.lipsy New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Lipsy Ltd
Application Downloaded On: 10 Jun 2015
String: lipsy
Application ID: 1-1319-371
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Lipsy Ltd
- Address of the principal place of business
Desford Road
Enderby Leicester - LE19 4AT GB
- Phone number
+44 844 844 0088
- Fax number
+44 116 284 6951
- If applicable, website or URL
http://www.lipsy.co.uk
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Richard Palmer
6(b). Title
Online Design/Development Manager
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+44 1162 846 449
6(e). Fax Number
+44 1162 846 951
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
John Dickinson
7(b). Title
Head of Ecommerce
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+44 116 284 4172
7(e). Fax Number
+44 116 284 6951
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Limited Company
8(b). State the specific national or other jurisdiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
United Kingdom
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.
Next plc
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
Name
Position
Amanda James DIRECTOR
LORD WOLFSON OF ASPLEY GUISE (SIMON ADAM WOLFSON) DIRECTOR
Steven Paul Chantrill Alternate Director
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
Name
Position
Seonna Louise Anderson Secretary
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
- Provide the applied-for gTLD string. If an IDN, provide the U-label.
lipsy
14A. If applying for an IDN, provide the A-label (beginning with "xn--").
14B. 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.
14C1. If an IDN, provide the language of the label (in English).
14C2. If an IDN, provide the language of the label (as referenced by ISO-639-1).
14D1. If an IDN, provide the script of the label (in English).
14D2. If an IDN, provide the script of the label (as referenced by ISO 15924).
14E. If an IDN, list all code points contained in the U-label according to Unicode form.
15A. If an IDN, upload IDN tables for the proposed registry. An IDN table must include:
the applied-for gTLD string relevant to the tables,
the script or language designator (as defined in BCP 47),
table version number,
effective date (DD Month YYYY), and
contact name, email address, and phone number.
Submission of IDN tables in a standards-based format is encouraged.
15B. Describe the process used for development of the IDN tables submitted, including consultations and sources used.
15C. List any variants 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 .lipsy 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
- .lipsy 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 .lipsy has not already been queried with meaningful frequency at the root. Therefore, it is unlikely that .lipsy will inherit significant invalid query traffic.
Due to the positive results of these checks, Lipsy Ltd does not believe that the .lipsy 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/).
18A. Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD.
THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTED .LIPSY gTLD IS TO BENEFIT INTERNET USERS BY ENSURING INCREASED TRUST AND CONFIDENCE THROUGH THE ELIMINATION OF USER CONFUSION AND ASSURANCE OF BRAND AUTHENTICITY.
The new .lipsy gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which Lipsy Ltd. (Lipsy) can create and control domain spaces that promote its brand identity and authenticity. In this regard, the .lipsy gTLD will be used by Lipsy to provide product information, services and resources to consumers in a way that promotes trust, convenience and utility. The .lipsy gTLD will provide an authoritative internet space for Lipsy, its affiliates and partners, in which second and third level domains can then be utilised for marketing, online sales and communication purposes of the Lipsy brand, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.
Lipsy is a young British fashion brand established in 2006 and has its headquarters in London. Lipsy designs clothing for women, including day wear, party wear, outerwear, jeans and shorts, including jewellery and accessories. Lipsy has stores in Australia, South Africa, India, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, France, the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Spain (including Canary Island), and the US. Since 2008, Lipsy operates as a subsidiary of Next Group Plc (Next), a UK based retailer offering clothing, footwear, accessories and home products. Next has three main outlets: Next retail, a chain of over 500 stores in the UK and Ireland, Nextdirectory a home shopping catalogue and website with over 2 million active users and Next International, with over 180 international stores. Next is listed on the London stock exchange and is constituent of the FTSE 100 index.
Business activities are increasingly conducted over the internet, allowing for greater levels of interaction between businesses and customers. As a result, both businesses and end users benefit from ease of interaction and a wider range of choices with lower transaction costs. However, the development in this arena in the current domain name system has exposed both businesses and consumers to increased criminal activities over the internet, including data breach, hacking and phishing. These sophisticated criminal activities cause reputational damage to businesses as internet users lose consumer confidence and trust with the businesses targeted by such criminal activities. The .lipsy gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with Lipsy and the Lipsy brand online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction.
Lipsy’s mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest. Lipsy is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- consumer trust: the .lipsy gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to Lipsy and its affiliate entities, at this stage, which will provide added consumer trust and confidence that .lipsy domain names are trustworthy and secure. As .lipsy domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under Lipsy’s control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .lipsy domain space;
- competition: the .lipsy 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. Increased trust in the .lipsy 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
- consumer choice: the .lipsy gTLD will enable user-driven improvements and innovations assisting Lipsy’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 Lipsy and its Lipsy brand. As Lipsy has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under .lipsy domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.
Given the restricted nature of the .lipsy gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a more limited number of domain names (approximately 200) will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to up to 800 domain names as Lipsy develops and implements new services and marketing campaigns.
As the new .lipsy gTLD expands and evolves, Lipsy may consider offering the use of second level domain names to its resellers and partners at a later date. In this endeavour, Lipsy will continue to comply with all operational, technical and policy requirements, as well as maintaining consumer trust and the stability of the internet. Lipsy will keep ICANN reasonably informed of any material developments relating to .lipsy gTLD including compliance with the continued operations instrument obligations as set out in Specification 8 of the Registry Agreement.
