.seek New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Seek Limited
String: seek
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-2098-16297
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Seek Limited
- Address of the principal place of business
Level 6, 541 St. Kilda Road
Melbourne Victoria 3004
AU
- Phone number
+61 1300 658 700
- Fax number
+61 3 9510 7244
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.seek.com.au
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Mr. Mithran Naiker
6(b). Title
Infrastructure Services Manager
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+61 404 486 192
6(e). Fax Number
+61 3 9510 7244
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Mr. Krishneel Maharaj
7(b). Title
Project Manager
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+61 411 125 214
7(e). Fax Number
+61 3 9510 7244
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).
Australia
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.
Australian_Securities_Exchange;SEK
9(b). If the applying entity is a subsidiary, provide the parent company.
N⁄A
9(c). If the applying entity is a joint venture, list all joint venture partners.
N⁄A
Applicant Background
11(a). Name(s) and position(s) of all directors
Andrew Reuven Bassat Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder
Colin Bruce Carter Non-Executive Director
Denise Irene Bradley Non-Executive Director
Neil Gregory Chatfield Non-Executive Director
Robert Charles Gregory Watson Chairman
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
John Alexander Armstrong Chief Financial Officer
Moana Weir Company Secretary
11(c). Name(s) and position(s) of all shareholders holding at least 15% of shares
JP Morgan Nominees Australia Limited Not Applicable
National Nominees Limited Not Applicable
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.
seek
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.
The .seek 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
- .seek is not identical or similar to any of the top 10 invalid TLD’s responsible for the majority of DNS pollution, as referenced in the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC)’s report on this topic at http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄en⁄committees⁄security⁄sac045.pdf. It is likely that the .seek has not already been queried with meaningful frequency at the root. Therefore, it is unlikely that .seek will inherit significant invalid query traffic.
Due to the positive results of these checks, Seek Ltd. does not believe that the .seek 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/).
Mission/Purpose
18(a). Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD.
THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTED .SEEK gTLD IS TO BENEFIT INTERNET USERS BY ENSURING INCREASED TRUST, SECURITY AND CONFIDENCE THROUGH THE ELIMINATION OF USER CONFUSION AND ASSURANCE OF ONLINE BRAND REPUTATION AND BRAND AUTHENTICITY.
The .seek gTLD will create a new generation gTLD serving the interests of end users by providing an authoritative Internet space where information, services and resources for online job search, learning, education, business search and volunteering via the seek brand will be closely controlled by Seek Ltd. (SEEK).The majority of the anticipated domain name registrations in the .seek gTLD will be used to make the seek brand more prominent and visible and to provide a more consistent user experience. A subset of domain names has the potential to be created and used for communication and marketing purposes, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.
SEEK was established in Melbourne in 1997 and has been listed on the Australian Stock Exchange since 2005. SEEK is Australia’s leading employment website with over 150,000 jobs advertised in Australia, New-Zealand, the UK, Ireland and worldwide and over 14 million visitors per month. SEEK employs around 700 people in Australia and New Zealand as well as a significant number in its JobsDB subsidiary, a leading online employment company in South East Asia, and international investments throughout South East Asia, China, Brazil and Mexico. SEEK has an annual turnover of over AUD 344 million and had a net profit of AUD 97 million (financial year 2011). SEEK has unique insights in the local labour markets and regularly conducts research into employment trends and jobseeker sentiment including ‘The SEEK Employment Index’ and ‘SEEK Job Market Update’. SEEK also has two non-employment businesses: SEEK Commercial (option to browse for businesses and franchises for sale) and SEEK Learning (providing jobseekers with vocational education through partnerships with leading training providers). SEEK further has affiliates providing online employment websites in Brazil, China, Malaysia and Mexico.
SEEK has consistently, during the past seven years, ranked highly in ‘the Best Employers to Work for in Australia and New Zealand’ survey conducted by Hewitt Associates. In 2009, SEEK was ranked on the top 25 Best Employers in Asia. SEEK strives to protect its key online brands (SEEK Employment, SEEK Learning, SEEK Education, SEEK Commercial and SEEK Volunteer) and in this regard, consumer trust and continuous innovation are paramount considerations in all its activities.
Since the inception of the current domain name system, business activities conducted on the internet are constantly changing and evolving with increased complexity. The volume of commercial transactions over the internet is constantly growing and bringing benefits of simplicity and lowered transaction costs to businesses and consumers. However, at the same time, criminal activities over the internet including data breach, hacking and phishing activities have also become more sophisticated resulting in loss of consumer confidence beyond mere monetary harm. The .seek gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with SEEK online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction.
