.linde New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Linde Aktiengesellschaft
String: linde
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1793-71500
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Linde Aktiengesellschaft
- Address of the principal place of business
Klosterhofstrasse 1
München 80331
DE
- Phone number
+49 89 74460
- Fax number
+49 89 74461144
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.linde.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Mr. Marcus Georg Stegmiller
6(b). Title
e-Media Manager at Linde Aktiengesellschaft
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+49 89 35757 1355
6(e). Fax Number
+49 89 35757 1398
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Ms. Richella Mary Karla Odebrecht
7(b). Title
Head of Internal Communications & Corporate Branding at Linde Aktiengesellschaft
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+49 89 35757 1340
7(e). Fax Number
+49 89 357571318
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Aktiengesellschaft, equivalent with Public Limited Company
8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
Federal Republic of 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;LIN
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
Dr Aldo Belloni Member of the Executive Board
Dr Clemens Börsig Member of the Supervisory Board
Dr Manfred Schneider Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Georg Denoke Member of the Executive Board⁄ CFO
Gernot Hahl Member of the Supervisory Board
Hans-Dieter Katte Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Jens Riedel Member of the Supervisory Board
Josef Schregle Member of the Supervisory Board
Klaus-Peter Müller Member of the Supervisory Board
Matthew Feng-Chiang Miau Member of the Supervisory Board
Michael Diekmann Second Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Prof Dr Ann-Kristin Achleitner Member of the Supervisory Board
Professor Dr Wolfgang Reitzle President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Executive Board
Sanjiv Lamba Member of the Executive Board
Thilo Kämmerer Member of the Supervisory Board
Xaver Schmidt Member of the Supervisory Board
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
Anke Couturier Head of Global Pensions
Björn Schneider Head of Group Accounting & Reporting
Brit Neuburger Legal Counsel - Corporate
Daniel Geiger Corporate Counsel
Dr. Andreas Opfermann Head of Innovation Management
Dr. Christian Rau Chief Legal Officer
Dr. Christian Wojczewski Head of Linde Healthcare
Dr. Harry Roegner SVP Corporate Communications and IR
Dr. Henning Asche Manager
Dr. Klaus Zinecker Head of Global Labour Law
Dr. Michael Henninger Head of Compliance
Dr. Sven Schneider Manager
Hans Henning Deisenroth Senior General Counsel
Jens Lühring Head of Mergers & Acquisitions
Johannes Geis Head of Real Estate
Matthias Brinkschmidt Head of Cash Management ⁄ Treasury Controlling
Matthias von Plotho Manager
Michael Weissberg Manager
Reinhard Mertsch Global Procurement Manager
Robert Krieger Manager
Sandra Albrecht Corporate Counsel
Stefan Hess Head of Financial Markets
Werner Boekels Group HR Director
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.
linde
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 .linde 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
- .linde 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 .linde has not already been queried with meaningful frequency at the root. Therefore, it is unlikely that .linde will inherit significant invalid query traffic.
Due to the positive results of these checks, Linde Aktiengesellschaft does not believe that the .linde 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 .LINDE 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 .linde gTLD will operate as a closed registry, in which Linde Aktiengesellschaft (Linde) can create and control domain names within .linde that promote the identity and authenticity of its brand. In this regard, .linde will be used by Linde to provide information, services and resources to its customers in a way that promotes trust and convenience. The .linde gTLD will provide an authoritative internet space for Linde, the Linde Group and its affiliates that are associated with the brand. The creation and control of the .linde domain space will strengthen the overall corporate identity and image of Linde.
Linde is the holding company and management company of The Linde Group, a world-wide gases and engineering company with over 600 affiliated companies and 50 500 employees, in more than 100 countries, with EUR 13,787bn in sale during the 2011 financial year. Linde focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services, with sustainability and corporate responsibility towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment as one of its core strategies in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is also committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development. In this regard, continuous innovation, communication with its consumers on the internet and maintaining consumer trust are paramount considerations in all its activities.
