.chintai New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: CHINTAI Corporation
Application Downloaded On: 01 May 2015
String: chintai
Application ID: 1-901-295
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
CHINTAI Corporation
- Address of the principal place of business
1-2-8 Toranomon KotohiraTower 4 FL. Toranomon, Tokyo - 105-0001 JP
- Phone number
+81 03 3593 5600
- Fax number
+81 3 3593 5482
- If applicable, website or URL
http://chintai.jp/
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Jacob Williams
6(b). Title
Senior Consultant, UrbanBrain Company
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+81 3 3983 9422
6(e). Fax Number
+81 3 3895 3826
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Kosaku Saimon
7(b). Title
UrbanBrain Company President
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+81 3 3983 9422
7(e). Fax Number
+81 3 3895 3826
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).
Tokyo, Japan
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.
Able & Partners
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
Akifumi Ueno Director
Kiyoshi Ishikawa Representative Director
Naoki Kamo Director
Shigeru Sato Chairman of the Board
Yasuharu Suzuki Director
Yuko Murakawa 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
Name
Position
Able & Partners, 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.
chintai
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.
CHINTAI Corporation (CHINTAI) foresees no known rendering issues in connection with the applied-for string, “.chintai”. This answer is based upon consultation with CHINTAI’s consultants and preferred backend provider, Neustar, which has successfully launched a number of new gTLDs over the last decade. In reaching this determination, the following data points were analyzed:
- ICANN’s Security Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) entitled Alternative TLD Name Systems and Roots:
Conflict, Control and Consequences (SAC009);
- IAB - RFC3696 “Application Techniques for Checking and Transformation of Names”
- Known software issues which Neustar has encountered during the last decade launching new gTLDs;
- Character type and length;
- ICANN supplemental notes to Question 16; and
- ICANN’s presentation during its Costa Rica regional meeting held in March 2012 on TLD Universal Acceptance;
- 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.
CHINTAI Corporation (CHINTAI) is a pioneer in providing information about rental property availability and assisting customers in connecting with professional, high-quality real estate agents. CHINTAI is the industry leading authority in rental property information services and has been responding to the diverse needs of its customers with innovative services for over thirty years. In addition to real estate and rental property information, CHINTAI offers comprehensive travel information and support including travel booking, hotel reservations, and tours. CHINTAI proposes the “.chintai” top-level domain (TLD) will assist in extending and promoting its brand online as well as facilitate CHINTAI in achieving its mission of providing high quality services that bring joy and fulfillment to everyday life.
CHINTAI has enjoyed serving a broad range of customers for over three decades and has been providing products and services under the CHINTAI brand name since 1994. CHINTAI has experienced strong expansion in recent years and currently owns over 50 trademarks for the name ʺCHINTAI,ʺ or marks containing the word “CHINTAI,” in 5 countries, including 4 European community trademarks.
Since CHINTAI first published the innovative ʺMinkan Chintai Jutaku Newsʺ in 1975, the methods for distributing media publications have come a long way. The opportunity to operate and manage the “.chintai” top-level domain (TLD) is the beginning of a exciting era for CHINTAI to develop a more intuitive and organized platform to distribute its products. The “.chintai” TLD will enable CHINTAI to produce more personalized services to benefit a broader range of consumers.
The overall mission and purpose of the “.chintai” TLD can be best described by the following three elements.
1. Inspire Innovative Solutions to Enhance User Experiences
2. Operate a Safe, Stable, and Highly Secure TLD
3. Secure and Promote the CHINTAI Brand
- Inspire Innovative Solutions to Enhance User Experiences
ICANNʹs new gTLD program is a major milestone in Internet history and signifies a new way forward as users will be able to more easily and intuitively navigate the web to find what they are looking for.
CHINTAI has always been focused on developing innovative services that meet the diverse demands of its customers; running the “.chintai” top-level domain fits seamlessly into CHINTAIʹs current business principles.