SEEK’s mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest. SEEK is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- consumer trust: the .seek gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to SEEK and its affiliate entities, at this stage, which will provide added consumer trust that .seek domain names are trustworthy. As .seek domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under SEEK’s control, this eliminates the possibility of incidence of phishing attacks and further malicious conduct within the .seek domain space;
- competition: the proposed new gTLD is not intended to instigate competition and consumer choice at the level of registration of domain names among prospective registrants. Instead it is anticipated to contribute to ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust and providing a more consistent user experience. Increased trust in the .seek 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 differentiate them from other competitors; and
- consumer choice: the proposed new gTLD will enable user-driven improvements and innovations assisting SEEK’s 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 SEEK by providing a clear and easily accessible Seek branded domain space. As SEEK has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under .seek domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.
Given the restricted nature of the .seek gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a more limited number of domain names (between 3 and 20) will be registered in the first few years. However as SEEK develops and implements new services and marketing campaigns, the number of registrants is likely to increase.
SEEK 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 policy and the proposed measures for protection of geographic names as outlined in response to Question 22, SEEK will use geographic names to localise its websites in countries relevant to its operation. The use of geographic names is intended to:
- connect internet users with relevant information regarding its employment and education services as applicable to the territory;
- provide information specific to the states and cities where SEEK has operations; and
- comply with required rules and regulations in the national territory.
SEEK does not intend to utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level initially. However, as the use of the .seek gTLD evolves, SEEK may wish to utilise IDNs to allow internet users to engage with .seek in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity.
SEEK is a well-recognised brand with its trademarks registered in Australia and New Zealand for the following categories: classes 35 (advertising services), 41 (provision of education and training via a global computer network), 16 (printed matter including education and training materials), 9 (computer software), 42 (computer testing and evaluating).
SEEK has an extensive domain name portfolio with over 400 existing domain names. SEEK has 15 domain names with being an exact match to the “Seek” trademark and the applied for .seek string including: seek.com, seek.info, seek.biz, seek.asia, seek.com.au, seek.net.au, seek.co.nz, seek.co.uk
SEEK believes that the .seek gTLD is unlikely to cause confusion with either a generic term or any existing TLDs. SEEK trademarks are a leading brand in Australia and New Zealand with significant reputation as Australia’s number one jobsite. SEEK has also expanded internationally by identifying and acquiring interests in 5 online employment websites which operate across South East Asia, China, Brazil and Mexico. SEEK has used the term ‘Seek’ in conjunction with its employment and educational business for over 15 years and is a trusted player in the employment market.
18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
18(B)I. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR PROPOSED gTLD IN TERMS OF AREAS OF SPECIALTY, SERVICE LEVELS OR REPUTATION?
The key goals of the proposed new .seek gTLD are in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. SEEK also intends to foster its online reputation and provide an authoritative internet space for all SEEK related products and services, through which SEEK is able to communicate with its customers directly and effectively. The ability to create domain names on demand that are relevant to internet users while maintaining the SEEK branding will create greater flexibility. Strengthened security measures, service levels and more effective functionality will provide a trusted and positive user experience.
18(B)II. WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE YOUR PROPOSED gTLD WILL ADD TO THE CURRENT SPACE, IN TERMS OF COMPETITION, DIFFERENTIATION, OR INNOVATION?
It is anticipated that the proposed .seek gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:
DIFFERENTIATION (INCREASED TRUST):
The .seek gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with SEEK by providing a simplified point of access and a distinctive domain space. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to the .seek gTLD site, via more relevant and shorter domain names, saving time and resources searching for an official site. The current domain name system has shown that it is vulnerable to malicious abuses, such as phishing attacks, due to registration of domain names which aim to exploit consumer confusion. SEEK can address some of these vulnerabilities by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .seek domain space. Together with consumer trust, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of and confidence in the domain names under .seek domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and SEEK.
COMPETITION:
The differentiation of .seek gTLD as a trusted site for SEEK 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 .seek domain space with its shorter domain names that are easier to remember together with increased consumer trust. As a result, .seek will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .seek 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 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. This problem is amplified for organisations such as SEEK who are looking to register suitable domain names relevant to its services in the employment and education industry and associated marketing campaigns. 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. Seek has the ability to create second or third level domain names including the use of geographic names on demand which are relevant to its customer base, services and products. SEEK will be able to combine its use of the domain space with innovative user focused marketing and services thus increasing engagement via specific sites that are relevant and target users personally thus providing greater consumer choice.
