.seven New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Seven West Media Ltd
Application Downloaded On: 16 Jun 2014
String: seven
Application ID: 1-2094-72761
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Seven West Media Ltd
- Address of the principal place of business
Newspaper House
50 Hasler Road Osborne Park, WA - 6017 AU
- Phone number
+61 8 9323 2000
- Fax number
+61 8 9323 2033
- If applicable, website or URL
http://www.sevenwestmedia.com.au
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Jeff Beech
6(b). Title
Regulatory Affairs Executive
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+61 2 8777 7213
6(e). Fax Number
+61 2 8777 7180
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Tim McDonald
7(b). Title
General Manager – Program Operations
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+61 2 9697 777
7(e). Fax Number
+61 2 8777 7180
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Corporation – Public Company
8(b). State the specific national or other jurisdiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
Australia
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.
Australian_Securities_Exchange / SWM
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
Name
Position
Bruce McWilliam Alternate Director
David Leckie Executive Director
Don Voelte Non Executive Director
Doug Flynn Non Executive Director
Ed Bostock Alternate Director
Graeme John AO Non Executive Director
Justin Reizes Non Executive Director
Kerry Stokes AC Chairman
Peter Gammell Non Executive Director
Ryan Stokes Alternate Director
Sam Walsh AO Non Executive Director
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
Name
Position
Chris Wharton CEO - WA
Peter Bryant Company 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.
seven
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 .seven 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
- .seven 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 .seven has not already been queried with meaningful frequency at the root. Therefore, it is unlikely that .seven will inherit significant invalid query traffic.
Due to the positive results of these checks, Seven West Media Limited does not believe that the .seven 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 .SEVEN 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 .seven gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which Seven West Media Limited (Seven West) can create and control domain spaces that promote its brands identity and authenticity. In this regard, the .seven gTLD will be used by Seven West to provide information, services and resources regarding its media platforms and entertainment content to consumers in a way that promotes trust, convenience and utility. The .seven gTLD will provide an authoritative internet space for Seven West, its affiliates and partners that are associated with the “Seven” brand. Second and third level domain names can then be utilised for communication and marketing purposes, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.
Seven West is the leading multi-platform media business in Australia and comprises Seven Television, the market leading national Free to Air Television Network; Pacific Magazines, the country’s second largest magazine group by readership with 7 million monthly readers; Yahoo!7, a 50% owned joint venture (JV) with Yahoo! and one of Australia’s most successful internet platforms with 8.2 million unique users; The West Australian, the fast-growing State’s leading newspaper, and regional newspapers and radio stations in Western Australia (WA). Seven West is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of approximately AUD2.2 billion and revenue in 2011 of AUD725 million. Seven West was created through the acquisition of Seven Media Group by publicly listed West Australian Newspaper Holdings Limited in April 2011. Seven Television includes digital channels, commercial networks in each capital city and regional Queensland, as well as affiliates broadcasting Seven content in regional Victoria, New South Wales and WA. Seven reaches 90% of Australian homes and has around 13 million viewers per month. In this regard, customer trust and continuous innovation are paramount considerations in all of Seven West’s business activities. The new .seven gTLD will strengthen Seven’s brand and maintain its innovative online presence whilst providing a simplified, aligned and trusted core gateway for consumers to access Seven’s entertainment content across its multiple media platforms.
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, which affects all internet users, 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. .seven will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with Seven West online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction and distribution of content to customers.
Seven West’s mission and purpose of the gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest through its entertainment, education and information services. Seven West is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- consumer trust: the .seven gTLD will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to Seven West and its affiliate entities, at this stage, which will provide added consumer trust that .seven domain names are trustworthy. As .seven domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under Seven West’s control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .seven domain space;
- competition: the 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 .seven 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 gTLD will enable user-driven improvements and innovations assisting Seven West’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 Seven West. As Seven West has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under .seven domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.
Given the restricted nature of .seven, the projected number of registrations is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that around 240 domain names will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to 640 domain names as Seven West develops and implements new services and marketing campaigns to match its growth in on line content while developing a broader brand.
Seven West 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, Seven West will use geographic names to localise its websites in Australia. 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 and state territory.
Seven West does not intend to utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level initially. However, as the use of the .seven gTLD evolves, Seven West may wish to utilise IDNs to allow internet users to engage with .seven in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity.
Seven is a well-recognised Australian brand with its “SEVEN” and “7” trademarks registered in Australia for nine categories, including: Electrical and scientific apparatus including that used for recording, transmission or reproduction of audio or visual matter (Class 9); Paper goods and printed matter including magazines (Class 16); Advertising, marketing and publicity services (Class 35); Telecommunications including television broadcasting and electronic communication services (Class 38); and Education and entertainment services provided by television broadcasting (Class 41).
Seven West has existing domain names with an exact match to the “SEVEN” trademark in seven.com.au and seven.net.au. Additionally, Seven West has 87 domain names containing the “SEVEN” trademark. Yahoo!7.com, the JV between Seven West and Yahoo!, is responsible for hosting all of Seven West’s external content and has over 1000 existing domain names.
Seven West believes that the .seven gTLD is unlikely to cause confusion with either a generic term or any existing TLDs. Seven’s trademarks are a leading and distinctive television broadcasting brand with a long history and significant reputation in Australia. Seven West (formerly known as Seven Media Group) has extensively used the term .seven in conjunction with its media and broadcasting businesses for almost 58 years. As such, the “Seven” brand is synonymous with quality television broadcasting and media production in Australia.
