.sohu New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Sohu.com Limited
String: sohu
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-933-39092
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Sohu.com Limited
- Address of the principal place of business
SOHU.com Internet Plaza,No.1 Unit, Zhongguancun East Road,Haidian District
Beijing 100084
CN
- Phone number
+861062728472
- Fax number
+861062702153
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.sohu.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Mr. Yankai Zhang
6(b). Title
DNS Admin
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+861062728472
6(e). Fax Number
+861062702153
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Mr. Yu Cheng
7(b). Title
Systems operation manager
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+861062728889
7(e). Fax Number
+861062702153
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Corporation
8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
Cayman Islands
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
Carol Yu Equity Director
Charles Zhang Equity Director
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
Sohu.com Inc. 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.
sohu
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 applied-for gTLD string in this application is in ASCII format . It fully complies with the technical requirements specified in section 2.2.1.3.2 of ICANNʹs gTLD Application Guidebook. The ASCII label of this string consists entirely of letters (alphabetic characters a-z). It adopts the same character set as TLDs such as .net, .com, etc. And it can work well with many existing operating systems such as windows, linux, and is supported by common Internet Browsers, such as Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape. After being tested by the test system, there is no operational or rendering problems concerning the applied-for gTLD string .
- (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 applicant—SOHU.com Limited—is a wholly owned subsidiary of SOHU.com Inc. (hereinafter referred to as SOHU). SOHU, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of Chinaʹs Internet pioneers, is in its sixteenth year of operation. It is Chinaʹs premier online brand and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese, providing a network of web properties and community based⁄web 2.0 products which offer the vast SOHU user community a broad array of choices regarding information, entertainment and communication. SOHU has built one of the most comprehensive matrices of Chinese language web properties, covering all-around Internet services such as online media destination, interactive search engine, games information portal, top real estate website, online alumni club, wireless value-added services, leading online mapping services, and development and operation of online games.
In 2000, SOHU (NASDAQ:SOHU) formally listed on NASDAQ, becoming a famous international Internet brand. In 2008, as the only Internet content sponsor of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, SOHU becomes the first choice of Internet users and wins the highest user satisfaction among the portals for its authoritative, fast, comprehensive and professional report. Now SOHU has become the most influential and trustworthy news center, as well as the most popular entertainment center, sports center and fashion center. By virtue of its unmatched media resources and prominent strengths, SOHU develops professional channels for four major industries—Auto, Real Estate, Finance and Economics, and IT, aiming to provide the most fast, real and authoritative information for the public and build a robust and all-around media platform. As of the end of 2011, SOHUʹs total operating income stood at USD 852 million, an increase of 39% year on year (YoY).
The following is the introduction of major services and products of SOHU.
Online Game Business: The Company’s online game business is conducted through SOHUʹs majority-owned subsidiary Changyou. Changyou.com (NASDAQ:CYOU) is a leading developer and operator of online games in China. It began operations in 2003 as SOHUʹs massively multi-player online games (MMORPG) business unit, before its carve-out as a separate, stand-alone company in Dec 2007 and subsequent listing on the NASDAQ Global Select Market in April 2009.
Sponsored Search Business: The companyʹs sponsored search business is conducted through SOHUʹs online search subsidiary Sogou through Sogou.com, an interactive search engine. By integrating three high-quality and popular Internet applications (Sponsored search service, Sogou Pinyin and Sogou Browser), SOHU has become the most promising enterprise in Chinese Internet industry.
Brand Advertising Business: The Company’s brand advertising business offers various products and services (such as free of charge premier content, interactive community and other Internet services) to its users, and provides advertising services to advertisers on its matrices of Chinese language Web properties consisting of sohu.com, a portal and online media destination; 17173.com, a game information portal; focus.cn, a real estate Website, and chinaren.com, an online alumni club.
SOHU properties consist of sophisticated Chinese language Web navigational capabilities, approximately 40 content channels, Web-based communication and community services. Its regional Websites have extensive reach across China. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 1,600 content partners, which enable the Company to provide a wide range of content offerings.