The primary goal of the “.chintai” TLD will be to create an online space that will enhance the ability for customers to find the information about rental properties that fit their lifestyles. “.chintai” will be a well-organized TLD to assist consumers in locating trustworthy, up-to-date information about properties in nearly every locale. In addition, the “.chintai” TLD will be an invaluable resource to agents as well because they will be able to provide high-quality, organized and easy-to-access property information by using the most advanced and most trusted online resource available.
- Operate a Safe, Stable, and Highly Secure TLD
In order for CHINTAI to ensure that value is passed on to the customer, the TLD must be safe, stable, and secure. CHINTAI will run the registry with the aim to ensure addresses under “.chintai” never go down as a result of registry systems. As the registry operator CHINTAI will take care to ensure that registrations do not threaten the stability of the Domain Name System (DNS). CHINTAI believes that policy development and enforcement in the namespace will play a crucial role in ensuring that the “.chintai” TLD stands for its intended purpose.
To operate a safe, stable, and highly secure TLD, CHINTAI has teamed up with Neustar Inc., (NYSE:NSR) as the provider of the backend registry solution and DNS resolution of the “.chintai” namespace. Neustar has significant experience running existing gTLDs, ccTLDs, and enterprise domain name services for several of the world’s largest and most demanding corporations. In addition CHINTAI has formed a relationship with UrbanBrain Company, a TLD management and consultancy division of Interlink Co., Ltd., to handle the day-to-day management of the namespace.
It is essential that “.chintai” be run in the most stable fashion to ensure trust among Internet users who access sites under the “.chintai” domain name.
- Secure, Promote, and Strengthen the CHINTAI Brand
The CHINTAI brand has been built up over the last 18 years through the provision of first-rate services, reliable information, and through various media channels. In an era of an expanding Internet the “.chintai” TLD will play a pivotal role in securing and promoting the CHINTAI brand long into the future.
One of our core missions in running the “.chintai” TLD will be to gain stronger brand recognition. Millions of consumers already rely on information from CHINTAI about rental property and related services. A specific TLD will help support CHINTAI better serve the needs its customers and rental property seekers.
As described above, CHINTAI believes that operating a TLD with the highest technical standards and industry best practices will ensure that this new platform for services and communications will succeed. Intuitive navigation, and personalized services for consumer and agents will ensure that users derive numerous benefits from the “.chintai” TLD.
18B. How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
ICANN has determined that launching the New gTLD program is inline with its mission to increase competition and innovation in the namespace. New TLDs for specific purposes and specific brands will, in many ways, cause a shift in how users navigate the web. CHINTAI Corporation (CHINTAI) believes the “.chintai” top-level domain will play an integral role in revolutionizing the Internet by adding greater specificity to the namespace, as well as serving as a platform to expand CHINTAIʹs online presence and communicate its activities to a broader base.
CHINTAI proposes to limit second level domain name registrations to CHINTAI, its subsidiaries, and member companies. CHINTAI plans to implement internal registration policies to ensure that registered names will be used by only authorized personnel in a manner the promotes the mission of the company and abides by the strictest of corporate standards expected by those using the CHINTAI name. CHINTAI, is confident that its customers, perspective customers, and the Internet community will benefit substantially with the knowledge that any “.chintai” domain name contains only authorized secure content approved by CHINTAI.
CHINTAI is dedicated to fulfilling its social responsibility goals to create a healthy, happy society. To fulfill its role in society, CHINTAI has initiated several online campaigns to raise donations to provide emergency medical aid through the Medecins Sans Frontieres as well as becoming perennial official sponsor of the Special Olympics since 2007. Use of a specific top-level domain for CHINTAI’s CSR activities will help it better communicate its goals and engage the public.
In addition, by operating its own specialized top-level domain being able to tailor its online presence with short, custom, memorable names, CHINTAI will be able to market its products and services without the concerns of finding an appropriate generic domain name in the existing namespace. CHINTAIʹs aim is to create an advanced and trusted online space that provides secure and stable access to CHINTAIʹs services.
- What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?