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 .seven gTLD are in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. Seven West also seeks to foster its online reputation and provide an authoritative internet space through which Seven West is able to communicate with its customers directly and effectively. The development in digital broadcasting and online and mobile applications has created the need to enhance and promote core brands as well as to protect content through every media outlet. The new .seven gTLD will become the core of this online ecosystem that promotes the principal Seven brand and through which consumers can easily access all of Seven West’s entertainment content across its various mediums. The ability to create domain names on demand related to specific content and programs, 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 that in turn reinforces the brand and its gTLD.
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 .seven gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:
DIFFERENTIATION (INCREASED TRUST):
The .seven gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with Seven West by providing a distinctive domain space. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to the .seven gTLD site. The .seven gTLD will enhance Seven West’s online content strategy to match its broadcast, print and published messages. 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. Seven West can address some of these vulnerabilities by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .seven domain space. The new .seven gTLD will help to consolidate Seven West’s multiple media platforms and provide a natural alignment of valuable content with consumer needs and preferences. Together with consumer trust, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .seven domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and Seven West.
COMPETITION:
The differentiation of .seven gTLD as a trusted site for Seven West 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 .seven domain space. As a result, .seven will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .seven 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. With the new .seven gTLD, Seven West and its affiliates will combine and enhance their resources to engage with a larger and more diversified audience base.
INNOVATION:
As a content rich business, Seven West continues to innovate to provide media and services to customers. 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. It is particularly challenging under the existing domain name system for Seven West, with a vast array of media and entertainment content delivered across multiple platforms, to establish a clear online navigational structure and link to the core Seven brand. 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. Seven West 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. Seven West believes in its strong online future, in which users will be able to engage with Seven West’s content across various delivery platforms, including television, newspapers and magazines, through an innovative, naturally aligned and easily accessible core .seven gateway. Seven West 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 .seven will provide a positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. Seven West 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 Seven West. Therefore, .seven gTLD will:
- provide an easy and intuitive reference and central access point for internet users and consumers;
- provide a simplified approach and easier access to meet consumers’ entertainment needs, as well as improved results from searches and queries;
- 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 states and 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 eliminating user confusion; and
- prevent potential abuses in the registration process reducing overall costs to businesses and users.
The .seven 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 .seven 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 Seven West will be eligible to register domain names in .seven 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.
Seven West 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 Privacy Act 1998 (Australia) and the Spam Act 2003 (Australia). As a leading industry participant, Seven West is also a founding signatory to the Australian Best Practice Guidelines for Online Behavioural Advertising.
Seven West also has implemented its own privacy policy to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information. Privacy is of fundamental concern to Seven West’s customers as the interaction between Seven West and its customers often involves the exchange of personal and sensitive information. As such, Seven West has a strong interest in ensuring a high level of privacy protection for its customers. Seven West’s Privacy Policy complies with all relevant legislation and covers the collection, use, sharing and disclosure of personal information. Seven West’s Privacy Policy provides that personal information collected by Seven West can only be used to:
- provide products and services requested by the customer;
- provide news and information about its products and services;
- improve its services;
- customise content and advertising;
- contact customers regarding competitions, offers and promotions; and
- conduct research.
Seven West will only share personal information with third parties for the following purposes:
- to fulfil a customer’s request for products or services (and only with the customer’s permission);
- to respond to subpoenas, court orders or legal processes, or to establish or exercise its legal rights or defend against legal claims; and
- to investigate, prevent or take action regarding any illegal activity, suspected fraud, threat to any person’s physical safety, or as otherwise required by law.
As the .seven gTLD will only be available to affiliate entities of Seven West, 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. Seven West 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, Seven West 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.
Seven West will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both Seven West and its users interacting with Seven West 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 .seven gTLD. Seven West already implements security measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorised access. Such measures include the use of firewalls and Secure Sockets Layer encryption of any sensitive or financial information.
Seven West 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 .seven 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 to promote recognition of the new gTLD within the internet community to be a trusted site and as a sign of authenticity.
The Seven West media utilisation plan is to combine individual content offerings and media items and match them to the quality offerings from its core .seven brand. The demographic focus of the Seven West marketing roll out is by nature a mass market approach. While the core premise of the marketing plan is to entertain, educate and inform, the underlying promotion of .seven as a trusted online brand is equally supported by the quality of content on offer to customers. Market differentiation and segmentation opportunities for Seven West are further enhanced through the use of the second and third level domains, so that over time content streams and marketing opportunities can be more tailored and market specific while still supporting a mass market approach.
For Seven West, whether it is a TV program, printed item, on line content or simultaneous offering from each outlet channel, the marketing plan is one of support, enhancement and distribution growth so that customers make time to absorb their preferred type of media. Seven West’s goal is to provide depth and variety of services so that customers absorb and utilise content more than ever before, while innovating and growing the .seven services on offer.
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, Seven West will implement a strategy of gradual utilisation of the .seven gTLD within its current online offerings. This will make .seven the trusted source of content and base upon which to build and enhance product quality and consumer confidence. 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 .seven domain space. Therefore, it is not anticipated that third party trademark owners will incur costs in relation to the .seven gTLD. The affiliate entities wishing to register domain names must ensure that all the policy requirements for registration are satisfied. Seven West 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 .seven 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 Seven West and affiliate entities are intended to be the registrants under the .seven 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.