Currently, the domains in SOHU have three major applications: a) majority of domains are under the main domain .sohu.com, including the popular business of SOHU (e.g. micro blog, video, photo album); traditional channels (e.g. news, sports and auto) and regional portals(e.g. Guangzhou, shanghai), which are content and social network dominated; b)the search and software products are under the domain .sogou.com, including search portals, browser and input method; c)the functional portal brands have own channels under the .sohu.com as well as their independent domains.
SOHU found it difficult to manage its domain name portfolio and maintain a consistent and secure brand image which is currently scattered across several different TLDs, therefore, SOHU is applying for .sohu which is commonly known shorten Chinese name for SOHU to grasp the opportunity of new gTLD to promote its online brand. Through this gTLD, SOHU will be able to protect its brand and deliver the right impression and message to the end users, thus becoming the brand protection and brand building mechanism that the company deserves to have in this modern age of the internet. Furthermore, .sohu will have a multiplier effect on SOHUʹs efforts to expand and promote its range of business globally.
The .sohu is planned to be used for SOHUʹs internal business, mainly focuses on the subsidiaries and product lines of SOHU. At present, SOHU has 30 subsidiaries, and several important product lines, including SOHU, Sogou, Changyou, Focus, Chinaren, Go2map, 17173. The existing domains of these subsidiaries and product lines will be gradually integrated under .sohu, without affecting usersʹ usage habits. In addition to these main product lines, .sohu can be used for other purposes as follows: a) special reports for certain significant news or events made by SOHU, such as sars.sohu for the reports of SARS; b) large activities or projects held by SOHU, such as dream2009.sohu, cma.sohu (Chinese Music Award); c)communities about celebrities or superstars, including their archives, photos, news, works or fans club, such as dlj.sohu for the community of the famous singer Deng Lijun; d)the fist products or portals of SOHU, such as ldj.sohu for the MMORPG named Lu Ding Ji developed by Changyou; e) the sports events or competitions in certain place or year, such as 2012.sohu for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
According to the plan of .sohu, SOHU expects .sohu to have 2,000 domain names by the third year of operation at a price of $20 per domain per year. Three stages of domain registration are divided. In the first year of operation, domains of SOHUʹs subsidiaries, principal product lines and channels are planned to be registered, which will be about 1,000 domain registrations. In the second year, domains of SOHUʹs all product lines are planned to be registered and leads to 1,500 domain registrations. In the third year, all new-increased product lines are intended to be registered and result 2,000 domain registrations in total.
By consolidating all the domain names associated with SOHU and its subsidiaries, .sohu will unify all of the companyʹs online related business, reposition them and create a solid foundation for the future. By doing so, SOHU can further increase the scope and range of its online related business while consolidating its position in the market. SOHU will also explore the new operation model of online business.
Furthermore, .sohu will increase the level of trust from the users as problems like phishing, domain redirection and domain parking will be eliminated. Users know that they can depend on such gTLDs that are the brand personification of the actual entity. At the same time, it is so much easier for users to remember instantly and search for such famous companies.
With the rich and high quality gTLD resources, SOHU can redeploy the online business and IT infrastructure to improve the compatibility as well as exclusivity of online business and enhance the security and intelligence of IT infrastructure. To fulfill this mission, SOHU will invest heavily on upgrading and improving the security and intelligence of its information technology backbone and architecture.
In addition, with the leverage of .sohu, SOHU can help to promote healthy competition from the registrars by improving the level of service and providing more optimized choices of domains.
18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
What is the goal of your proposed TLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?
SOHU is one of Chinaʹs Internet pioneers. Applying and operating the .sohu gTLD can help SOHU to improve the overall competitiveness, and become the leading company within the industry. The successful operation of .sohu is the responsibility of SOHU in virtual world, which will be of great significance to the brand image of SOHU. SOHU makes commitment to provide high level of service to its registrants and users exceeding the SLA required by ICANN (Please refer to the answer to Question 23 for the detail of the SLA provided by SOHU).