Lipsy 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, Lipsy will use geographic names to localise its websites in the countries relevant to its operations. The use of geographic names is intended to:
- connect internet users with relevant information as applicable to the territory; and
- comply with required rules and regulations in the national territory and provide country-specific information to its customers.
Lipsy does not intend to utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level initially. However, as the use of the .lipsy gTLD evolves, Lipsy may wish to utilise IDNs within the .lipsy domain space to allow internet users to engage with .lipsy in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity.
Lipsy is a well-recognised global brand with its trademarks registered in 36 countries and territories for the following categories: classes 3 (soaps, cosmetics, essential oils), 14 (precious metals), 18 (leather and leather imitations), 20 (furniture, beds), 24 (textiles, plastic material as a substitute for fabric), 25 (articles of clothing, footwear, headgear), 27 (carpets, rugs) and 35 (retail services).
Further, Lipsy has existing domain names related to the Lipsy brand and products with an exact match to the “Lipsy” trademark and the applied for .lipsy string in domain spaces including lipsy.com, lipsy.es, lipsy.co.uk, lipsy.gr, lipsy.com.gr and lipsy.com.es.
Lipsy also has domain names containing the “Lipsy” trademark in domain spaces such as lipsylondon.eu, lipsybasement.co.uk, lipsyfashion.co.uk, lipsystudio.co and lipsylondon.eu.
Recently, Lipsy was successful in securing sunrise application in the .xxx domain spaces based on existing trademark registration
18B. 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 .lipsy gTLD are in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. Lipsy also seeks to foster the online reputation of Lipsy and provide an authoritative internet space through which Lipsy is able to communicate with its customers directly and effectively. The ability to create domain names on demand related to specific marketing, specialty service and product development supports these goals. 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 .lipsy gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:
DIFFERENTIATION (INCREASED TRUST):
The .lipsy gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with Lipsy by providing a distinctive domain space. Internet users will be able to directly and quickly navigate to the .lipsy gTLD site, saving time and resources searching for an official site for the Lipsy brand and its products. The current domain name system has shown that it is vulnerable to malicious abuses due to registration of domain names which seek to exploit consumer confusion. Lipsy can address some of these vulnerabilities by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .lipsy domain space. Together with consumer trust, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .lipsy domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and Lipsy.
COMPETITION:
The differentiation of .lipsy gTLD as a trusted site for Lipsy will drive existing and new TLD registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve confidence and consumer trust of their TLDs. Internet users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under .lipsy domain space. As a result, .lipsy will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .lipsy 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 and organisations 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 Lipsy who work across many different jurisdictions and geographical markets. 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. Lipsy 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. Lipsy will be able to combine its use of the domain space with innovative user focused marketing and services to address the currently unmet needs in the existing domain name system providing greater consumer choice.
18(B)III. WHAT GOALS DOES YOUR PROPOSED gTLD HAVE IN TERMS OF USER EXPERIENCE?
The proposed .lipsy will provide a positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. Lipsy 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 Lipsy. Therefore, .lipsy gTLD will:
- provide an easy, convenient and intuitive reference and access point for internet users;
- represent authenticity thus promoting user confidence;
- direct internet users to relevant information in a timely manner by creating 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 and provide country-specific product and services information;
- enhance security and minimise security risks by implementing necessary technical and policy measures;
- strengthen brand reputation and user confidence by eliminating user confusion; and
- prevent potential abuses in the registration process reducing overall costs to businesses and users.
The .lipsy gTLD should address the concerns that the current domain name system is open to potential malicious abuse and user confusion in the registration processes. 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 .lipsy 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 Lipsy will be eligible to register domain names in .lipsy 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.
Lipsy 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 1998 (UK).
Lipsy also has implemented its own privacy policy to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information. Through its privacy policy Lipsy offers internet users information regarding:
- the type of personal information collected: name, delivery address, telephone number, email address, billing information (credit card number, expiry date, security code and billing address), products purchased;
- intended purpose of collecting personal information, which includes:
- purchase of products,
- registering as a user on the Lipsy website
- participating in a prize draw or competition or;
- to contact Lipsy via email;
- what it does with the collected information:
- the processing of orders;
- to offer the best possible customer service;
- send marketing emails where the internet user has opted-in to receive such emails
Lipsy never shares any of its internet users’ personal information with third parties unless specified at the point of collection of such personal information.
As the .lipsy gTLD will only be available to affiliate entities of Lipsy, 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. Lipsy 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, Lipsy 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.
Lipsy will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both Lipsy and its users interacting with Lipsy 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 .lipsy gTLD. Lipsy already implements measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorised access. Such measures include: a high level Security Sockets Layer (SSL) data encryption technology and secure servers using advanced encryption and firewall technology.
Lipsy 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 .lipsy 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 and marketing campaigns to promote recognition of the new gTLD within the internet community to be a trusted site and as a sign of authenticity.
During the initial stage of the operation of the proposed new gTLD, it is anticipated that internet users will be re-directed to current websites. However, 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
18C. 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?
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 .lipsy domain space. Therefore, it is not anticipated that third party trademark owners will incur costs in relation to the .lipsy gTLD. The affiliate entities wishing to register domain names must ensure that all the policy requirements for registration are satisfied. Lipsy 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 .lipsy 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 Lipsy affiliate entities are intended to be the registrants under the .lipsy 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.