.bauhaus New gTLD Application

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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Werkhaus GmbH

String: bauhaus

Originally Posted: 13 June 2012

Application ID: 1-1947-29466

Applicant Information

1. Full legal name

Werkhaus GmbH

2. Address of the principal place of business

Gutenbergstraße 21

Mannheim  68167

DE

3. Phone number

+49 621 3905 0

4. Fax number

5. If applicable, website or URL

Primary Contact

6(a). Name

Mr. Elmar Knipp

6(b). Title

CEO

6(c). Address

6(d). Phone Number

+49 231 9703 0

6(e). Fax Number

+49 231 9703 200

6(f). Email Address

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Secondary Contact

7(a). Name

Mr. Alexander J. Drueppel

7(b). Title

department manager e-Business

7(c). Address

7(d). Phone Number

+49 621 3905 0

7(e). Fax Number

+49 621 3905 140

7(f). Email Address

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Proof of Legal Establishment

8(a). Legal form of the Applicant

GmbH

8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).

Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung

read more under: http:⁄⁄www.gesetze-im-internet.de⁄gmbhg⁄index.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.

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

Bernd Baus CEO

Dieter Bien CEO

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

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

13. Provide the applied-for gTLD string. If an IDN, provide the U-label.

bauhaus

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.

16. 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 Werkhaus GmbH (and Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH as its technical provider) ensured that there are no known operational or rendering problems concerning the applied-for gTLD string ʺbauhausʺ.

Since the gTLD string ʺbauhausʺ 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, Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH 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, Knipp Medien und Kommunikation GmbH set up a testing environment for the .bauhaus TLD using the TANGO 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.

17. (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.

Q18 a)

Q18 - Mission⁄Purpose

1. The Original: pioneering spirit leads to success.

You have to take risks if you want to shape the future. WERKHAUS GmbH as a part of the BAUHAUS Group has always known this. Thatʹs why our corporate values include a willingness to take risks and pioneering spirit. More than 50 years ago, it was us that brought the do-it-yourself idea to Germany. Anyone looking for tools or construction materials at that time would have to traipse from one specialist shop to another. With an innovative concept, BAUHAUS introduced relaxed shopping under a single roof. Eventually, this pioneering spirit asserted itself throughout Europe and has since found many imitators. As the ʺOriginalʺ BAUHAUS is still one of the best in Europe. That means that private customers, craftsmen and small businesses not only in Germany but also in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estland, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Slowenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey find a broad range of quality products. And BAUHAUS is still on the look out for new locations.

2. The concept: best selection, top quality, reasonable prices and close at hand.

The basis for a good business idea is a well thought through concept. With its customer-centric specialist range and clearly presented goods BAUHAUS laid the foundation for success. In more than 220 branches in Europe our customers find everything they need for workshop, house and garden in our bright, friendly and easy-to-reach branches. More than 120,000 products in 15 specialist departments and comprehensive services speak a clear language. For us, it is particularly important that the product range is up to date. At BAUHAUS our customers not only find the tried-and-tested BAUHAUS quality products as well as brand products of leading manufacturers, they also find the latest trends.

3. The philosophy: with team spirit for more customer proximity.

A good philosophy needs to be implemented with team spirit, creativity and consistency. But above all it needs employees that understand this and bring it to life. Thatʹs why at BAUHAUS the customers and employees are at the center of everything we do. From the selection of locations, the range of goods and value for money to quality assurance, advice and service offering we always put our customers first. For us, professionally trained staff and satisfied customers are important. And to make sure things stay that way in future, BAUHAUS favors lean management and a high level of employee qualification. All this makes shopping at BAUHAUS to a retail experience away from mass consumption.

4. Responsibility.

To ensure that only environmentally-friendly wooden products are sold, BAUHAUS has for many years voluntarily undertaken to sell neither uncertified tropical woods nor wooden products from illegal tree-felling areas and instead to only sell wooden products from sustainable forests. BAUHAUS suppliers have made the same undertaking. BAUHAUS was and is thus constantly endeavored to do justice to its entrepreneurial responsibility, also in the sense of an environmentally-compatible timber industry.

5. Common future: attractive, flexible and on the cutting edge.

Flexible, open concepts and a rigorous focus on quality are the future. BAUHAUS has clearly recognized this and successfully put it into practice. The more than 250 branches throughout Europe stand for targeted growth that makes both economic and structural sense. The employees in the expansion department are therefore constantly on the look out for suitable locations. Not only in Germany, but with the continuing enlargement of the EU in Europe too. We have our eye not only on land and commercial property, but also on possible takeovers. To the benefit of job seekers, craftsmen and small businesses across Europe.