The .sohu shall be known as the official online brand for SOHU, delivering secure and trusted services with .sohu domain name.
What do you anticipate your proposed TLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
Just as mentioned above, the websites of subsidiaries of SOHU and the product lines are currently scattered across several different TLDs, which is difficult for SOHU to manage. With the application and utilization of .sohu, SOHU will be able to conceive a uniform and secure brand image and differential services for its customers, Internet users and corporate internal users compared with the current internet space.
First of all, it is hard to solve the abuse of domains such as network phishing and cybersquatting within the current space of ʺ.comʺ or ʺ.netʺ. The .sohu can provide the TLD service to its registrants and users by making .sohu a secure space dedicated for SOHU and its customers. The users of .sohu will be confidential to the space service, which is different from services of other domain spaces.
Secondly, .sohu plans to provide innovative services based on social network. With the unified TLD .sohu, all product lines and branches of SOHU is integrated. Users can navigate SOHU under one TLD, and perform almost all operations. Compared with the current space, .sohu can provide more opportunities for internal cooperation and information sharing among different sectors and branches of SOHU. Cross sector or cross border collaboration or online education could rely on .sohu space to carry out in a secure and stable manner.
Of course, the addition of .sohu in the root will contribute to the competition on the domain name industry, offering more choices and service to SOHU and its customers, and better yet, offering a competitive environment for traditional TLDs to enhance their security and stability of their respective zone. This indirectly forces the existing gTLDs to provide more innovative or better services at a lower price.
What goals your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
The goal of .sohu is to provide customized service and secure space for users.
Secure: .sohu will provide user with ongoing services on a 24x7 basis to ensure the security and availability of network. The registrants of the .sohu domain names can be confident that the registered domain names are managed and controlled by the SOHU with the highest security and availability. Cybersquatting, email fraud, phishing, spoof and other domain name abuses will not occur when using .sohu TLD.
Trust: For the internet users, .sohu domain names bear the brand of SOHU and can be naturally affiliated with its products and services. Internet users hence have the trust on the websites that are offering SOHU products or services without worrying whether or not it is a genuine link. At the same time, with the development of social network, users of .sohu will form a closer social relationship based on the social identity.
Convenient: With the short TLD .sohu, users donʹt need to input the long domains to search information. It will be easier for users to remember and spread the TLD. Users can have advanced and fresh using experience and enjoy a faster and secure internet. And also, the TLD .sohu can be selected conveniently by search engine due to its unique naming which is related closed with SOHU itslef, which is good to enhance usersʹ trust to the cyberspace service.
Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Restricted Registration
SOHU will place stringent registration policy for “.sohu” domain names. All application for domain names under “.sohu” TLD must have a supporting letter executed by SOHU’s legal department prior to any registration. In the supporting letter, it will clearly indicate
- the domain name under “.sohu” for which it is been approved
- the purpose of the domain name
- the administrative and technical contact for the domain name
Registrars should be notified that any domain name registration without the supporting letter will lead to rejection.
String Policy
Domain names can contain the English-language letters A through Z, the digits 0 through 9 and hyphens (LDH -- Letters, Digits, Hyphens).
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 -
Hyphens however cannot be used for the first or last character of the second level domain name. Spaces and special characters (such as !, $, &, e, and so on) are not currently acceptable. The maximum number of LDH characters accepted for a second level domain is 63.
WHOIS Policy
SOHU shall operate as a ʺthickʺ registry, in which all of the information associated with registered entities, including both technical information and social information is stored within a central registry repository.
SOHU shall deploy ante-audit mechanism. The domain name will not be registered unless all registration materials as well as the real ID and contact information of the registrants or their purveyors to be verified by the Audit team of the accredited registrars.
SOHU also commits itself to maintain timely, unrestricted and public access to accurate and complete WHOIS information, including registrant, technical, billing, and administrative contact information. Details of the WHOIS policy can be found in answer to Question 29.