The CHINTAI top-level domain will be a safe, stable, and secure name space for CHINTAI and its customers. CHINTAI proposes that it is important to define internal policy as to how the TLD will be structured and is in the process of mapping out a well-organized namespace in order to create a logical, intuitive structure that cultivates trust among its users.
CHINTAI aims to meet or exceed all ICANN service level requirements, provide users with a high-quality namespace, and ensure that abusive registrations do not occur with in the “.chintai” TLD.
As stated above, CHINTAI has enlisted the services of Neustar, the existing registry operator for .BIZ, .US, and the back-end provider for numerous gTLDs and ccTLDs that has historically operated well in excess of the SLAs proposed by ICANN in the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook. Neustar has a history of operating a number of mission-critical services in addition to its registry operations, including the maintenance of the North American Numbering Plan and Local Number Portability, each of which ensures the appropriate routing of all telephone calls in North America as well as DNS services for many of the top Fortune 500 companies in the world. CHINTAI’s reputation for industry leading rental property informational solutions coupled with Neustar’s reputation for the operation of secure and robust namespaces will ensure that “.chintai” becomes a first-rate namespace that users can rely on for the most recent, relevant property information.
- What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
Building a quality namespace is key to building trust with Internet users and in adding to the brand value of CHINTAI. This unparalleled opportunity for CHINTAI to own an operate the “.chintai” namespace presents a means to enhance the collective experience of Internet users as well as spark innovation and creativity in the way CHINTAI provides informational services and assist its customers.
Traditionally when developing a new service, companies will perform a search of available domain names. In Japan, most companies look for a name under “.co.jp”, “.jp”, and “.com”. Companies place a priority on ensuring that the naming conventions are consistent to convey coherency as to not confuse end users. This is becoming more and more difficult and time consuming. Owning and operating its own TLD will allow CHINTAI to reduced dependency on current naming conventions and deploy a better selection of names that are easier for consumers to remember and key into the browser. The new naming conventions under the “.chintai” TLD will allow for shorter, intuitive names, whereas in the past CHINTAI may have had to use a subdomain, a hyphenated domain registration, or a long URL for a particular service.
The “.chintai” TLD will communicate specificity and trustworthiness to end users looking for rental properties and other services provided by CHINTAI.
- What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
The “.chintai” TLD will be a organized, intuitive, easy to access namespace for users looking for information about rental properties and other services CHINTAI provides. The structure of registered domains will allow Internet users to enjoy “.chintai” as a valuable, organized, information source.
Currently, CHINTAI’s main website, chintai.net, showcases approximately 700,000 property listings and attracts more visitors compared to any other real estate listings site. According to Video Research Interactive in Apr. 30, 2011, CHITAI operates the largest, most popular real estate website in Japan.
In order to provide the most relevant and useful information, it is important to allow users to search on terms they provide. Currently, users looking for relevant content access the main site and go through several actions to seek out rental properties in desired locations. Users can search by geographic area, city name, or even by train stations names. CHINTAI is confident that creation of names such as “tokyo.chintai” or “銀座.chintai” will facilitate CHINTAI’s ability to produce market-leading services and provide a well-rounded user experience by enabling its customers and potential customers find information in a more intuitive way.
Under its own top-level domain, CHINTAI will have access to vast amount of creative domain names that will allow it to create shorter, more intuitive and memorable names that relate to a particular locale for property information. CHINTAI will have total control over the space, which will enable users to experience a safe online communications channel free of any abusive registrations. CHINTAI is confident that is customers will experience a much more intuitive way to navigate to relevant content and services without ever having to worry about the legitimacy of the content.
CHINTAI will incorporate its domain names into its marketing strategy to increase the awareness and effectiveness of the new dedicated namespace. Marketing communications will primarily include it current print media, monthly magazines, and other communication outlets.
CHINTAI has invested a significant amount of time developing a well-thought-out plan for the implementation of the “.chintai” TLD and will ensure that a the appropriate amount of time and resources are allocated to effectively launching the “.chintai” Domain Name to avoid any user confusion.
- Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Operating and maintaining a safe, stable, and secure operation is central to CHINTAIʹs overall mission in running the “.chintai” TLD. CHINTAI proposes that the namespace shall be a regulated namespace in order to benefit CHINTAIʹs customers as well as to provide a trusted public resource for Internet users looking for rental property information.
CHINTAI has extensively studied the registration policies and launch processes for several other TLDs. However, the launch of a TLD specifically operated by a brand is uncharted, and therefore CHINTAI has identified that the primary objective of its launch policies should be to maximize the branding opportunity for CHINTAI as whole as well as ensure that the user experience is improved.
CHINTAI has observed the benefits and drawbacks of certain registration policies and believes its registration policies will assist in achieving its goals in operating the TLD while maximizing user benefits.
The Registry will implement the following registration policies:
1. “.chintai” Domain Name Eligibility Requirements
2. Acceptable Use Policy
3. Reserved Names Policy
4. Rights Protection Mechanisms
5. ICANN Consensus Policies
- “.chintai” Domain Name Eligibility Requirements
“.chintai” Domain Name Eligibility Requirements defines who or what entities can register a domain name, the types of names that maybe registered, use requirements, content restrictions, and the technical criteria for allowable labels within the “.chintai” top-level domain. A brief description of the criteria is briefly outlined below:
1a Registrations
CHINTAI will implement an internal process for that will define how second-level registration requests can be submitted and how those requests for registration will be approved. CHINTAI proposes that only CHINTAI, member companies, its subsidiaries, and representative offices will be allowed to request second level domain registrations.
CHINTAI envisions having a domain management department that will be responsible for the receipt of domain name registration requests from designated and approved managers (Domain Manager) though a documented internal request form. Once the Domain Manager receives a registration request, a review will be completed to ensure the name complies with internal policies and the technical specifications as outlined in the ICANN Registry Agreement. Once the standard review is completed the name will be approved and submitted for registration though a partner ICANN Accredited Registrar.
CHINTAI believes that it is eligible to an exemption to the ICANN Code of Conduct (Specification 9 of the new gTLD Registry Agreement). If the exemption is granted, CHINTAI has already enlisted the services of Interlink Co, Ltd, an ICANN accredited registrar since 2006 to act as its partner registrar for “.chintai” names. CHINTAI believes that limiting the number of registrars is important in order to protect the integrity of the brand, and as such serves the public interest.
The registration terms for second level domain names will coincide with existing TLDs. The registration term will be allowed for one to ten years. At no point are domain registrations allowed for more years than the maximum registration term of 10 years or the minimum term of one year. Additional details regarding the registration, renewal, and transfer terms can be found in answer to Question 23 regarding Registry Services.
1b Domain Restrictions
A domain name that will be accepted as valid for registration is a domain name that;
- has not been blocked or reserved by the registry (see Reserved Names policy below)
- meets the technical requirements (defined below)
- has not already been registered (registrants will be encouraged to use the WHOIS database provided by the registry to ensure the availability of a domain)
1c Technical Specifications
The technical specifications for allowable labels will follow the standard criteria briefly outlined below:
- Labels containing the letters ʺaʺ to ʺzʺ or ʺAʺ to ʺZʺ in standard US ASCII character set, the digits ʺ0ʺ to ʺ9ʺ and the hyphen (ʺ-ʺ).
- Labels may contain a maximum of 63 characters. (This does not include the “.chintai” suffix)
- Labels may not begin or end with a hyphen (ʺ-ʺ) and may not include a hyphen (ʺ-ʺ) in the third and fourth positions unless they represent
valid internationalized domain names in their ASCII encoding).
- Acceptable Use Policy
The Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is a central policy of the “.chintai” TLD and will be implemented to ensure that CHINTAI maintains the rights to protect the integrity of its registry and achieve its goal of maintaining a safe and stable operation. The AUP further describes the process for applying for, registering, renewing, and transferring a “.chintai” domain name as well as any restrictions, and how CHINTAI, the registry, may enforce its policies.
