.GMO New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: GMO Internet, Inc.
String: GMO
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1657-61205
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
GMO Internet, Inc.
- Address of the principal place of business
26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150-8512
JP
- Phone number
+81354561601
- Fax number
+81352258083
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.gmo.jp⁄en⁄
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Mr. Hiroya Tsukahara
6(b). Title
Representative Director and CEO
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+81354561601
6(e). Fax Number
+81 3 3780 2611
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Mr. Yoshitake Tamura
7(b). Title
Director
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+81354561601
7(e). Fax Number
+81 3 3780 2611
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).
The formation, organization, operation and management of companies are governed by the provisions of the “Companies Act” as set forth by the Ministry of Justice of Japan.
(Reference : http:⁄⁄law.e-gov.go.jp⁄htmldata⁄H17⁄H17HO086.html)
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;9449
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
Hirofumi Yamashita Executive Director
Hiroyuki Nishiyama Managing Director
Katsumi Arisawa Board of Directors
Kazuhiko Miyazaki Managing Director
Keigo Ogura Auditor
Kentaro Sato Board of Directors
Koichi Tachibana Board of Directors
Manabu Kinoshita Board of Auditors
Masahiro Muto Board of Auditors
Masakazu Iwakura Auditor
Masashi Yasuda Managing Director
Masatoshi Kumagai Group CEO and Representative Director
Mitsuhiro Aoyama Board of Directors
Shintaro Takahashi Board of Directors
Tadashi Ito Executive Director
Teruhiro Arai Board of Directors
Toshiaki Horiuchi Director
Toshihiko Sugaya Board of Directors
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
Hirofumi Yamashita Executive Director
Hiroyuki Nishiyama Managing Director
Katsumi Arisawa Board of Directors
Kazuhiko Miyazaki Managing Director
Keigo Ogura Auditor
Kentaro Sato Board of Directors
Koichi Tachibana Board of Directors
Manabu Kinoshita Board of Auditors
Masahiro Muto Board of Auditors
Masakazu Iwakura Auditor
Masashi Yasuda Managing Director
Masatoshi Kumagai Group CEO and Representative Director
Mitsuhiro Aoyama Board of Directors
Shintaro Takahashi Board of Directors
Tadashi Ito Executive Director
Teruhiro Arai Board of Directors
Toshiaki Horiuchi Director
Toshihiko Sugaya Board of Directors
11(c). Name(s) and position(s) of all shareholders holding at least 15% of shares
Kumagai Masatoshi Office, Ltd. Not Applicable
Masatoshi Kumagai Group CEO and Representative Director
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.
GMO
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.
GMO Registry(backend registry) has conducted technical analysis on the applied-for string, and concluded that there are no known potential operational or rendering issues associated with the string.
The following sections discuss the potential operational or rendering problems that can arise, and how the applicant mitigates them.
- Compliance and Interoperability
The applied-for string conforms to all relevant RFCs, as well as the string requirements set forth in Section 2.2.1.3.2 of the Applicant Guidebook.
- Mixing Scripts
If a domain name label contains characters from different scripts, it has a higher likelihood of encountering rendering issues. If the mixing of scripts occurs within the top-level label, any rendering issue would affect all domain names registered under it. If occurring within second level labels, its ill-effects are confined to the domain names with such labels.
All characters in the applied-for gTLD string are taken from a single script. In addition, the applicantʹs IDN policies are deliberately conservative and compliant with the ICANN Guidelines for the Implementation of IDN Version 3.0. Specifically, the applicant does not allow mixed-script labels to be registered at the second level, except for languages with established orthographies and conventions that require the commingled use of multiple scripts, e.g. Japanese.
- Interaction Between Labels
Even with the above issue appropriately restricted, it is possible that a domain name composed of labels with different properties such as script and directionality may introduce unintended rendering behavior.
The company adopts a conservative strategy when offering IDN registrations. In particular, it ensures that any IDN language tables used for offering IDN second level registrations involve only scripts and characters that would not pose a risk when combined with the top level label.
- Immature Scripts
Scripts or characters added in Unicode versions newer than 3.2 (on which IDNA2003 was based) may encounter interoperability issues due to the lack of software support.
The company does not currently plan to offer registration of labels containing such scripts or characters.
- Other Issues
To further contain the risks of operation or rendering problems, the applicant currently does not offer registration of labels containing combining characters or characters that require IDNA contextual rules handling. It may reconsider this decision in cases where a language has a clear need for such characters.
The company understands that the following may be construed as operational or rendering issues, but considers them out of the scope of this question. Nevertheless, it will take reasonable steps to protect registrants and Internet users by working with vendors and relevant language communities to mitigate such issues.
- missing fonts causing string to fail to render correctly; and
- universal acceptance of the TLD;
- (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.
