.rwe New gTLD Application
Click to view Chinese translation articles.
-----------------------------------
New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: RWE AG
Application Downloaded On: 07 Apr 2014
String: rwe
Application ID: 1-1756-92979
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
RWE AG
- Address of the principal place of business
Opernplatz 1 Essen - 45128 DE
- Phone number
+49 201 12 15372
- Fax number
+49 201 12 15143
- If applicable, website or URL
http://www.rwe.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Sabine Schmittwilken
6(b). Title
Head of Group Brand Communications
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+49 201 12 15788
6(e). Fax Number
+49 201 12 15924
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Katrin Frohlich
7(b). Title
Group Communications
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+49 (0)201-12-15787
7(e). Fax Number
+49 (0)201-12-15143
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Corporation
8(b). State the specific national or other jurisdiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
Germany
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.
Frankfurt_Stock_Exchange / RWE GY
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
Arno Hahn member of supervisory board
Christine Merkamp Member of the Supervisory Board
Dagmar Mühlenfeld Member of the supervisory board
Dagmar Schmeer Member of the supervisory board
Dieter Faust Member of the supervisory board
Dr. Bernhard Günther Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and member of the Executive Board of RWE AG
Dr. Dieter Zetsche Member of the supervisory board
Dr. Manfred Schneider Chairman of the supervisory board
Dr. Rolf Martin Schmitz Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of RWE AG
Dr. Werner Brandt member of supervisory board
Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel Member of the supervisory board
Dr.-Ing. Ekkehard D. Schulz Member of the supervisory board
Frank Bsirske Deputy Chairman Member of the supervisory board
Frithjof Kühn Member of the supervisory board
Hans-Peter Lafos Member of the supervisory board
Manfred Holz Member of the supervisory board
Manfred Weber Member of the supervisory board
Peter Terium Chief Executive Officer and member of the Executive Board of RWE AG
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E.h. Hans-Peter Keitel Member of the supervisory board
Reiner Böhle Member of the supervisory board
Roger Graef Member of the supervisory board
Ullrich Sierau Member of the supervisory board
Uwe Tigges Chief Human Resource Officer (CHO) and member of the Executive Board of RWE AG
Werner Bischoff 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
Name
Position
RW Energie Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbh & Co. KG 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.
rwe
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 .rwe 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
- .rwe 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 .rwe has not already been queried with meaningful frequency at the root. Therefore, it is unlikely that .rwe will inherit significant invalid query traffic.
Due to the positive results of these checks, RWE AG does not believe that the .rwe 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 .RWE 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 .rwe gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which the RWE AG (RWE) can create and control domain spaces to strengthen its brand’s identity and authenticity. In this regard, the .rwe will be used by RWE to provide information, services and resources to consumers in a way that promotes trust, convenience and utility. The .rwe gTLD will provide an authoritative internet space for RWE, its affiliates and partners that are associated with the brand. Second and third level domains can then be utilised for campaigns, sub-brands, products and locations, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.
RWE is an internationally operating group, with Europe as its main market. As such, RWE is one of Europe’s leading electricity and gas companies, covering all aspects of the entire energy value chain. RWE has more than 70,000 employees, 16 million customers and recorded more than €53 billion in revenue for the 2010 fiscal year. RWE is the top power producer in Germany and one of the largest in the Netherlands and the UK. RWE continuously invest in building more efficient and environmentally friendly power plants with strong renewable energy focus. The company values of RWE include innovation and openness to new developments, which will be reflected and strengthened in the implementation of the .rwe gTLD.
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 .rwe gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with RWE online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction.
RWE’s mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote the public interest. RWE is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- consumer trust: the .rwe gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to RWE and its affiliate entities, which will provide added consumer trust that .rwe domain names are trustworthy and their communications are authentic. As .rwe domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under RWE’s control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .rwe domain space;
- competition: the proposed new gTLD is not intended to instigate competition and consumer choice among prospective registrants. Instead it is anticipated to contribute to ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest through its operation focusing on strengthening consumer trust. Increased trust in .rwe 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 RWE’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 RWE. As RWE has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under .rwe domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.
Given the restricted nature of the .rwe gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a more limited number of domain names (around 15) will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase up to 300 domain names as RWE develop and implement business plans to utilise the various potential uses of .rwe available in accordance with the mission and purpose of the new gTLD. RWE will keep ICANN reasonably informed of any material developments relating to .rwe gTLD including compliance with the continued operations instrument obligations as set out in Specification 8 of the Registry Agreement.