Others
- Data Privacy as described in Question 18(b) below
- Geographic name restriction as described in answer to Question 22
- Domain Name Lifecycle as described in answer to Question 27
- Right protection mechanisms as described in answer to Question 29
- Reserved name list as described in the answer to Question 29
Will your proposed TLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.
SOHU would adopt stringent policies to protect the privacy of registrants and its domain name users as per the ICANN WHOIS policy and China data protection regulation.
As such policy and regulation may be modified in the future, SOHU will also amend its privacy policy accordingly from time to time.
Specifically, SOHU is subjected to China’s (“Information Security Technology -- Guide of Personal Information Protection”). In brief, SOHU shall inform the registrants
- The purpose of any personal information collected and scope of use
- The period in which these personal information will be stored
- The security measure and information protection policy to safeguard the personal information
- The rights of the registrants on the personal information
- The registrant responsibility for accuracy of the personal information
In general, SOHU stipulates how the personal information will be collected and used and how the WHOIS information will be displayed. Any information other than the WHOIS shall not be collected and used. No personal information will be collected without the consent of the registrants and the registrants shall have the Rights to Confidential, Rights to Knowledge, Rights to Opt-out⁄Change Data⁄Prohibit Use.
The information submitted by the registrants shall be regarded as classified information and shall be processed by specially designated personnel. Without the written consent of registrants, the information collected cannot be used in the way other than WHOIS purpose.
The back-end registry service provider shall deploy security measures to protect the integrity of the database against potential stealth or unintended leakage. Please refer to answer to Question 30 for more information in this regard.
Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communication will help to achieve your projected benefits.
SOHU envisages the .sohu an integral part of its brand resource. The projected benefits such as consumer trust, recognition of .sohu online and competition will be achieved through a series of promotion and marketing activities.
- SOHU will carry out advertising and promotion activities of .sohu TLD and the trademark of SOHU across the whole world. It will be held as integral part of the existing brand marketing of SOHU to enhance the relevancy between the gTLD and the trademark of SOHU.
- At the application stage, outreaches will be given to the subsidiaries and product lines of SOHU to raise the awareness of the online presence of .sohu within the company. It will give the various sectors a precious opportunity to promote their products and services or even more innovative application of the .sohu through this dedicated cyberspace. Internal trainings shall be held in various sectors and branches to achieve the outreach purpose.
- SOHU will print the logo of .sohu TLD on various kinds of marketing materials of the company to increase the awareness of .sohu in the internet users.
- After that, outreach and promotion will go to the customers of SOHU. As the targeted users of the .sohu TLD, the customers shall benefit enormously through the secure and trusted online experience on the .sohu domain. Brochure and flyer illustrating the .sohu and its services will be presented at each and every sector and branch of SOHU.
- The .sohu Registry will take Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection actions to safeguard its rights against the abuse of .sohu TLD. The IPR protection will be a long term work which needs ongoing investment.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
The application and use of .sohu TLD is meant to improve consumer trust and to minimize consumer costs. SOHU has developed and adopted several operating rules to this end.
How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come⁄first-serve basis?
Specifically, with regards to multiple applications for a particular name, they would be addressed in the following manner:
- During the pre-launch period, SOHU will implement a sunrise service to trademark holders with supporting letter from the SOHUʹs legal department.
- If there are multiple eligible applications, SOHU will resolve this using the internal dispute resolution mechanism (please refer to answer to Question 29 for the detail).
SOHU will setup a panel to facilitate the negotiations. This panel shall conduct internal negotiation by hearing both parties on the rights claims. The panel then would come to a conclusion regarding the rights of the domain name registrant within 5 working days.
Explain any cost benefits for registrants you need to implement (e.g. advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
The running of .sohu TLD is based on a cost-recovery basis. As such, there is no intention to provide any promotion or bulk registration discount.
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.
SOHU will offer optional multi-year registrations for up to ten years.
Since .sohu TLD is not geared toward for profit, the price of each domain will be $20⁄year, which will not be raised in future. SOHU shall inform of the price adjustment to its registrars through various channels of website announcements, news media, emails, etc.