The business activities are increasingly conducted over the internet, allowing for greater levels of interaction with its customers. As a result, business 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 .linde domain name will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with Linde online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction. The .linde gTLD will assure customers of the authenticity of the Linde brand and its related engineering, industrial gases and healthcare products and services.
Linde’s mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest. Linde is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- Consumer Trust: the .linde gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to Linde and its affiliate entities, which will provide added consumer trust that .linde domain names are trustworthy and that no .linde domain names are registered to unrelated third parties. As .linde domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under Linde’s control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .linde 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 such initiatives through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust. Increased trust in .linde 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 Linde’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 Linde. .linde gTLD will facilitate the introduction of existing and new products as well as new markets by category (gas.linde), division (healthcare.linde) or product brand (hiq.linde) within the well-defined .linde domain space. As Linde has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under .linde domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.
Given the restricted nature of the .linde gTLD, the projected number of registrations is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a more limited number of domain names will be registered in the first year. Linde intends to utilise the second level domain as a geographic indicator in each of the 86 countries in which it currently operates, in accordance with its registration policies and the third level domain for the services which it provides, such as; Corporate, Gases, Healthcare and Engineering. It may also utilise the .linde gTLD for global sites for campaigns, events, branding and satellite sites. As this domain structure is implemented, the number of registrations is likely to increase to around 500 domain names over the years.
Linde will be able 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 policies, Linde will use geographic names to localise its websites, in countries in which it operates (currently 86 countries). The use of geographic names are intended to:
- connect internet users with relevant information as applicable to the territory; and
- comply with required rules and regulations in the national territory.
Linde will also utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level, including languages such as Arabic, Armenian, Belarusian, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, Georgian, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Khmer, Macedonia, Mongolian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Sinhalese, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Ukrainian. The use of IDNs will allow internet users to engage with .linde in their native languages creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity. As the use of the .linde string evolves, it is anticipated that the use of IDNs, including additional languages, will increase within the .linde domain space.
Linde is a well-recognised global brand with its trademarks registered in 105 countries and territories including but not limited to the the following categories: Gases for industrial, commercial and scientific purposes, fuel gases, gases for medical and therapeutic purposes, gas related machines, business consultancy and supply management, and scientific technological services.
Further, Linde has 95 domain names with an exact match to the “linde” trademark and the applied-for string across various gTLDs and ccTLDs, including .com, .co.uk, .nl, .cn, .de, .eu and .jp.
Additionally, Linde has over 600 Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs) and 150 gTLDs containing the word “linde”.
Recently, Linde was successful in securing sunrise applications for the following domain spaces based on existing trademark registration: .eu, .co, .qa
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 gTLD in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments are:
- to promote consumer trust and reduce the risk of malicious abuse. Linde will have control over the registration and use of domain names under .linde domain space, which will provide internet users with confidence in a domain name under that domain space. As a leading global industrial gases and engineering company, maintaining uncompromised reputation in its online presence is critical for Linde. The use of .linde at the top level will differentiate it from the range of names registered at the second level of existing TLDs that match the names of engineering firms. These names can be registered for other services, and are also subject to the registration of minor misspellings of the brand for phishing and other malicious purposes;
- to promote competition among participants in the engineering industry at the gTLD level, as well as existing TLD registry operators that do not implement mechanisms to build consumer trust; and
- to promote consumer choice and innovation by its ability to implement user-driven improvements from feedback and discussion.
Linde anticipates to maximise the advantages of a restricted gTLD in fostering its online reputation and corporate identity. The .linde gTLD will also assist its marketing and specialty service⁄product development through the ability to create second or third level domain names on demand for relevant marketing campaigns or events. The proposed new gTLD is anticipated to provide service levels, functionalities and security measures tailored for its effective interaction with its own customers while fostering creativity and innovation. Strengthened security measures, service level improvements and reputation will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .linde gTLD will be distributed not only to its direct customers, but to the internet community at large.
