.MUTUAL New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry, LLC
String: MUTUAL
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1187-18162
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry, LLC
- Address of the principal place of business
720 East Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee 53202
US
- Phone number
+1 414 665 8059
- Fax number
+1 414 665 2107
- If applicable, website or URL
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Joshua Bourne
6(b). Title
Managing Partner
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+1 202 223 9252
6(e). Fax Number
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Brian Bock
7(b). Title
Internet Marketing Consultant
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+1 414 665 8059
7(e). Fax Number
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry, LLC
8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
Delaware
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.
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance 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
11(c). Name(s) and position(s) of all shareholders holding at least 15% of shares
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company 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
Conrad Carlton York Member of the Management Committee
Michael Gerard Carter Member of the Management Committee
Raymond Joseph Manista, Jr. Member of the Management Committee
Applied-for gTLD string
- Provide the applied-for gTLD string. If an IDN, provide the U-label.
MUTUAL
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.
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry, LLC foresees no known rendering issues in connection with the proposed .MUTUAL gTLD for which it is applying. This answer is based upon consultation with Northwestern Mutual MU TLD’s Registry, LLC’s selected back-end provider, Neustar, which has successfully launched a number of new gTLDs over the last decade. In reaching this determination, Neustar analyzed the following data:
-ICANN’s Security Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) entitled Alternative TLD Name Systems and Roots: Conflict, Control and Consequences (SAC009);
-IAB - RFC3696 “Application Techniques for Checking and Transformation of Names”
-Known software issues which Neustar has encountered during the last decade launching new gTLDs;
-Character type and length;
-ICANN supplemental notes to Question 16; and
-ICANN’s presentation during its Costa Rica regional meeting on TLD Universal Acceptance.
- (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.
Mission and Purpose of .MUTUAL
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (“Northwestern Mutual”) is a mutual company serving the insurance and investment needs of more than three million clients, offering a variety of financial services throughout the United States. Northwestern Mutual’s online content is viewable in the .COM, .NET, .BIZ, .INFO, .JOBS, .TEL, .MOBI, and .ORG gTLDs, and also in the .US ccTLD. In order to apply for the .MUTUAL gTLD, Northwestern Mutual has selected its subsidiary company, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry, LLC (“Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry”), as the entity to file this application and bring the .MUTUAL gTLD to market. Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual.
Ranked 112 on the Fortune 500, Northwestern Mutual is the largest direct provider of individual life insurance in the United States and has received the highest possible financial strength ratings awarded to any life insurer by four of the major credit rating agencies. Northwestern Mutual’s portfolio of financial services includes: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, mutual funds, and employee benefit services, among others.
The intended future mission and purpose of the .MUTUAL gTLD is to serve as a trusted and intuitive namespace provided by Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry for Northwestern Mutual, its subsidiaries, and its current and future clients and policyowners. However, to date there has not been enough time, and currently there is not enough market information available, to fully analyze and evaluate all potential use case options.
Northwestern Mutual will be analyzing general market adoption to determine short- and long-term potential best-in-class use case options to most effectively serve and enhance Northwestern Mutual’s online strategy.
The goal of the .MUTUAL gTLD is to protect Northwestern Mutual’s online presence and identity; expand its marketing and promotion efforts; provide a secure channel for online products and services; and offer a platform through which to consolidate many of the intellectual property activities of Northwestern Mutual.
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry intends to initially limit registration and use of domain names within the .MUTUAL gTLD to Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. This initial limited use will allow Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry to establish its operations and achieve full sustainability. This limited distribution, coupled with the other requirements set forth in Specification 9 of the template Registry Agreement, is intended to exempt Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry from its annual Code of Conduct Compliance requirements.
After Stage Two (see below), Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry and Northwestern Mutual will evaluate whether opportunities exist to carry out the business strategy for the gTLD through expansion that continues the registry’s sustainable operations through fee-based registrations to parties other than Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates.
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry currently plans a four-stage rollout for the .MUTUAL gTLD. The dates of these stages are subject to change depending upon business, strategic, and industry factors at the time.
- Stage One
The initial stage of implementation of the gTLD will involve Northwestern Mutual registering a limited number of .MUTUAL second-level domain names.
