.weber New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Saint-Gobain Weber SA
String: weber
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1812-10343
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Saint-Gobain Weber SA
- Address of the principal place of business
Rue de Brie
Servon 77170
FR
- Phone number
+33 1 60 62 13 00
- Fax number
+33 1 64 05 47 50
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.e-weber.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Bertrand Abauzit
6(b). Title
International Brand & Development Director
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+33 1 60 62 14 35
6(e). Fax Number
+33 1 47 62 44 08
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Loic Dennebouy
7(b). Title
Digital Marketing Manager
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+33665823589
7(e). Fax Number
+33147624408
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
French “Société anonyme” (SA) = corporation
8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
France.
S.A. designates a particular type of stock company in various countries, including France. The abbreviation stands for anonymous company (“société anonyme”). The concept is roughly equivalent to that of the “public limited company” in the UK or “corporation” in the US.
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.
Saint Gobain Matériaux de Construction SAS
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
Claude Robert Alfred IMAUVEN Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Didier Charles ROUX Member of the Supervisory Board
Gilles François LEVA Member of the Board of Directors
Italo PERSEGANI Vice-chairman of the Supervisory Board
Jean Luc GARDAZ Chairman of the Board of Directors
Philippe Georges Louis POUPEE Member of the Supervisory Board
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
SAINT-GOBAIN MATERIAUX DE CONSTRUCTION SAS Not Applicable
11(d). For an applying entity that does not have directors, officers, partners, or shareholders: Name(s) and position(s) of all individuals having legal or executive responsibility
Applied-for gTLD string
- Provide the applied-for gTLD string. If an IDN, provide the U-label.
weber
14(a). If an IDN, provide the A-label (beginning with "xn--").
14(b). If an IDN, provide the meaning or restatement of the string in English, that is, a description of the literal meaning of the string in the opinion of the applicant.
14(c). If an IDN, provide the language of the label (in English).
14(c). If an IDN, provide the language of the label (as referenced by ISO-639-1).
14(d). If an IDN, provide the script of the label (in English).
14(d). If an IDN, provide the script of the label (as referenced by ISO 15924).
14(e). If an IDN, list all code points contained in the U-label according to Unicode form.
15(a). If an IDN, Attach IDN Tables for the proposed registry.
Attachments are not displayed on this form.
15(b). Describe the process used for development of the IDN tables submitted, including consultations and sources used.
15(c). List any variant strings to the applied-for gTLD string according to the relevant IDN tables.
- Describe the applicant's efforts to ensure that there are no known operational or rendering problems concerning the applied-for gTLD string. If such issues are known, describe steps that will be taken to mitigate these issues in software and other applications.
The .weber 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
- .weber 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 .weber has not already been queried with meaningful frequency at the root. Therefore, it is unlikely that .weber will inherit significant invalid query traffic.
Due to the positive results of these checks, Saint-Gobain Weber S.A. does not believe that the .weber gTLD will be subject to any operational or rendering problems.
- (OPTIONAL) Provide a representation of the label according to the International Phonetic Alphabet (http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/).
Mission/Purpose
18(a). Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD.
THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTED .WEBER 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 .weber gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which Saint-Gobain Weber S.A. (Weber) can create and control domain spaces that promote its brand’s identity and authenticity. In this regard, the .weber gTLD will be used by Weber to provide information, services and resources of its building and construction services to consumers in a way that promotes trust, convenience and innovation. The .weber gTLD will provide an authoritative internet space for Weber and its affiliates including its subsidiaries and joint ventures. Second and third level domains can then be utilised for developing Weber’s brand image and awareness, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.
Weber, established in 1900, provides a full offer of solutions for building, construction and renovation. Weber is a world leader of premix mortars and is involved in innovating solutions for facades, tile fixing, flooring, technical mortars, masonry mortars, plastering mortars and expanded clay. This is achieved by Weber’s commitment to providing useful innovative solutions supported by relevant services based on Weber’s winning combination of a deep local knowledge and its international experience. Headquartered in France, Weber employs around 10,000 staff members in a network of more than 180 flexible and local production units and 230 factories across 48 countries. Weber’s presence covers most of Europe, including UK, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, Spain, Germany as well as China, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Morocco, South Africa and Malaysia, to make its products and services more accessible to its worldwide customers. Weber generated a turnover of €2.3 billion in 2011. Weber believes in innovating processes that will involve its customers to guarantee efficiency, quality and competitiveness. In this regard, consumer trust and continuous innovation are paramount considerations in Weber’s application for .weber.
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 .weber gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with Weber online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction.
Weber’s mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest. Weber is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- consumer trust: the .weber gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to Weber and its affiliate entities, at this stage, which will provide added consumer trust that .weber domain names are trustworthy. As .weber domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under Weber’s control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .weber domain space;
- competition: the proposed new gTLD is not intended to instigate competition and consumer choice at the level of registration of domain names among prospective registrants. Instead it is anticipated to contribute to ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust. Increased trust in the .weber 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 proposed new gTLD will enable user-driven improvements and innovations assisting Weber’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 Weber. As Weber has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under the .weber domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.
Given the restricted nature of the .weber gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a more limited number of 200 domain names will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to about 800 domain names as Weber develops and implements new marketing programmes under the .weber domain space.
Weber 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, Weber will use geographic names to localise its websites in the countries in which it operates. 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.
Weber will also utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level, initially including Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic and Han scripts. The use of IDNs will allow internet users to engage with .weber in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity. As the use of the .weber gTLD evolves, it is anticipated that the use of IDNs, including additional languages, will increase within the .weber domain space.