6. Our mission in the operation of the .bauhaus gTLD

With a nTLD .bauhaus we intend to strengthen our brand and to increase our customerʹs and the Internet Communityʹs loyalty and trust. It is our goal to protect our trademark as well as the reputation of our company. Our own TLD will tie together various elements of our brand architecture and will place us as innovation leaders within our sector. With an own TLD our customers and Internet users will receive a seal of quality that a website with our TLD is secure. Plus Internet users seeking reliable first-hand information about our products or our company will benefit largely from the possibility to restrict the search space to the contents of .bauhaus domains. A great advantage of an own nTLD is that it will allow us to create short and easily memorable domain names. We are expecting an ease of access, for example when people use their mobile phones to connect to the Internet, accessing content online will be much easier thanks to the new domain names. Online marketing will gain many new opportunities, as for example new online marketing campaigns can be created with customized URLS with the .bauhaus brand extension, offering a wide range of eye-catching slogans. Moreover the own TLD will give us the opportunity to have full control over our Internet presence which is very important to us. ʺBAUHAUSʺ will enable the WERKHAUS GmbH to choose whether to restrict the use of the TLD to departments within the company or whether to allow our partners or resellers to use the brand TLD for company-approved purposes. Therefore we will be able to establish our own requirements and policies that ensure the seal of quality is met at any time. In addition to that, operating a new TLD of our own will give us an important competitive advantage. Customers, resellers, and partner companies that are awarded .bauhaus domains are clearly visible for their customers, potential customers, and the Internet Community as a whole as selected and competent enterprises.

18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

Q18 b)

Q18b - Mission⁄Purpose

1. Q 18 (b) How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

We expect that our proposed gTLD will benefit Internet users in so far 
as it will help us protect our trademark and our company’s reputation in 
order to offer Internet users a seal of quality. Our customers and 
Internet users in general will be able to rest assured that a website 
with our brand’s TLD is authentic and secure. This will help strengthen 
our brand while increasing our customers’ and the Internet Communityʹs 
loyalty and trust.



Internet users seeking reliable first-hand information about our 
products or our company will benefit largely from the possibility to 
restrict the search space to the contents of .bauhaus domains.
Companies, reseller or other institution with whom we partner and to 
whom we want to give domain space under the .bauhaus TLD will benefit 
from this reputation as well.


2. Q 18 (b) i.) What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?

The .bauhaus TLD is a single registrant gTLD with its focus on our 
company, our customers, suppliers, partners, contractors, and especially 
on our products and services. This implicates a high degree of 
specialty. The Internet Community can expect to find more accurate, 
reliable, relevant and up-to-date information on us and our products and 
services than elsewhere in the domain name space.



The goal of our operation of the .bauhaus gTLD is, among others, to 
improve the brand communication and to strengthen the customer and 
partner relationship. As such, it lies in our own interest to achieve 
service levels that guarantee for a satisfying user experience. The same 
holds for reputation.


3. Q 18 (b) ii.) What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?

We are planning to enable Internet users to find more specialised and 
in-depth information on BAUHAUS products and services on .bauhaus 
domains than anywhere else in the Internet.



While for most domains within our brand gTLD the focus will be on the 
content rather than on innovative Web technologies, some marketing 
campaigns and project sites will probably stand out with bleeding-edge 
technologies and concepts.

4. Q 18 (b) iii.) What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

A delightful user experience is likely to improve brand perception in 
the same way that a bad one is likely to damage it. As such, it is 
BAUHAUSʹ intention to provide Internet users with the best possible user 
experience. To achieve that, BAUHAUS is planning to implement monitoring 
and quality assurance measures.


5. Q 18 (b) iv.) Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.

We are not intending to sell domains to third parties. We will be 
deciding to offer the second level domains based on our business 
requirements and priorities. Requesters do not have a right to a 
particular domain.

Additionally, BAUHAUS will have its own registration policies to assign 
second level domains. We will also have policies to maintain content 
integrity that will not proliferate to domains that are not relevant.

6. Q 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. Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.

BAUHAUS will monitor and safeguard compliance with all applicable data 
protection and privacy laws.



As for outreach and communications, BAUHAUS will use its marketing and 
communications channels to socialise the fact that it has obtained this 
gTLD and its uses, benefits and protections to target audiences.


7. Envisioned Purpose of the .bauhaus gTLD

7.1 Product Presentation

It is BAUHAUSʹ strategy to align product offerings under a unique 
umbrella. The conjunct offering under the .bauhaus extension will create 
a focused brand perception and ensure a strong 
product-brand-relationship. The addressed target audience are customers 
(existing ones as well as potentially new customers), and BAUHAUS partners.



Imaginable contents of .bauhaus domains in this category range from the 
mere presentation of product offerings, along with a clear message 
defining the relationship between the BAUHAUS brand and the product, to 
the envisioning of future products and services. An potential products 
related URL could be probau.bauhaus, for example.


7.2 Marketing

Another important use case of the BAUHAUS brand gTLD is to serve as a 
platform for marketing campaigns and other brand building projects. We 
will create a unique space in the DNS to celebrate the customer benefits 
of BAUHAUS, with domain names and contents tightly coupled to campaigns 
or slogans. The addressed target audience is analysts and BAUHAUS 
customers (existing ones as well as potentially new customers).