This initial use will provide Northwestern Mutual’s IT and security personnel the time to run a number of tests to ensure seamless and secure access using the .MUTUAL gTLD domain names, interoperability with various software and Web-based applications, and unbroken and secure use of all names. This initial allocation will also allow the appropriate Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry staff to coordinate with the internal and external staff responsible for the delegation and setup phases of the .MUTUAL gTLD to ensure a proper transition from delegation to full operation.
- Stage Two
Once all testing has been successfully completed, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry will begin allocating domain names in .MUTUAL to Northwestern Mutual and potentially its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates for more widespread internal corporate use. During this same period of time, Northwestern Mutual will begin evaluating strategies to potentially migrate traffic away from its current patchwork network of second-level domain names, which are registered in a variety of TLDs, to the .MUTUAL gTLD.
It is also in Stage Two that Northwestern Mutual will evaluate expanding the operations of the gTLD to permit registration by other registrants such as licensees or strategic partners. Should an assessment of its expansion strategy lead to a decision to extend registration rights to other parties, this expansion is currently planned to take place during Stage Three. However, any expansion would be conditioned upon a review of Specification 9 (Registry Code of Conduct) set forth in the template Registry Agreement to ensure compliance with Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry’s business model.
- Stage Three
Depending on the analysis of the evaluations undertaken in Stage Two, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry may implement the permanent migration of Internet traffic away from the TLDs in which Northwestern Mutual’s domain names are currently registered, and toward the .MUTUAL gTLD. It is in this stage that Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry also may implement Northwestern Mutual’s decision to extend registration rights to licensees or strategic parties, depending upon compliance with Specification 9 as noted above.
After consideration of the following factors: analysis of Northwestern Mutual’s existing domain name portfolio; internal analysis of marketing initiatives; and the fact that Northwestern Mutual will have full control over the number of registrations in the .MUTUAL gTLD namespace, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry is confident that the number of domain name registrations will be less than 10,000 in the first five years of operation.
- Stage Four
Based on its experience with any expansion implemented in Stage Three, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry and Northwestern Mutual will assess whether the business plan and expansion strategy should be augmented by extending registration rights to a broader class of licensees, including potential clients and policyowners of Northwestern Mutual. It is anticipated by Northwestern Mutual that changes to the domain name industry, and particularly the impact of .GENERIC gTLDs, will take at least five years to be realized and assessed. Any decision to expand the gTLDs beyond corporate, qualified subsidiary⁄affiliate, and licensee use will take into account this experience as well as the technical analysis of potential expansion.
Utilizing current projections based upon Northwestern Mutual’s existing businesses, future business plans, current domain name portfolio, and other strategic factors, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry estimates second-level domain name registrations to be in line with the projections set forth in the response to Question 46 of this application.
18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
18.2 How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry believes that the proposed .MUTUAL gTLD has the potential to offer the following benefits to Internet users and consumers:
-Establish a trusted source of information and online marketplace for consumers or third parties nationwide who seek information about Northwestern Mutual’s products and services; for consumers or third parties to identify nearby offices or representatives; and for the general Internet user population;
-Provide Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates with short and memorable Internet addresses; provide increased navigation to products, services, advertising campaigns, events, public interest content, etc.;
-Minimize the cost and need for defensive registrations because domain names will only initially be allocated by Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry to Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates for internal company use; and
-Develop a potential platform for the secure access to, purchase of, and distribution of Northwestern Mutual products and information to consumers, in order to minimize the potential for counterfeit or infringing goods.
Also, through the adoption of new gTLDs by the wider Internet user community, consumers may benefit from lower incidents of phishing and malware often associated with mistypes of domain names in the .COM space that are owned by cybersquatters, since they will be navigating to domain names in the .MUTUAL gTLD.
18.2.1 What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?
The primary mission and purpose of the .MUTUAL gTLD is to provide a trusted, hierarchical, secure, and intuitive online marketplace to deliver Northwestern Mutual’s content and services, as well as information on Northwestern Mutual’s business and focus. As Northwestern Mutual continues to expand, it is the company’s desire to pursue and develop opportunities to market and distribute its online content to consumers, on various platforms, including the Internet and mobile devices, among others. Given that consumers increasingly request access to Northwestern Mutual brands through a variety of channels, which include domain names, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry believes that the .MUTUAL gTLD has the potential to provide an innovative, virtual avenue to Northwestern Mutual online content that will deepen and broaden its relationship with consumers.
Most importantly, Northwestern Mutual will be able to provide access to its online content in a namespace devoid of piracy, cybersquatting, and other malicious activities. Providing consumers with a trusted experience is paramount to Northwestern Mutual and the .MUTUAL gTLD will be used to further that goal.
While companies such as Northwestern Mutual fight a never-ending battle to protect their valuable intellectual property from piracy on the Internet, the .MUTUAL gTLD would offer consumers a safe and intuitive means of accessing authorized content from Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates.
18.2.2 What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
The primary driving factors of the .MUTUAL gTLD are differentiation and innovation. The number of domain names registered will not measure the success of the gTLD, but rather success will be judged by the levels of consumer recognition and trust that are placed in the .MUTUAL gTLD. Using this benchmark, Northwestern Mutual will strive to build consumer recognition and trust through the usage of the .MUTUAL gTLD that rise to the levels of those found in the .EDU and .GOV gTLDs.
As noted above, Northwestern Mutual is a leading mutual company that leverages numerous distribution channels and emerging technologies to deliver its online content to its consumers throughout the United States. The .MUTUAL gTLD has the potential to augment this online strategy, if the potential benefits that ICANN has projected become a reality.
18.2.3 What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry believes that the .MUTUAL gTLD will provide a trusted ecosystem experience for the millions of consumers nationwide who purchase Northwestern Mutual’s products and services, as well as those who seek information that Northwestern Mutual provides. In addition to providing consumers with short, memorable, and intuitive domain names, consumers will know that all domains and content are owned and controlled by Northwestern Mutual, and thus that they are protected from potential infringing, counterfeit, and other harmful content.
The initial use of the .MUTUAL gTLD will involve Northwestern Mutual registering a limited number of second-level domain names. This initial use will provide Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry with the ability to ensure seamless and secure access to the Northwestern Mutual websites and interoperability with various software and Web-⁄mobile-based applications. Once appropriate security and stability issues have been satisfactorily addressed, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry will likely begin allocating domain names for internal corporate use at Northwestern Mutual and may redirect .MUTUAL domain names to preexisting content. This phased rollout will likely take place over a multi-year period, subject to change depending upon a range of external factors.
At the same time, Northwestern Mutual will evaluate potential strategies to migrate traffic away from its current network of second-level domains, which are registered in various TLDs, to the .MUTUAL gTLD, which offers the potential to provide consumers with a single, trusted online source for Northwestern Mutual branded products and services.
After consideration of the following factors: analysis of Northwestern Mutual’s existing domain name portfolio; internal analysis of marketing initiatives; and the fact that Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry will have full control over the number of registrations in the .MUTUAL gTLD namespace, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry reasonably assumes that the number of domain name registrations will be less than 10,000 in the first five years of operation.
18.2.4 Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry currently intends for the .MUTUAL gTLD to be used exclusively by Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. Because of this condition, and because the Northwestern Mutual mark is a valuable brand, the protection of which is paramount to Northwestern Mutual, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry intends to address registration and use requirements in its qualified subsidiary and affiliate agreements that exist between those qualified affiliates and subsidiaries and Northwestern Mutual, rather than in a domain name registration agreement.
Notwithstanding these concerns, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry will incorporate all required ICANN consensus policies and other legal⁄policy requirements imposed on new gTLD applicants into the terms and conditions of the domain name registration agreements that each qualified subsidiary and affiliate of Northwestern Mutual will execute.
18.2.5 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.
As a nationally recognized insurance company, Northwestern Mutual respects the privacy of its policyowners, clients, and other consumers. The company employs a variety of physical, electronic, contractual, and managerial safeguards to protect personal and confidential information in its possession and on its websites. Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry will take similar precautions to protect registrant and user data associated with the .MUTUAL gTLD. Furthermore, given that every domain name will initially be registered to Northwestern Mutual or its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates, Northwestern Mutual has a vested interest to ensure that accurate and current domain name information is readily available in connection with each .MUTUAL domain name.
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry will ensure that the operation of the .MUTUAL gTLD will be consistent with Northwestern Mutual’s Privacy Policy, see http:⁄⁄www.northwesternmutual.com⁄legal-information⁄online-privacy-statement.aspx.