Weber is a well-recognised global brand for its building, construction and renovation solutions with its “Weber” trademark registered in 56 countries and territories including Hong Kong, Chile and Italy for categories such as Chemicals (Class 1); Paints (Class 2); Non metallic building materials (Class 19) and Building construction and repair (Class 37). Weber also has trademarks including but not limited to “Weber.Floor” in 27countries, “Weber.therm” in 20 countries, “Weber.color” in 10 countries such as Brazil, Italy and Czech Republic for the same product categories.
Weber has 22 existing domain names with an exact match to the applied-for .weber string and “Weber” trademark in the following spaces including weber.dk, weber.gr, weber.fr, weber.es, weber.bg, weber.ua and weber.ie. Weber also has existing domain names containing .weber in spaces such as e-weber.com and netweber.co.uk.
Weber believes that the .weber gTLD is unlikely to cause confusion with either a generic term or any existing TLDs. Weber trademarks are a leading and reputable global brand with significant reputation in the building, construction and renovation industry as Weber has used the term “Weber” in conjunction with its pre-mixed mortar businesses for more than 100 years.
18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
18(B)I. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR PROPOSED gTLD IN TERMS OF AREAS OF SPECIALTY, SERVICE LEVELS OR REPUTATION?
The key goals of the proposed new .weber gTLD are in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. Weber also seeks to develop its online brand image and awareness by providing an authoritative internet space through which Weber 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 and will promote Weber’s commitment to deeply involve its customers to guarantee efficiency, quality and competitiveness. 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 .weber gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:
DIFFERENTIATION (INCREASED TRUST):
The .weber gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with Weber by providing the users with a distinctive domain space and an easy and intuitive reference and access point. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to the .weber gTLD site, saving them time and resources searching for the relevant Weber’s activities, products and services they seek. This will promote Weber’s commitment of making the Weber products as close as possible to its customers, thereby encouraging accessibility and efficiency. Weber also seeks to use the .weber gTLD to simplify its interaction with its customers during the introduction of any loyalty programmes, e-commerce platforms and marketing programmes. 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. Weber seeks to address some of these vulnerabilities and increase brand awareness by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .weber domain space and limiting the use of .weber to its affiliates. Together with consumer trust, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .weber domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and Weber.
COMPETITION:
The differentiation of the .weber gTLD as a trusted site for Weber will drive existing and new TLD registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs. Internet users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under the .weber domain space. The .weber gTLD will reinforce the differentiating and innovative image of the Weber brand and its products and services. As a result, .weber will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .weber gTLD 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 Weber 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. With the proposed .weber gTLD, Weber has the ability to create second or third level domain names including the use of geographic names and IDNs on demand which are relevant to its customer base, services and products. The .weber gTLD will enable Weber to utilise the domain space to introduce and promote its loyalty programmes, e-commerce platforms and marketing programmes. Weber 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 .weber gTLD will provide a positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. Weber 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 Weber. Therefore, the .weber gTLD will:
- provide an easy and intuitive reference and access point for internet users;
- simplify interaction between Weber and its internet users during the introduction of loyalty programmes, e-commerce platforms and marketing programmes;
- represent authenticity thus promoting user confidence;
- direct internet users to relevant information in a timely manner by creating domain names on demand that would provide direct access to Weber’s activities, products and services;
- use IDNs to enable customer to interact directly in their native language;
- use geographic names to localise its websites to connect with internet users in the relevant regions and to comply with local laws;
- enhance security and minimise security risks by implementing necessary technical and policy measures;
- strengthen brand reputation and user confidence by allowing Weber to maintain complete control over the .weber domain space thereby eliminating user confusion; and
- prevent potential abuses in the registration process reducing overall costs to businesses and users.
The .weber 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 .weber gTLD will reduce potential abuses in the registration processes and overall costs to internet users. User confidence in the domain name system will be strengthened, which will ultimately contribute towards promoting ICANN’s core values in benefiting the public interest.
18(B)IV. PROVIDE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICANTʹS INTENDED REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE GOALS LISTED ABOVE.
The proposed registration policy is attached in response to Question 28.
Only affiliate entities of Weber will be eligible to register domain names in .weber 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.
Weber 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 EU Directive 95⁄46⁄EC, Law 78-17 (France), Convention 108 of Europe 1981 and Federal Data Protection Act 2001 (Germany).
Privacy is of fundamental concern to Weber’s customers as such Weber has a strong interest in ensuring a high level of privacy protection for its customers. Weber has provided a privacy statement to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information. Weber only collects personal information from its users when they provide it voluntarily. Any such personal information will only be directed to Weber internally and to those responsible for handling the user’s request for Weber’s products and services.
As websites are subject to local legislation, Weber ensures that its websites comply with local legislation and regulations as required.
As the .weber gTLD will only be available to affiliate entities of Weber, 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. Weber 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, Weber 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.
Weber will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both Weber and its users interacting with Weber 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 .weber gTLD. Weber already implements measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorised access. Such measures include the use of passwords and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) data encryption.
Weber 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 .weber domain space.
18(B)VI. DESCRIBE WHETHER AND IN WHAT WAYS OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS WILL HELP TO ACHIEVE YOUR PROJECTED BENEFITS.
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.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
As a restricted gTLD, registration will only be open to internal users (affiliate entities) at this stage and no third parties will be able to register domain names under the .weber domain space. Therefore, it is not anticipated that third party trademark owners will incur costs in relation to the .weber gTLD. The affiliate entities wishing to register domain names must ensure that all the policy requirements for registration are satisfied. Weber 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 .weber 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 Weber and affiliate entities are intended to be the registrants under the .weber 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.