GMO Internet Group is “Japan’s leading All-in Provider of Internet Services”. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the Group comprises 84 companies and 2,300 employees in 8 countries, operating in four business segments; Web Infrastructure & Ecommerce, Internet Media, Internet Securities and Social Media & Smartphone Platform. Various group brands hold the leading market share in the domestic domain registration, web hosting, ecommerce and payment gateway solutions, and online FX trading service markets. At the core of the group is GMO Internet, Inc. a company listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE:9449) in Japan.
As the operator of the first-ever ICANN accredited registrar in Asia, and the first Internet startup ever to be publicly listed in Japan, GMO Internet has a long history in the industry and well understands the branding power of a strong domain, and as the Group continues to broaden its service offering for global markets, the company sees the .GMO TLD as a key aspect of its global online brand strategy.
.GMO is a domain for GMO Internet Group (hereafter GMO) and its stakeholders. The primary purpose of .GMO is to consolidate GMO-related domain names registered under various TLDs into an official .GMO extension. In addition, GMO aims to achieve the following goals with .GMO:
- Alleviating user confusion and improving convenience for Internet users
The company has registered many domain names under various gTLDs and ccTLDs not only for actual use but also as a trademark protection measure. Despite these efforts, there exist many domain name registrations and websites that infringe GMO’s trademarks. As a result, Internet users often have difficulty differentiating bona fide websites from fraudulent ones. Positioning .GMO as the official domain for the company, and unifying the company⁄brand’s web presence under .GMO, would provide easy access and interaction, which the company believes would reduce confusion and improve user experience.
- Marketing ⁄ Branding
Since .GMO is a brand new TLD that directly represents the company⁄brand name, GMO expects it to be a highly effective marketing and branding tool. The company believes that .GMO will not only reinforce GMO’s brand on the Internet, but also attract people to visit the website because .GMO domain names make it easier for Internet users to access to the information related to the company.
- Simplifying domain name management
The third purpose for applying for .GMO is to simplify the management of domain names the company has registered. As stated earlier, GMO has many domain names under the various TLDs, posing a challenge in dealing with different registration and operation rules, log-in systems, etc. .GMO would make it possible to manage domain names under the .GMO rules and systems umbrella and would replace various GMO related domain names with .GMO domain names. As a consequence, it will be safer and easier for the .GMO stakeholders to manage their domain names.
18(b). 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?
Specialty
.GMO is a TLD for GMO and its stakeholders (i.e. GMO and companies listed on the securities reports of GMO). .GMO is different from other common TLDs in that second level domain name registrations will not be open to the public. .GMO is a ʺcompany⁄brand TLDʺ, which is a new type of TLD that is expected to have increased marketing and branding power. Registrants of .GMO domain names will be pioneers in benefitting from the value of a ʺcompany⁄brand TLDʺ. Also, all information sent or published from .GMO will be official and that means the information is dependable. .GMO directly expresses the name of the company⁄brand, making it easy to remember and associate with products and services of GMO and its brand names. GMO hopes that the .GMO character string will be easy-to-understand, easy-to-remember and that people recognize it as trustworthy.
Service Levels
In terms of service levels, GMO (the company) aims to operate the .GMO TLD in a secure and stable manner, adopting industry best practices where applicable. The registry’s operational goals are to have DNS load dispersion that is resistant to DDoS attacks, industry-leading level of Whois information change and DNS record change reflection time, substantial registrar support, and abuse window operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The company will also implement proven security measures at every level of the .GMO business and technical operation to provide maximum protection for its stakeholders. This includes stringent security policies and procedures, as well as comprehensive abuse handling mechanisms to mitigate security threats to the TLD. In addition, the registry will strive to provide an outstanding level of technical and operational support to the registrars.
Reputation
Aims for the reputation of .GMO are
- for .GMO to become well recognized as GMO’s official TLD, and
- for the .GMO name space to become one which Internet users can access with confidence.
- What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
GMO believes that company⁄brand name TLDs such as .GMO will promote competition, differentiation, and innovation for domain name registrants, internet users, and business.
.GMO is a new type of TLD in that the top-level string, not the second level, represents the company⁄brand name. It has several important elements of a good Internet address: direct, simple, easy-to-understand, and memorable. These elements are also important for marketing and branding activities, therefore GMO expects that the TLD will play a stronger part than ever in marketing activities.
The existence of this kind of differentiated TLD will encourage domain name registrants to consider the top-level as well as the second level when choosing an appropriate identity on the Internet. Also, registries and registrars will be encouraged to differentiate in terms of services, operations, systems, pricing, support, etc., promoting positive competition, differentiation, and innovation.
In addition, .GMO is different from other existing TLDs because it will be only available to GMO and its stakeholders. With its restrictive rules and comprehensive abuse handling processes, GMO expects minimal abusive domain name registrations in the .GMO name space. This means that information provided by .GMO will be reliable and Internet users will be able to enjoy the name space with confidence. .GMO will deliver unprecedented trust to Internet users, which GMO believes will spur further positive competition and innovation in the industry.
- What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
In terms of user experience, .GMO aims to provide a name space recognized by Internet users in general as one that:
- provides access to GMO related information safely and effectively,
- facilitates discovery of new things about GMO, and
- is meaningful and trustworthy.
- Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
In order to achieve the goals stated above, the plans for .GMO domain name registration policies are as follows. All .GMO TLD registrars and registrants must agree to abide by the policies. Failure to comply with the policies may result in denial, cancelation or transfer of any registration or transaction, or domain name being placed on lock, hold or similar status.
Registration Eligibility
Domain name registrations for .GMO will be limited to the following organizations:
- GMO Internet, Inc.
- Companies listed on the asset securities reports of GMO Internet, Inc.
- Unconsolidated subsidiaries of GMO Internet, Inc.
- Affiliate companies of GMO Internet, Inc.
Important Note: No individual-basis registrations will be allowed. In other words, the board members, employees, and contract staff of the companies listed above are not permitted to be registrants of .GMO domain names.
Verification of Registration Eligibility
Registration and management of .GMO domain names will be via the .GMO dedicated account provided by a .GMO accredited registrar. Access to the .GMO dedicated account will be limited to the registrants and their authorized administrative contacts, subject to verification of registration eligibility. The verification will be conducted by the applicant, and organizations that wish to apply for a .GMO dedicated account will be required to provide proof of registration eligibility to the applicant via a .GMO accredited registrar. All .GMO domain name registration phases are subject to the verification. Proposed valid forms of documentary proof include, but are not limited to,
- company seal (registered or unregistered)
- signature of management staff
The company will conduct verification on a per-registrant basis only. Once verified, the registrant or its authorized administrative contact will have access to the .GMO dedicated account, through which it may apply for multiple .GMO domain names without further verification, under the condition that the registrant and administrative contact information of an applied-for domain name are identical to that which the applicant has verified. If there are any material changes to the verified information, the registrant or administrative contact must notify the registry of the change.
Accuracy of Registration Information and Restriction of Whois Proxy
The company believes that it is important to keep and publish correct Whois data; registrants will be required to provide and maintain accurate, complete, and current Whois data. In addition, no Whois protection service of any kind will be allowed.
Draft Abusive Use Policy
The company defines abuse as any activity that may harm the stability and security of the DNS and Internet, including, but not limited to:
- Illegal or fraudulent activities;
- Phishing;
- Pharming;
- Using or distributing malicious software (malware);
- Sending unsolicited bulk messages (spam);
- Posting, trading, or exchanging information that harms minors; and
- Posting information that is offensive to public order or morals.
The company reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name on lock, hold or similar status, at its sole discretion, to enforce the policy.
In addition, the company intends to set up an abuse support window (abuse report form and abuse support window) for .GMO operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to be able to provide prompt responses to abuse activities.
In case an abuse use is reported, GMO will promptly take appropriate measures in accordance with the suspension flow provided separately (Please refer to Question 28).
Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) System
The company is committed to adopting and abiding by the URS System for trademark owners who seek a rapid system to take down domain names which infringe on their rights.
Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
UDRP is applicable to all .GMO domain name registrations.
- Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.
.GMO will comply with the applicable laws of Japan, as well as applicable ICANN consensus policies. As part of its responsibility as the registry operator of the .GMO TLD, the applicant will exercise due care to protect all information it receives from registrants or users through registrars, and will not disclose such information to any third party, with the exception of public Whois data.
The .GMO registration policies only allow registrations by companies and not individuals. As such, the applicant will publish on Whois all information required by ICANN as it regards all required information to be public. The applicant believes that it is important to maintain Whois data accuracy, and no Whois protection service of any kind will be allowed.
Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
.GMO is intended exclusively for GMO and its stakeholders. Therefore, GMO will direct its outreach and communications efforts towards raising awareness of the .GMO identity among Internet users. By consolidating the company-related domain names under the .GMO umbrella, GMO hopes to gain mindshare of the .GMO TLD among users, thereby contributing to the projected benefits stated above.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
- How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come⁄first-serve basis?
Multiple applications for a particular domain name for all registration phases will be resolved on a first-come⁄first-served basis.
- Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
.GMO will not be available to the general public, so the company is not planning to offer cost benefits for registrants at this point. The company promises equal treatment for all .GMO registrars.
- 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.
The registration period for .GMO domain names is as follows:
General Registration
- Minimum of 1 year and maximum of 10 years (but no greater than 10 years)
All Phases other than General Registration Phase
- Minimum of 2 years and maximum of 10 years (but no greater than 10 years)
The company will provide an advance written notice of price increases as required by the Registry Agreement. The registry is not intending to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation.