.lacaixa New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: CAIXA DʹESTALVIS I PENSIONS DE BARCELONA
String: lacaixa
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1835-20716
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
CAIXA DʹESTALVIS I PENSIONS DE BARCELONA
- Address of the principal place of business
Avinguda Diagonal 621-629
Barcelona Barcelona 08028
ES
- Phone number
+34 934 046 000
- Fax number
+34 934 046 723
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.lacaixa.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Mr. Amadeu Abril i Abril
6(b). Title
Chief Policy Advisor CORE
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+41 227 006 503
6(e). Fax Number
+41 229 295 745
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Mr. Carles Feliu Ferrer
7(b). Title
Brand and Corporate Image Director
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+34 934 046 495
7(e). Fax Number
+34 934 047 476
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Caixa dʹestalvis (savings bank)
8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
- Decret Legislatiu 1⁄2008, dʹ11 de març, pel qual sʹaprova el Text refós de la Llei de caixes dʹestalvis de Catalunya.
- Ley 31⁄1985, de 2 de agosto, de regulación de las normas básicas sobre Órganos Rectores de las Cajas de Ahorro.
-Real Decreto Legislativo 1298⁄1986, de 28 de junio, sobre Adaptación del Derecho vigente en materia de Entidades de Crédito al de las Comunidades Europeas.
as well as any other applicable legislation in Catalonia, the Kingdom of Spain and the European Union
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.
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
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
Alejandro García-Bragado Dalmau Secretario General
Elisa Duran Montolio Directora Ejecutiva Adjunta a Presidencia
Jaime Lanaspa Gatnau Director Ejecutivo de la Obra Social
Jaume Giró Ribas Director Ejecutivo
Joaquim Vilar Barrabeig Director General Adjunto de Auditoría
Jordi Gual Solé Director Ejecutivo de Estudios y Análisis
Juan Maria Nin Gènova Director General
Marcelino Armenter Vidal Director General Ejecutivo Adjunto
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
Aina Calvo Sastre Vocal
Immaculada Juan Franch Vocal
Isidre Fainé Casas Presidente
Javier Godó Muntañola Vicepresidente Tercero
Jordi Mercader Miró Vicepresidente Segundo
Josep-Delfí Guàrdia Canela Vocal
Josep-Francesc Zaragoza Alba Vocal
Juan-José López Burniol Vocal
Justo Bienvenido Novella Martínez Vocal
Leopoldo Rodés Castañé Vocal
Ma Dolors Llobet María Vocal
María Teresa Bartolomé Gil Vocal
Maria Teresa Bassons Boncompte Vocal
Miguel Noguer Planas Vocal
Monika Habsburg Lothringen Vocal
Montserrat Cabra Martorell Vocal
Montserrat López Ferreres Vocal
Nuria Esther Villalba Fernández Vocal
Rosa Maria Mora Valls Vocal
Salvador Gabarró Serra Vicepresidente Primero
Victòria Barber Williams Vocal
Applied-for gTLD string
- Provide the applied-for gTLD string. If an IDN, provide the U-label.
lacaixa
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.
Q16 - Operational or Rendering Considerations with Regard to the gTLD String
The .lacaixa Registry (and CORE Internet Council of Registrars as its technical provider) ensured that there are no known operational or rendering problems concerning the applied-for gTLD string ʺlacaixaʺ.
Since the gTLD string ʺlacaixaʺ is an ASCII-only string, it is safe to assume that, just like with existing ASCII-only TLD strings like .com, .net or .de, no operational or rendering problems may be expected. In particular, the name consists only of ASCII characters that are already used for existing top level domains; all the characters in the name are even used in the leftmost position of existing TLD labels. In order to confirm this, CORE Internet Council of Registrars conducted a thorough research regarding whether operational or rendering issues occurred for any existing ASCII-only top level domain in the past. The results of this research confirmed the assumption.
Since the registry does not support right-to-left scripts on the second level, bi-directional issues (like the ones described at http:⁄⁄stupid.domain.name⁄node⁄683) will not occur.
Moreover, the gTLD string exclusively uses characters from a single alphabet, does not contain digits or hyphens, and it contains characters that are not subject to homograph issues, which means there is no potential for confusion with regard to the rendering of other TLD strings.
Finally, CORE Internet Council of Registrars set up a testing environment for the .lacaixa TLD using the CORE Registration System, including an EPP SRS, Whois and DNS servers, in order to conduct a series of tests involving typical use cases (like web site operation and e-mail messaging) for a TLD. The tests revealed no operational or rendering issues with any popular software (web browsers, e-mail clients) or operating systems.
- (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.
La Caixa d’Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona (“la Caixa”) is submitting the .lacaixa application as a TLD for Institutional purposes for “la Caixa” Group services and products.
The corporate purpose of ʺla Caixaʺ is to encourage all authorised forms of saving, to carry out beneficent work for the well-being of the community and invest the related funds in safe and profitable assets of general interest.
Today, “la Caixa” is the number one savings bank in Spain and the third largest financial entity in the country for results, and undertakes banking activity indirectly through CaixaBank. Since its origins, in 1904, ʺla Caixaʺ has been characterised by a strong social commitment and a vocation to work in the general interest, both through its financial activity and its welfare projects, which finance activities of a social, cultural and scientific nature.
The goals of the .lacaixa TLD are:
- To strengthen the institutional image of “la Caixa” Group in the on-line world,
- To facilitate digital communications between the brand, its providers and customers,
- To promote the brand in the digital world,
- To facilitate access to the company information for users,
- To improve customer security, trust and loyalty,
- To unify the entity’s Internet presence in a single trusted name space,
- New marketing opportunities,
- New business opportunities,
- To enhance brand recognition,
- To increase the value of the company, and consequently, the “la Caixa” Group brand.
This is to be achieved by:
- Creating a platform between prospects, clients, partnerships and “la Caixa”’s associations,
- Creating an integrated virtual and physical service channel,
- Providing a coherent look-and-feel websites and online communications with all “la Caixa”’s services and social activities.
“la Caixa” has decided to apply for the .lacaixa TLD as an strategically long-term opportunity. “la Caixa”’s top financial status and social relevance has led the group to the belief that the gTLD program will represent a tremendous opportunity for the Group to reinforce the branding. “la Caixa” has been following with interest the ICANN new gTLD program since its inception and has gathered enough intelligence to adopt an educated decision. “la Caixa” understands the opportunities and the responsibility of what this opening implies, and is fully committed to run a piece of Internet infrastructure by operating its Top Level Domain: .lacaixa.
The mission of “la Caixa” defines the reason for its existence. Its purpose and its basic objective is to achieve the goals of its various interest groups stakeholders. The mission of “La Caixa” is to encourage saving and investment by offering the best and most comprehensive range of financial services for the greatest number of customers and make a decisive contribution to society through the provision of flexible tailored coverage of basic financial and social needs. “la Caixa” aims to offer and project this comprehensive range of services online encompassed under the .lacaixa TLD, serving with excellence its growing online community of users, employees, and social program beneficiaries
“la Caixa” through CaixaBank has a network of more than 5,100 branches, more than 8,000 ATM’s, and a workforce of 27,000 employees. With over 10.4 million customers, it is the leading entity in retail banking and a benchmark in the European financial sector. Its leading spirit takes it to continuously strengthen its brand and to search for new formulas to create competitive advantages for its business; the .lacaixa TLD will place “la Caixa” as innovation leaders within the banking sector, not only in Spain but internationally.
With the aim of diversifying income and taking part in the development of companies that offer basic services to society, “la Caixa” has for many years now pursued a strategy of investing in such businesses. The ”la Caixa” Group currently has a large portfolio of holdings in industry, property, international banking, insurance businesses and service sector companies, a group of financial activities that “la Caixa” would like to embrace under a unique, secure and trusted Internet identifier: the .lacaixa TLD.
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
The proposed TLD will also reinforce the company’s strategic positioning by offering high-end customized online financial services branded under the .lacaixa TLD, which will leverage the brand equity and differentiate the entity online from its targeted competitors.
The .lacaixa TLD will prove “la Caixa”’s commitment, integrity, professionalism and teamwork as well as will enhance the trust of both its customers and the society as a whole based on the highest quality services that will be provided by its different professional web sites comprised under its own Top Level Domain.
Reputation
Undoubtedly, the .lacaixa Top Level Domain will strengthen the holding’s brand and will enhance its recognition internationally, a fact that will naturally increase the value of the group as a result.
With the slogan “Making the difference”, the current strategic plan aims to underline its vocation to leadership and growth, both nationally and internationally, and to maintain its commitment to the business fabric. “la Caixa” group has always had and wishes to continue having a management model with a difference defined by the following items, which are intrinsically related to the values and the meaning of what “la Caixa”’s own TLD will represent:
* Social commitment
* Prudence and long-term vision
* Proximity to customers
* Excellence in service
* Technological innovation
* Model of corporate governance
Service levels
Protecting the brand and having exclusive control of what can be done is a top priority for “la Caixa”. It will help the group in controlling the brand presence online and will help “la Caixa” group to protect its trademark as well as the company reputation. It will also reduce security risks, posed by scams based on counterfeit identities in the second level domain name registrations under any other existing TLD, that may be registered due to their possible similarities with “la Caixa”, and that may be put to fraudulent use, tarnishing the brand’s reputation.
- What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
Differentiation
“la Caixa”, as a leading financial group in Spain and Europe, has an international vocation which aim is generating value for society, its costumers and its employees.
The strategic activity of “la Caixa” is underpinned by its identifying values, guidelines and characteristic convictions. The most important of all the Institution’s values are: quality, responsibility, innovation, efficiency and safety, attributes that would be indeed enhanced and reinforced by acquiring the brand TLD.
Competition
This new space will not only distinguish the brand placing the company as a pioneer within the financial sector, but will help reaching new potential customers as well as expanding the target market.
Innovation
The .lacaixa TLD will be a significant amplifier of “la Caixa”’s branding and marketing endeavours by creating innovative marketing efforts for customers, partners and suppliers. Some of the great challenges, benefits and innovative elements that the .lacaixa TLD will bring to the company structure are:
* To strengthen leadership in retail banking.
* To diversify business towards companies.
* To balance territorial presence.
* To grow internationally.
* To maintain a distinctive investment portfolio.
* To maintain financial strength.
* To improve on return of investments.
* To progress in organisational efficiency and flexibility.
* To develop and motivate talent.
* To underline “la Caixa”’s social commitment.
* To communicate the aims of the institution both inwards and outwards
- What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
Compared to the existing generic TLDs, the .lacaixa TLD experience will greatly enhance mnemonics and security. The .lacaixa TLD will simplify the way the customers find information about the company on the Internet by creating a more easy and understandable web address, and will drive customers into deeper levels of engagement with the brand. This engagement will increase:
* affinity
* ease of use
* customer service efficiency
* distribution of the different financial services
* increase the number and improve the security of online transactions
The .lacaixa TLD will give services of virtual communities to their clients. All keywords related to the entity will be assigned in an organized and controlled framework where users will get immersed in a truly branded experience driven by the entity’s vocation to offer the best and most comprehensive range of financial services to the greatest number of customers. This unified framework will be led by “la Caixa”’s successful on-line banking system, “Caixa Oberta”, a customized and secured service that had over 355 million impacts in 2011 and that allows “la Caixa”’s customers to manage their savings and accede to its diverse services, including social activities and the purchase of tickets for leisure activities, another benchmark activity of the entity.
The .lacaixa TLD will provide shorter URLs to “la Caixa”’s digital customers who look for ways to make their browsing and linking experience more streamlined and will offer user services via online portals which will customize the customer experience to an unprecedented degree by offering URLs.
Social media will of course play a crucial role within the introduction and promotion of the string to the name space scenario and, therefore, the branding exercise, throughout social networks, will be fundamental to ensure the highest standards regarding user experience with the .lacaixa TLD.
- Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
The .lacaixa TLD will be for the exclusive use of “la Caixa” and its Affiliates for the Group’s services and purposes. “la Caixa” does not contemplate at this stage opening the registration to any third party. Therefore, the mandatory registration agreement will refer to the following terms and conditions:
- a) Eligiblity: The registrant will be “la Caixa” or any Affiliate.
- b) Name selection: .lacaixa domain name registrations must be related to “la Caixa” Group services and products.
- c) Use and content: .lacaixa domain names may only be used in relationship to “la Caixa”’or its Affiliates’ services and purposes, subject to the approval of “la Caixa”. Domain names used must be commensurate to the role and importance of “la Caixa”
Considering that,
(i) “la Caixa” will register and maintain all domain name registrations within .lacaixa for its own exclusive use, and that
(ii) “la Caixa” will not sell, distribute or transfer control or use of any registrations in .lacaixa to any third party that is not an Affiliate of “la Caixa”, and that;
(iii) application of the Registry Operator Code of Conduct contained in Specification 9 of the Base gTLD Registry Agreement to .lacaixa is not necessary to protect the public interest;
“la Caixa” will request the exemption to the above mentioned Registry Operator Code of Conduct, and expects ICANN to grant such exemption as “la Caixa” provides reasonable satisfaction of the conditions hereof expressed. “la Caixa” may in the future consider extending the use of domain names for employees, customers and partners, but this is not foreseen neither allowed in the current description of the registration policies.
- 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.
“la Caixa” recognizes first-hand that this is a relevant issue and an evolving area of law in which there is no international standard. The protection of privacy and confidential information of registrants and users will comply with applicable Law, in particular the European Data Protection framework and the Catalan and Spanish Personal Data Protection legislation, as well as any ICANN requirements in the area.
Nevertheless, the specific model of the .lacaixa TLD and the registration policies as described above limit to a great extent the possible concerns on privacy, as no third parties and even less individuals will be allowed to register .lacaixa names.
- Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
Outreach and communications will be entirely done in-house for internal communication to inform “la Caixa”s Group workforce. Externally, outreach and communication efforts will be focused on advertising campaigns in the various existing media. With strong emphasis on digital media and via point-of-sale advertising in more than 5,000 branches throughout Spain to inform the general public and above all, “la Caixa”’s clients.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
As explained in the registration policies above, the .lacaixa TLD will only be open to registrations by “la Caixa” and its Affiliates. And the domain names will only be used for “la Caixa” Group legitimate services and products in a way that is commensurate to their role and importance within “la Caixa” Group strategy.
These rules guarantee that the no costs need to be borne by trademark and other intellectual property rights owners in monitoring the .lacaixa zone and protecting against abuses from registrations. This similarly applies to personal names, geographic names, Inter Governmental Organizations based in an International Treaty, and in general, any third parties interested in protecting their identity.
The .lacaixa TLD’s uses related to the financial activities of “la Caixa” and its Affiliates will have a positive effect on security, both on “la Caixa”’s own customers and over the Internet as a whole as it will greatly reduce the risks of effective phishing, or any other malicious conduct, a serious concern for the financial sector.
Answers should address the following points:
- How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come⁄first- serve basis?
Being the .lacaixa TLD for the exclusive Use of “la Caixa” and its Affiliates, first-come, first served will be the only available and reasonably possible, should multiple applications for the same domain name happen, as unlikely as this appears for this TLD model.
- Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
In a model in which the Registry is the sole and exclusive registrant of the domain names in the TLD, “la Caixa” does not believe that it makes sense to apply any such pricing measure.
- 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.
In accordance to Specification 9, point 6 of the Base gTLD Registry Agreement, as published in Module 5 of the Applicant Guidebook, “la Caixa” , taking into account that will operate the .lacaixa TLD for its exclusive use, will request an exemption to the Registry Operator Code of Conduct contained in Specification 9 of the Base gTLD Registry Agreement. “la Caixa” does not intend to provide any special contractual commitments to registrants, as the only allowed registrants will be “la Caixa” and its Affiliates within “la Caixa” Group.
Other than that, “la Caixa” will comply with any of the TLD Registry Agreement’s obligations, such as offering registration of domain names for periods of one to ten years, and the pricing provisions as contained in the Agreement.