Possible contents are customer success stories and other user-submitted 
content, as well as forums to initiate user dialogues. A potential 
marketing campaign URL could be the.new.bauhaus. Possible contents are customer success stories and other user-submitted content, as well as forums to initiate user dialogues. A potential marketing campaign URL could be the.new.bauhaus.

7.3 Human Resources

The BAUHAUS gTLD is further planned to serve as a fascinating 
information board for people considering a career at BAUHAUS. The 
strategy is to position BAUHAUS as a leading employer and to raise the 
userʹs awareness of the company in general and open positions in 
particular. Main target audience is recruiters and potential hires.



Among the contents of the planned recruiting domains are videos and 
employee testimonials giving insights into the interesting work at 
BAUHAUS as well as easy-to-access development opportunities. A potential 
domain name would be joinus.bauhaus.


7.4 Portfolio Extensions

In addition to the field of product related domains described above, the 
strategy of BAUHAUS also comprises the use of the BAUHAUS brand TLD to 
prepare and support the companyʹs moves into new offer areas. Dedicated 
.bauhaus domains can serve as a showroom to introduce products and 
services in the new area while sustaining a clear connection to the 
brand. Target group in this case are analysts and BAUHAUS customers 
(existing ones as well as potentially new customers).



To give an example, potential contents in this category would be 
information on the new products or services, alongside with a clear 
message of the relationship to existing BAUHAUS offers. An imaginable 
domain name could be mobile.bauhaus, for example.


7.5 Events and Sponsorship

Another envisioned application of .bauhaus domains is to announce and 
present events and related activities. The goal is to increase the 
interest in BAUHAUSʹ offers, to strengthen the customer binding, and 
eventually to maintain the position of BAUHAUS as a market leader. 
Audience for this type of BAUHAUS domains are media representatives of 
all kinds as well as customers (existing BAUHAUS customers as well as 
potentially new ones).



Conceivable contents are event-specific information like presentations 
or highlights, product news (where applicable), and forums for 
discussion (for attendees, virtual participants, or other interested 
parties). A possible domain name would be event.bauhaus.


7.6 End-Customers

In this field of the BAUHAUS brand gTLD usage we address end-customers, 
no matter whether they belong to the group of actual BAUHAUS customers 
or not. Projected contents are presentations or trials of existing and 
future products in order to gather feedback and ideas from the 
Community. The intention is to improve the products based on the userʹs 
needs, to increase the awareness level, and to evaluate and seize market 
opportunities. An illustrative URL would be poweredby.bauhaus.


7.7 Corporate Social Responsibility

It is also BAUHAUSʹ strategy to gather the information on all social, 
environmental and related efforts at a central place to clearly 
communicate the companyʹs position in this field to customers, 
investors, analysts, and media in general. An illustrative URL would be 
betterworld.bauhaus.

7.8 Partnerships

In an additional sphere of activity, BAUHAUSʹ strategy is to build a 
platform that bundles all partner related communication and information 
channels. This will leverage access to product related information and 
support for our partners on the one hand and strengthen the relationship 
on the other hand. Target audience for this platform are current and 
potential partners. A thinkable domain name would be partners.bauhaus, 
for example.


7.9 Custom Market Sites

A further vision is the use of BAUHAUS gTLDs to present custom-tailored 
information adapted to the special needs of certain countries or 
markets. The addressed audience are analysts, BAUHAUS customers 
(existing ones as well as potentially new customers), and partners 
(again, existing and new ones). The domain emea.bauhaus is a possible 
example for contents targeted at the the region Europe, the Middle East 
and Africa.

8. Usage of second and third level domains

It is BAUHAUSʹ intention to deploy multiple levels of sub domains for 
all the use cases described in the Envisioned Purpose section above. 
I.e., potential domain names are technical.partners.bauhaus, 
the.new.bauhaus, etc. This allows for well structured information 
offerings and will leverage a deep level of association with the target 
audience.

18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?

Q18 c)

Q18c - Mission⁄Purpose

1. Q 18 (c) 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)? What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences⁄costs imposed upon consumers?

It is important to note that BAUHAUS does not intend to sell domains to a third party at any time. Therefore social costs (e.g., time for financial resource costs, as well as various types of consumer vulnerabilities) will not occur. Neither will there be any negative consequences⁄costs imposed upon consumers.

2. Q 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?

As mentioned above we are not intending to sell domains to third party. We will be deciding to offer the second level domains based on our business requirements and priorities. Requesters do not have a right to a particular domain. If they are offered a domain it will be without valuable consideration.

3. Q 18 (c) ii.) Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).

Due to the reasons stated above there wonʹt be any costs or cost benefits for registrants (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).

4. Q 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 plans.

As we do not intend to sell domains there will be no contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation.