Nikon Group Privacy Protection Policy) to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information. Nikon is committed to abide by all laws and regulations related to privacy protection and will only acquire personal information, as necessary, in a fair and lawful manner. Personal information obtained by Nikon will only be used:
- to provide products or services requested by the customers;
- to enable response to customer requests, as a reference to determine customer requirements for products, planning, development, advertisement, sales and service activities of Nikon;
- to offer product information, company information, service information or other related information of Nikon;
- to notify a prize winner or send a prize;
- to verify participants in exhibitions and seminars;
- to develop and maintain smooth relations with business partners, as a reference in the recruitment process of individuals;
- to send necessary information to shareholders; and
- as defined by Personal Data Protection Law.
Personal information will not be disclosed to third parties except with prior consent or where authorized by Personal Data Protection Law or other relevant laws and regulations.
As the .nikon gTLD will only be available to affiliate entities of Nikon, the amount of data that will be collected for the purposes of operating the gTLD and made publicly available in the WHOIS database will be very limited. Nikon will provide a publicly available and searchable WHOIS look up facility, where information about the domain name status, registrant information including administrative and technical contact details can be found in accordance with Specification 4 of the Registry Agreement. In order to prevent misuse of the WHOIS look up facility, Nikon will utilize measures including a requirement where any person submitting a WHOIS database query is required to read and agree to the terms and conditions in accordance with the registration policies. This will include the terms of use that the WHOIS database is provided for information purposes only and that the user agrees not to use the information for any other purposes such as allowing or enabling the transmission of unsolicited commercial advertising or other communication.
Nikon will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both Nikon and its users interacting with Nikon online. DNSSEC provides additional security by validating information in the transmission, therefore it is intended to benefit those who publish information in the domain name system (DNS) and the users who retrieve information from the new gTLD. Nikon already implements measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorized access. Such measures include but are not limited to the use of Security Socket Layers (SSL) encrypted communication.
Nikon will continue to apply all security measures currently implemented and will comply with all other policies and practices required by ICANN in the Registry Agreement and any relevant Consensus Policy for protecting the privacy and confidential information of registrants and users in the new .nikon domain space.
18(b)vi
The proposed new gTLD will be publicized by a media plan to promote recognition of the new gTLD within the internet community to be a trusted site and as a sign of authenticity.
During the initial stage of the operation of the proposed new gTLD, it is anticipated that the use of the new gTLD will remain relatively limited.. However, over time, it is foreseen that communication to the internet community of the existence of the proposed new gTLD and encouragement to utilize the trusted site will contribute towards minimizing malicious abuses and protecting internet users.
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?
As a restricted gTLD, registration will only be open to internal users (affiliate entities) at this stage and no third parties will be able to register domain names under .nikon domain space. Therefore, it is not anticipated that third party trademark owners will incur costs in relation to the .nikon gTLD. The affiliate entities wishing to register domain names must ensure that all the policy requirements for registration are satisfied. Nikon will utilise the services of the proposed Trademark Clearinghouse to ensure that domain names registered and the use of those domain names, do not infringe any registered third party intellectual property rights.
No unaffiliated third party will be permitted to register domain names at this stage. It is estimated that time and money spent by consumers internet will reduce over time as a result of the new, trusted .nikon gTLD.
18(c)i.
The initial use of the proposed new gTLD will be restricted to internal business use and Nikon and affiliate entities are intended to be the registrants under the .nikon gTLD. Therefore conflicts between multiple applications are not anticipated to occur.
18(c)ii.
This gTLD will be used for internal purposes only, at this stage, so pricing incentives are not applicable or relevant.
18(c)iii.
This gTLD will be used for internal purposes only, at this stage, so pricing incentives or pricing increases are not applicable or relevant as no additional fees are to be charged.