In addition, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry intends to incorporate contractual language in its Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA) modeled after language that has been included in the template Registry Agreement and that has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD Registry Operators.
The template Registry Agreement states, “Registry Operator shall (i) notify each ICANN-accredited registrar that is a party to the registry-registrar agreement for the TLD of the purposes for which data about any identified or identifiable natural person (“Personal Data”) submitted to Registry Operator by such registrar is collected and used under this Agreement or otherwise and the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data, and (ii) require such registrar to obtain the consent of each registrant in the TLD for such collection and use of Personal Data. Registry Operator shall take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data collected from such registrar from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction. Registry Operator shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in a way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars.ʺ
18.2.6 Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
As noted above, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry’s driving factor in securing the .MUTUAL gTLD in ICANN’s first round is precautionary in nature, and while Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry and Northwestern Mutual see the potential for this gTLD to be able to play a large role in Northwestern Mutual’s future online strategic initiatives, there are a number of unanswered questions concerning consumer recognition, the adoption of new gTLDs, and the response from search engines in the marketplace that will influence the usage of the gTLD and communication about that usage.
Notwithstanding this, Northwestern Mutual plans to start using .MUTUAL domains initially as redirects to existing .COM domains. As the aforementioned questions are answered over time, Northwestern Mutual may decide to initiate a targeted, pilot rollout using select gTLD domains as primary addresses and, after careful analysis and study of this rollout, Northwestern Mutual may plan to engage in a broader initiative should the results be satisfactory and in accordance with Northwestern Mutual’s overall strategic goals, both in the online space and in its office operations. The actual usage of .MUTUAL domain names will dictate what public communications and consumer outreach is done to encourage navigation to .MUTUAL domain names. This may include, but is not limited to, advertising, media outreach, in-store communications, email campaigns, etc.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
18.3 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)?
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry’s proposed operating rules to initially limit registration to Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates will provide a trusted online environment for consumers to access Northwestern Mutual’s online content, and by default will minimize social costs. This verified ecosystem provides consumers with a single, trusted source for Northwestern Mutual products and services with a substantially lower risk of fraud and⁄or scams. Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry does not anticipate consumer vulnerabilities. Therefore, one example of how costs are mitigated is that there is no need for other trademark and brand owners to defensively register second-level domains in the .MUTUAL gTLD. In total, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry’s expectation is that the usage of the .MUTUAL gTLD will eliminate many of the vulnerabilities that Northwestern Mutual consumers face in the Internet today.
18.3.1 What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences⁄costs imposed upon consumers?
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry believes that the proposed operation of the .MUTUAL gTLD as set forth in this application has no known negative consequences or cost implications to consumers. On the contrary, the proposed operation of this registry will likely lead to direct and quantifiable benefits to consumers.
18.3.2 How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come⁄first-serve basis?
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry does not envision multiple applicants for the same domain name, as domain names will initially only be allocated to Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates, at least for the first three years of operation. Depending on a number of evaluations, Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry may expand registrations so as to include Northwestern Mutual partners as potential registrants in the future.
18.3.3 Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry does not envision any advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, or bulk registration discounts because these marketing⁄commercial initiatives are inconsistent with the mission and purpose of the .MUTUAL gTLD as a trusted online source identifier. Moreover, it is the current intention of Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry to provide domain name registrations to Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates at no cost, though the company reserves the right to reevaluate this decision and may alter it in the future.
18.3.4 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.
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry is committed to providing the domain name registration periods set forth in the Registry Agreement. However, as noted above, the registration and use of .MUTUAL domain names is conditioned upon a separate relationship with Northwestern Mutual. Therefore, providing contractual commitments in a domain name registrant agreement regarding the magnitude of price escalations does not seem relevant or appropriate. Additionally, as noted above, the current business model envisions Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry initially providing domain name registrations to Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates at no cost.
Northwestern Mutual MU TLD Registry acknowledges that the current template Registry Agreement requires that the Registry Operator “shall offer registrars the option to obtain registration periods for one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar.” However, Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates, as the sole registrants within the .MUTUAL gTLD will only be registering domain names on an annual basis. This is done to better account for costs on an annual basis as well as to provide for more concise financial statements in Question 46, i.e., no multi-year registration or deferred revenue.