18(B)III. WHAT GOALS DOES YOUR PROPOSED gTLD HAVE IN TERMS OF USER EXPERIENCE?
The proposed .seek will provide a positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. SEEK will maintain control in the registration and use of domain names and will ensure that the new gTLD will only be used for purposes authorised by SEEK. Therefore, .seek gTLD will:
- provide an easy to remember and intuitive access point for internet users;
- represent authenticity by providing a clear and easily recognised Seek branded domain space thus promoting user confidence;
- direct internet users to relevant information in a timely manner by creating more relevant and shorter domain names on demand;
- use geographic names to localise its websites to connect with internet users in the relevant regions and to comply with local laws;
- enhance security and minimise security risks and incidence of phishing attacks by implementing necessary technical and policy measures;
- strengthen brand reputation and user confidence by eliminating user confusion;
- separate product lines and assist marketing to generate more targeted campaigns; and
- prevent potential abuses in the registration process reducing overall costs to businesses and users.
The .seek gTLD should address the concerns that the current domain name system is open to potential malicious abuse and user confusion in the registration processes via phishing attacks. 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 .seek gTLD 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 ICANN’s core values in benefiting the public interest.
18(B)IV. PROVIDE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICANTʹS INTENDED REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE GOALS LISTED ABOVE.
The proposed registration policy is attached in response to Question 28.
Only affiliate entities of SEEK will be eligible to register domain names in .seek at this stage. The domain name registration processes will address the requirements mandated by ICANN, including rights abuse prevention measures.
18(B)V. 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.
SEEK 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 user’s confidential information including the Data Protection Act 1988 (Australia) and the Privacy Act 1993 (New Zealand).
Privacy is of fundamental concern to SEEK’s customers based on the nature of employment services, in which internet users may provide personal information to Seek including their resumes. As such, SEEK has a strong interest in ensuring a high level of privacy protection for its customers. SEEK also has implemented its own privacy policy to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information.
SEEK’s privacy statement on its website sets out how Seek collects and disseminates information for all sites it manages. SEEK will only use such personal information in accordance with the purposes set out in the privacy statement and to comply with relevant laws and regulations.
As the .seek gTLD will only be available to affiliate entities of SEEK, initially, the amount of personal data that will be collected for the purposes of operating the gTLD and made publicly available in the WHOIS database will be very limited. SEEK 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, SEEK will utilise 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 policy. 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.
SEEK will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both SEEK and its users interacting with SEEK 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 .seek gTLD. SEEK already implements measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorised access including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), database encryption, secure gateway environment and web application firewalls (WAF).
SEEK 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 .seek domain space.
18(B)VI. DESCRIBE WHETHER AND IN WHAT WAYS OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS WILL HELP TO ACHIEVE YOUR PROJECTED BENEFITS.
The proposed new gTLD will be publicised 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.
SEEK intends to use the domain names within the new .seek gTLD immediately and intends to launch new websites and applications to best support the new domain space. SEEK is also actively engaging marketing companies to assist Seek with the development of a marketing plan for the effective use of the .seek gTLD in line with its mission and purpose. However, during the initial stage of the operation of the proposed new gTLD, it is anticipated that internet users will still be re-directed to current websites. Over time, it is foreseen that communication to the internet community of the existence of the proposed new gTLD and encouragement to utilise the trusted site will contribute towards minimising malicious abuses and protecting internet users.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
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 .seek domain space. Therefore, it is not anticipated that third party trademark owners will incur costs in relation to the .seek gTLD. The affiliate entities wishing to register domain names must ensure that all the policy requirements for registration are satisfied. SEEK 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 who have been targeted by malicious abuse in utilising services on the internet will reduce over time as a result of the new, trusted .seek gTLD.
18(C)I. HOW WILL MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS FOR A PARTICULAR DOMAIN NAME BE RESOLVED, FOR EXAMPLE, BY AUCTION OR ON A FIRST-COME⁄FIRST-SERVE BASIS?
The initial use of the proposed new gTLD will be restricted to internal business use and SEEK and affiliate entities are intended to be the registrants under the .seek gTLD. Therefore conflicts between multiple applications are not anticipated to occur.
18(C)II. EXPLAIN ANY COST BENEFITS FOR REGISTRANTS YOU INTEND TO IMPLEMENT (E.G., ADVANTAGEOUS PRICING, INTRODUCTORY DISCOUNTS, BULK REGISTRATION DISCOUNTS).
This gTLD will be used for internal purposes only, at this stage, so pricing incentives are not applicable or relevant.
18(C)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 PLAN.
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.