The AUP will clearly delineate the types of activities that constitute ʺabuseʺ and any repercussions associated with abusive domain name registrations. A draft version of the AUP can be found in the answer to Question 28: Abuse Prevention and Mitigation.
- Reserved Names Policy
CHINTAI will comply with Specification 5 of the new gTLD Registry Agreement by initially reserving all names as required. These names will include:
- The label ʺEXAMPLEʺ as required by ICANN
- All two character labels will be initially reserved. Provisions for the release of these names is further described in relation to question Question 22: Protection of Geographic Names..
- Tagged domain names (labels with a hyphen (ʺ-ʺ) in the third or fourth positions will only be allowed if they represent a valid internationalized domain name (IDN) in their ASCII encoding.
- Second level names for registry operations, defined by ICANN as: NIC, WWW, IRIS, and WHOIS.
- Country and territory names listed on the following internationally recognized lists will be initially reserved:
1. the ISO 3166-1 list including the short form and long form English versions,
2. United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names,
Part III Names of Countries of the World
3. The list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the
United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names
CHINTAI believes that certain 2-letter names and country and territory names may be used in manners unlikely to cause confusion with the country-codes, countries or territories and therefore is exploring ways in which such names may be released in accordance with ICANN policies and in a manner that avoids consumer confusion. Please see CHINTAI’s response to Question 22 for more information on the protection of Geographic Names.
- Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs)
CHINTAI is committed to ensuring that all rights holders have adequate protections for their intellectual property assets in the “.chintai” TLD. CHINTAI plans to operate and maintain the “.chintai” space as an extension of it current branding activities, therefore, it is highly unlikely that names in the zone will interfere with the rights of other third parties.
Nevertheless, CHINTAI will submit to any rights protection mechanisms or polices that ICANN approves and includes in its consensus polices. CHINTAI proposes to implement the following rights protection mechanisms.
- Trademark Clearinghouse
- Sunrise and Trademark Claims Process
- Implementation of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
- Implementation of the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) mechanism
- ICANN Consensus Policies
CHINTAI is aware of and understands all current ICANN consensus policies listed at http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄en⁄general⁄consensus-policies.htm, and is committed to comply with all policies during its time as a registry operator.
- 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.
CHINTAI will allocate domain names internally to its subsidiaries, group companies, and other contracted agents for purposes of doing business under the CHINTAI name. Information deemed necessary to fulfill WHOIS requirements will be recorded in the public WHOIS database. All other information will be protected under contractual requirements and such information will be safeguarded from loss, destruction, tampering, leakage, etc. CHINTAI is currently in compliance with all relevant laws, regulations and other rules, and will remain in compliance with any changes made by relevant authorities.
CHINTAI is well aware of the requirement to adhere to specific ICANN consensus policies and will ensure that all contracted parties implement and abide by ICANN consensus policies. Additionally, CHINTAI and its contracted parties are aware of the current work being done to analyze the current WHOIS model as well as the movement to improve it. CHINTAI’s partners are involved deeply in the ICANN community and is committed to implementing any and all new procedures as approved and implemented by ICANN.
CHINTAI has a Privacy Policy in place and will strive to improve it as privacy laws evolve. Privacy policy can be found in Japanese at the following link:
http:⁄⁄www.chintai.net⁄site_info⁄privacy⁄
- Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
Since its first publication, ʺMinkan Chintai Newsʺ in 1975, CHINTAI has been able to develop a strong relationship with consumers. CHINTAI’s ability to provide timely, trustworthy rental property information covering the whole of Japan has led it to have the number one mind share among consumers. CHINTAI currently covers properties in 31 prefectures in Japan and print media publications are available in about 70% of all bookstore and convenient store channels nationwide.
While print media is still very viable in Japan, Chintai has been focused on developing a very strong web and digital media presence. It’s main web portal, ʺchintai.netʺ is number one in the number of unique users in Japan (Reported by Video Research Interactive in Apr.30, 2011). In recent years, CHINTAI has increased it mobile marketing strategy and social media strategy to better serve and engage consumers seeking rental properties.