RWE intends to create relevant domain names for use including marketing campaigns, sub-brands, products or geographic names at the second or third level domain names. In accordance with registration policies and the proposed measures for protection of geographic names as outlined in response to Question 22, RWE will use geographic names to localise its websites 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.
RWE will also utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level of domain names, initially only using the German language. The use of IDNs will allow internet users to engage with .rwe in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity. As the use of the .rwe gTLD evolves, it is anticipated that the use of IDNs, including the use of additional languages, will increase within the .rwe domain space.
RWE is a well-recognised global brand with its trademarks registered in 70 countries and territories, including the European Union. Registration of the “RWE” trademark includes , but is not limited to, the following categories: natural gas, petroleum, coal, electrical energy and other fuels (Class 4); storage, transportation, distribution and delivery of energy and fuel (Class 39); and the production of energy, in particular through water, petroleum and natural gas (class 40).
RWE also has extensive domain name registrations including 23 domain names with exact match to the “RWE” trademark registered across various ccTLDS and 7 registered across various gTLDs. Additionally, RWE has domain names registed in over 500 ccTLDs and 1000 gTLDs containing the “RWE” trademark.
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 .rwe gTLD are in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. RWE also seeks to foster its online reputation and provide an authoritative internet space through which RWE 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 .rwe gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:
DIFFERENTIATION (INCREASED TRUST):
The .rwe gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with RWE by providing a distinctive domain space. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to the .rwe gTLD site, saving time and resources searching for an official site. The use of products, campaigns, brands and locations at the second and third domain level will allow for easier orientation through the site for customers and other internet users to locate information about the company 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. RWE can address some of these vulnerabilities by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .rwe domain space. Together with consumer trust, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .rwe domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and RWE.
COMPETITION:
The differentiation of .rwe gTLD as a trusted site for RWE will drive existing and new TLD registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to increase consumer trust in their TLDs. Internets users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under .rwe domain space. As a result, .rwe will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .rwe 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, the existing TLD structure presents limitations, not only in the availability of domain names for registrants, but also to businesses 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. 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. RWE 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. With innovation and new development as one of the RWE corporate values, the .rwe gTLD will ensure that RWE can 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 .rwe gTLD will provide positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. RWE will maintain control of the registration and use of domain names and will ensure that the new gTLD will only be used for purposes authorised by RWE. Therefore, .rwe will:
- provide an easy and intuitive reference and access point for internet users with shorter and less technical Universal Resource Locators (URLs);
- represent brand authenticity thus promoting user confidence and trust;
- direct internet users to relevant information in a timely manner by creating domain names on demand;
- use IDNs to enable customers 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 eliminating user confusion; and
- prevent potential abuses in the registration process, reducing overall costs to businesses and users.
.rwe 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 .rwe 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 RWE will be eligible to register domain names in .rwe. 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.
RWE is committed to the 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 German Data Protection Act, Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (Germany), the European Data Protection Directive and the German tele-media legislation. RWE also has implemented its own privacy policy to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information. Among others, RWE’s privacy policy contains information regarding RWE’s use of personal data on its web portal.
As the .rwe gTLD will only be available to affiliate entities of RWE, the amount of data that will be collected for the purposes of operating the gTLD and made publicly available in the WHOIS database will be very limited. RWE 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, RWE 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 policies. 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.
RWE will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both RWE and its users interacting with RWE 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 gTLD. RWE already implements measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorised access. RWE’s data protection officer monitors compliance with internal technical and organisational security policies. RWE is currently preparing to obtain ISO 27001 certification in order to comply with stringent data security measures to protect internet users.
RWE 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 .rwe 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. 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) and no third parties will be able to register domain names under .rwe domain space. Therefore, it is not anticipated that third party trademark owners will incur costs in relation to the .rwe gTLD. The affiliate entities wishing to register domain names must ensure that all the policy requirements for registration are satisfied. RWE 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. 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 .rwe 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 use of the proposed new gTLD will be restricted to internal business use and RWE and affiliate entities are intended to be the registrants under the .rwe 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, 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, so pricing incentives or pricing increases are not applicable or relevant as no additional fees are to be charged.