18(B)II. WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE YOUR PROPOSED gTLD WILL ADD TO THE CURRENT SPACE, IN TERMS OF COMPETITION, DIFFERENTIATION, OR INNOVATION?
DIFFERENTIATION (INCREASED TRUST):
The .linde gTLD will simplfy how internet users interact with Linde by providing a distinctive domain space. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to the .linde gTLD, saving time and resources searching for an official site.
The current domain name system has shown that it is vulnerable to malicious abuse due to registration of domain names which seek to exploit consumer confusion. Linde can address some of these vulnerabilities by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .linde domain space. Together with consumer trust, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .linde domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and Linde.
COMPETITION:
The differentiation of .linde gTLD as a trusted site for Linde will drive existing and new TLD registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to increase consumer trust of their TLDs. Internet users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under the .linde domain space. As a result, .linde will have flow on effects to enable increased competition. Therefore, he benefits of the .linde 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 pose a potential limitation to businesses and organisations in establishing a coherent global online brand presence. It is often difficult to register a relevant and desired 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. As a restricted gTLD with an ability to effectively create second or third level domain names on demand, Linde 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 in terms of consumer choice.
18(B)III. WHAT GOALS DOES YOUR PROPOSED gTLD HAVE IN TERMS OF USER EXPERIENCE?
CURRENT CHALLENGES:
Today, internet users experience difficulty in locating legitimate business on the internet due to user confusion. This confusion stems from both malicious registrants as well as by legitimate businesses. Businesses evolve over time and some businesses (including trademark or service mark holders) have difficulties registering their business name as a domain name due to unavailability of desired domain names in the existing internet space.
POSITIVE USER EXPERIENCE:
The proposed new gTLD is anticipated to provide positive user experience, which meet the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. Linde 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 Linde. Therefore, .linde gTLD will:
- provide an easy and intuitive reference and access point for internet users;
- represent authenticity thus promoting user confidence;
- direct internet users to relevant information in a timely manner by creating domain names on demand;
- use IDNs to enable customers to interact directly in their native languages;
- use geographic names to localise its website to connect with 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.
Further, it is also intended to address the concerns with the current domain name system, which 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 .linde gTLD is anticipated to prevent any potential abuses in the registration processes thus reducing overall costs to internet users.
Elimination of user confusion and potential for malicious abuse will strengthen user confidence in the domain name system, 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 Question28.
As a restricted gTLD, registrations for domain names will only be available to affiliate entities of Linde in support of its mission and purpose.
In addition, the domain name registration processes in the proposed new gTLD will address the requirements as mandated by ICANN, including but not limited to rights abuse prevention measures such as the use of the Trademark Clearinghouse.
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.
Linde is committed to protection of privacy and confidential information in accordance with its mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD fostering increased consumer trust through 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.
Linde has also implemented its own privacy policy to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information. Privacy is of fundamental concern to Linde’s customers, and as such Linde has a strong interest in ensuring a high level of privacy protection for its customers.
As the .linde gTLD will only available to affiliate entities of Linde, 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. Linde will provide a publicly available and searchable WHOIS look up facility, where information about the domain name status and 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, Linde 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.
Linde will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC), which is intended to benefit both Linde and its users interacting with Linde online. DNSSEC provides additional security by validating information in the transmission, therefore it is intended to benefit both those who publish information in the Domain Names System (DS) and the users who retrieve information from the new .linde gTLD. Linde already implements measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorised access, including security procedures regarding collection, storage and disclosure of personal information.
Linde 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 .linde 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.
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 .linde domain space. Therefore, it is not anticipated that third party trademark owners will incur costs in relation to the .linde gTLD. The affiliate entities wishing to register domain names must ensure that all the policy requirements for registration are satisfied. Linde 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 payment services on the internet will reduce over time as a result of the new, trusted .linde 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 Linde and affiliate entities are intended to be the registrants under the .linde 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.