Successfully launching “.chintai” in a way that complements its current activities will require a strong marketing and communication strategy during the evaluation phase, prior to delegation, as well as prior to the go-live date of the TLD.
The ʺPre-Delegation Communications Strategyʺ is vital to ensure that users:
- Are aware that the scope of the Internet is expanding and at the same time becoming more specific
- Understand CHINTAI is committed to serving the needs of consumers and will embrace the new opportunity to better serve consumers.
The communications process during this phase will take place through already existing marketing channels as well as press releases, and engagement through various social media channels.
After the evaluation phase is complete, and the Registry contract has been negotiated, CHINTAI will set specific targets to develop sites under the “.chintai” name and use a very deliberate, thought-out approach to introduce services under names in the new TLD.
CHINTAI will expose the public to its new domain in a manner that assists users in making a smooth transition from traditional web addresses to our exclusive namespace.
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?
CHINTAI plans to operate the “.chintai” TLD in the safest, most secure, and most reliable way possible. By selecting a world-class provider CHINTAI can reduce the risk of downtime in the TLD and ensure that end users can continuously use the TLD without any technical glitches.
CHINTAI has implemented a strict compliance department for its current business and will ensure that compliance officers are highly trained with regards to operations of “.chintai” to ensure that compliance with technical requirements, ICANN contractual obligations, and registration rules are maintained at all times.
- How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved?
CHINTAI, anticipates that only CHINTAI, group companies, subsidiaries and its representative offices will be the only authorized registrant in the “.chintai” TLD, and therefore does not anticipate the need to implement mechanisms to resolve contending applications. In the event that CHINTAI does allow public registrations, an approved policy will be implemented.
- Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement.
It is anticipated that only CHINTAI, its subsidiaries, and group companies will be the authorized registrants for names in the TLD. CHINTAI expects that owning a proprietary TLD for its brand will provide numerous benefits, including improving the CHINTAI brand though personalization of property information to more localized areas and will serve as an important tool in its ongoing marketing and communications activities.
Currently in Japan, search is the most used method for accessing websites. Many companies spend tens of thousand of dollars to get a keyword search to rank high in a particular search engine to make sure their product gets in front of consumers. For example, a real estate agency looking to find tenants for “ABC Condo” in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo will spend upwards of 5,000 US dollars per month on the term ʺABC Condoʺ or ʺABC Condo Shinjukuʺ. Then the agency will begin an advertising campaign using the search term as the central element to finding more information on the property.
This is problematic because SEO costs can accumulate quickly. Additionally, the property manager has to place complete trust that the SEO company can achieve the desired results. Finally, the user must rely on the search engine to retrieve the intended results. CHINTAI is already the nations number one informational source for rental property information, and a dedicated namespace will allow property owners to reduce costs and guide potential consumers to an intuitive and memorable website.
Like most other new TLDs, CHINTAI anticipates that it will take the general public time to get used to the “.chintai” namespace. The transition period will likely take several years, but once the user base gets used to the expanded system CHINTAI anticipate that users will more freely and naturally type in URLs to navigate to find exactly what they are looking for. For example, a user looking for a rental property in a particular area in Tokyo could simply type in ʺshinjuku.chintaiʺ or ʺ新宿”.chintaiʺ to find the most relevant and up-to-date rental property information.
Other benefits that will be derived from “.chintai” include:
- A Logical Structure
- Shorter URLs
- More Intuitive URLs
- Better Search Engine Optimization
Intellectual Property Concerns
Numerous parties have expressed concerns over the introduction of the new gTLD program stating that new TLDs could harm consumer welfare due to consumer confusion. Trademark holders have also brought up the issue of new TLDs imposing additional costs due to the necessity of participating in “defensive” registrations.
CHINTAI plans to operate and maintain the “.chintai” space as an extension of it current branding activities, therefore, it is highly unlikely that names in the zone will interfere with the rights of other third parties. Nevertheless, CHINTAI is fully committed to ensure the protection of IP rights within its TLD and intends to implement all Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) as required by ICANN. These RMPs include the following:
a. Trademark Clearinghouse
b. Sunrise and Trademark Claims Process
c. Implementation of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
d. Implementation of the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) mechanism.
e. Other Rights Protection Mechanisms
- Trademark Clearinghouse
The trademark clearinghouse is a mandatory RPM that has been developed in order to serve as a central repository for information to facilitate other RPMs such as the Sunrise Period and Trademark Claims process. Though this RPM is still under development, CHINTAIʹs consulting partner has joined the Implementation Assistance Group (IAG) to monitor the progress and provide feedback on solidifying the policy for its implementation. In addition, the back-end registry services provider, Neustar, is actively playing a key role on the IAG to ensure that protections afforded by the clearinghouse and associated RPMs are feasible and implementable. Further information regarding the implementation of this mechanism can be found in reference to Question 29: Rights Protection Mechanisms.
- Sunrise and Trademark Claims Process
The Sunrise period is a mandatory launch phase. CHINTAI is planning to be the sole registrant with regards to its TLD and will not implement a public launch. If, in the future, CHINTAI decides to open registrations to the public, then a Sunrise launch, which adheres to the standards ICANN has defined in Specification 7 of the New gTLD Registry Agreement, will be implemented.
The Trademark Claims process is tied into both the Sunrise launch and the Trademark Clearinghouse. The Trademark Claims process is a mandatory RPM, which is intended as means to provide “clear notice” to a registrant if an attempt is made to secure a domain name that matches a trademark that is currently registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse.
CHINTAI does not anticipate that any disputes with regards to its domain name registrations under “.chintai” will arise; nonetheless, CHINTAI will implement a Trademark Claims service that runs throughout the life of the registry. In the event that there is a match with a mark in the Trademark Clearinghouse, CHINTAI’s internal legal and compliance departments will review the claims to ensure that the proposed use of the matching second level registration is not in violation with the trademark claimant’s intellectual property rights.
- Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
The UDRP is an ICANN Consensus Policy that was instituted in 1998 which provides trademark holders an alternative method to resolve domain name disputes. In the event that a dispute arises regarding a domain name registration in the “.chintai” zone, CHINTAI will abide by the UDRP process. Additional information regarding the UDRP can be found at: http:⁄⁄www.icann.org⁄en⁄udrp⁄udrp.htm.
CHINTAI does not anticipate that a UDRP proceeding will be initiated against any names registered in its zone due to it being the only registrant in the TLD. In the event that a dispute arises regarding a domain name registration in the “.chintai” zone, CHINTAI will work with the complainant to find an agreeable solution. If both parties are unable to come to an agreement, CHINTAI will abide by the UDRP process.
- Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS)
The Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) is a Rights Protection Mechanism that was developed to satisfy the legitimate concerns that trademark owners had about the number of New TLDs that could potentially be introduced in the coming years. Trademark owners believed that the level of infringing or abusive domain names would increase as a result of the program. ICANN listened to the concerns that the IP community had, and through a diligent process, developed the URS as a more cost effective and speedy mechanism for trademark owners to enforce their rights in clear cases of abuse.
CHINTAI does not anticipate that infringing registrations will take place in its zone due to the conflict reviews and other internal reviews that will be completed prior to a domain name registration. In the event that a URS case does come about, CHINTAI will abide by the URS.
- Other Rights Protection Mechanisms
The “.chintai” TLD will be used for the CHINTAI brand and therefore CHINTAI is confident that no claims will be made against the registry regarding infringing registrations. CHINTAI will fully comply with the Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure (PDDRP) adopted by ICANN as described in the new gTLD Applicant Guidebook and Specification 7 of the Registry Agreement and any other Rights Protection Mechanisms approved or altered by ICANN.
- Do you intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation?
CHINTAI is planning to run the proposed TLD to extend its branding online. Pricing schemes such as bulk registration pricing, advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, etc., are not applicable at this time.