.WINDOWS New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Microsoft Corporation
String: WINDOWS
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1129-52051
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Microsoft Corporation
- Address of the principal place of business
One Microsoft Way
Redmond WA 98052-7329
US
- Phone number
+1 425 882 8080
- Fax number
+1 425 706 7329
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.microsoft.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Ms. Cynthia Ruth Kern
6(b). Title
Business Manager
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+1 425 703 7472
6(e). Fax Number
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Ms. Lorna Jean Gradden
7(b). Title
Director
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+44 207 421 8263
7(e). Fax Number
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Corporation
8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
USA, State of Washington
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.
NASDAQ;MSFT
9(b). If the applying entity is a subsidiary, provide the parent company.
Microsoft Corporation, the applying entity, is the parent company and not a subsidiary
9(c). If the applying entity is a joint venture, list all joint venture partners.
Microsoft Corporation, the applying entity, is not a joint venture
Applicant Background
11(a). Name(s) and position(s) of all directors
Charles H. Noski Director
David F. Marquardt Director
Dina Dublon Director
Helmut G. W. Panke Director
John W. Thompson Director
Maria M. Klawe Director
Raymond V. Gilmartin Director
Steven A. Ballmer Chief Executive Officer
- Reed Hastings Director
William H. Gates III Chairman
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
- Kevin Turner Chief Operating Officer
Bradford L. Smith Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Craig J. Mundie Chief Research and Strategy Officer
Kurt D. DelBene President, Microsoft Office Division
Lisa E. Brummel Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Peter S. Klein Chief Financial Officer
Satya Nadella President, Server & Tools
Steven A. Ballmer Chief Executive Officer
Steven J. Sinofsky President, Windows & Windows Live Division
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.
WINDOWS
14(a). If an IDN, provide the A-label (beginning with "xn--").
14(b). 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.
14(c). If an IDN, provide the language of the label (in English).
14(c). If an IDN, provide the language of the label (as referenced by ISO-639-1).
14(d). If an IDN, provide the script of the label (in English).
14(d). If an IDN, provide the script of the label (as referenced by ISO 15924).
14(e). If an IDN, list all code points contained in the U-label according to Unicode form.
15(a). If an IDN, Attach IDN Tables for the proposed registry.
Attachments are not displayed on this form.
15(b). Describe the process used for development of the IDN tables submitted, including consultations and sources used.
15(c). List any variant strings 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.
As the applied-for gTLD string is not an IDN and is consistent with the requirements of the Applicant Guidebook Section 2.2.1.3.2 (String Requirements), Microsoft Corporation does not believe there are any known operational or rendering problems concerning the string.
- (OPTIONAL) Provide a representation of the label according to the International Phonetic Alphabet (http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/).
Mission/Purpose
18(a). Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD.
The mission of Microsoft Corporation is to transform the way people work, play and communicate throughout the world through the provision of software, services and hardware. Microsoft does business throughout the world, with offices in more than 100 countries and over 90,000 employees. Every day, billions of consumers and businesses work, play, and communicate using Microsoft software, services, and hardware.
Microsoft first released the Windows® operating system for personal computers in 1985. With versions geared toward home as well as professional use, a server platform and niche products for tablets and mobile phones, the Windows® operating system provides a reliable graphical user interface, virtual memory management and multitasking. The Windows 7 operating system, the most recent release, is compatible with thousands of software programs from media players to gaming consoles.
The mission of the .windows registry is to lay the groundwork for providing consumers and businesses who interact with Microsoft through the .windows registry with a more secure and authentic experience, to protect the famous Windows brand, and to promote the Windows operating system.
We are assessing the opportunities that a new gTLD has for the delivery of secure communications, products and services.
18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
We expect that our customers will benefit if the .windows gTLD registry allows us to lay the groundwork for a more secure, globally recognized platform to complement our ongoing efforts to further enhance the security, stability, and reliability of the Windows operating system. Depending on the extent of consumer recognition and acceptance of new gTLDs, it is conceivable that we could make subsequent versions of the Windows operating system available for download through the .windows gTLD.
What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of speciality, service levels or reputation?
Billions of customers use our Windows operating system every day. The goals of the proposed .windows gTLD are to lay the groundwork for providing customers who interact with Microsoft through the .windows gTLD with an increased sense of security and authenticity, to protect the famous Windows brand, and to promote the Windows operating system. Because the .windows gTLD is the TLD counterpart to our famous Windows brand, the importance of maintaining and strengthening the brand dictates that we operate the .windows gTLD registry to the highest service levels.
We anticipate that operation of the .windows gTLD may provide us with the opportunity to use the gTLD as a globally recognized and more secure platform to deliver innovative software, give customers choice and flexibility, a familiar, easy-to-use interface, compatibility with a broad range of hardware and software applications, and the largest support network for any operating system.
What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space in terms of competition, differentiation or innovation?
Our proposed .windows gTLD will add differentiation to the current space because it will be the only gTLD that has the potential to provide customers who interact with Microsoft through the .windows gTLD with an increased sense of security and authenticity, to protect the famous Windows brand, and to promote the Windows operating system. We anticipate that the opportunity to operate a .windows gTLD may provide an authentic and secure platform through which we can continue our commitment to innovation.
What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
The goals of the .windows registry are to lay the groundwork for providing users who interact with Microsoft through the .windows gTLD with an increased sense of security and authenticity, to protect the famous Windows brand, and to promote the Windows operating system.
Provide a complete description of the applicants intended registration policies in support of the goals above
The Microsoft Domain Name Management team is responsible for the development, maintenance and enforcement of the .windows Domain Management Policy (wDMP). The wDMP defines the rules for eligibility and domain name allocation, sets out the license terms governing the use of a .windows domain name, and describes the dispute resolution policies for the .windows TLD. We intend to update and revise the wDMP as appropriate to reflect Microsoft’s commercial and strategic interests as well as ICANN Consensus Policy and Temporary Policy developments. We summarize below the wDMP.
Registration of a .windows domain name is a four-step process: Eligibility Confirmation, Naming Convention Check, Acceptable Use Review, and Registration.
Registration of a .windows domain name will be restricted to Microsoft Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries.
All domains in the .windows registry will be registered to Microsoft Corporation or one of its wholly owned subsidiaries.
Checks will be performed to ensure that each applied-for domain name satisfies the .windows Naming Conventions. Each .windows domain name must:
- not be a prohibited label such as “example”;
- be at least 3 characters and no more than 63 characters long;
- not contain a hyphen on the 3rd and 4th position (tagged domains);
- contain only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens or a combination of these;
- start and end with an alphanumeric character, not a hyphen;
- not match any character strings reserved by ICANN; and
- not match any protected country or territory name identified in the internationally recognized lists set forth in Specification 5 to the New gTLD Agreement, unless Microsoft reaches agreement regarding release of such names with the applicable government or pursuant to a proposal reviewed by the ICANN Governmental Advisory Committee and approved by ICANN.
The .windows registry may support Internationalized domain names (IDNs) at the second level.
All .windows domain names must be used solely for purposes that, in Microsoft’s sole discretion and judgment, enhance its strategic or commercial interests. No .windows domain name shall be used to knowingly infringe, violate, or misappropriate the intellectual property rights of any third party.
Registrants may not assign any rights in .windows domains to any third party.
Microsoft will require that the WHOIS data for all .windows domains is accurate and complete.
Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy of confidential information of registrants or users?
Microsoft is committed to protecting the privacy of employee and customer data.
The .windows registry will be operated by the Microsoft Corporation, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Washington; data will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection requirements. We intend to comply with the Personal Data obligations set forth in Section 2.10 of the Registry Agreement.
Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits?
We anticipate engaging in the types and scope of outreach and communications appropriate to the operation of a .brand registry in which the brand owner and its wholly owned subsidiaries are the registrants of all second-level domain names.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
We believe that the operation of a gTLD registry that matches one of our most famous brands, the registration of all .windows domain names in the name of Microsoft Corporation or its wholly owned subsidiaries, and the use of those domains in accordance with our requirements will serve to eliminate or minimize social costs and negative consequences⁄costs imposed on consumers.
How will multiple applications for a particular domain be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first come first served basis?
We anticipate that domains in the .windows registry will only be registered to Microsoft Corporation or its wholly owned subsidiaries. We do not anticipate receiving multiple applications for a particular domain and, accordingly, believe that there will be no need for any resolution.
Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g. advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
Because all .windows domain names will be registered to Microsoft Corporation or its wholly owned subsidiaries, there will be no cost benefits for registrants.
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 10 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?
We do not intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation because the universe of registrants will be limited to Microsoft Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries. We intend to comply with the provisions of Section 2.10 of the Registry Agreement.