.sncf New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais S N C F
Application Downloaded On: 26 Nov 2014
String: sncf
Application ID: 1-1871-30331
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais S N C F
- Address of the principal place of business
2 Place aux Etoiles, 93200 Saint-Denis FR
- Phone number
+33 1 53 25 60 00
- Fax number
+33 1 53 25 89 17
- If applicable, website or URL
http://www.sncf.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Christiane Trognon
6(b). Title
Chief Computer Networking Officer
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+33 1 82 64 20 42
6(e). Fax Number
+33 1 82 64 33 25
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Soazig LE LEUCH
7(b). Title
Intellectual Property Legal Counsel
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+33 1 53 25 90 82
7(e). Fax Number
+33 1 53 25 87 10
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Etablissement Public Industriel et Commercial - Public institution which is both into industrial and commercial activities.
8(b). State the specific national or other jurisdiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
France
8(c). Attach evidence of the applicant's establishment.
Attachments are not displayed on this form.
9(a). If applying company is publicly traded, provide the exchange and symbol.
9(b). If the applying entity is a subsidiary, provide the parent company.
9(c). If the applying entity is a joint venture, list all joint venture partners.
Applicant Background
11(a). Name(s) and position(s) of all directors
Name
Position
Alain Krakovitch SNCF Greater Paris area - Transilien
Alain Le Vern TER & Intercités
Alain Picard SNCF Logistics
Barbara Dalibard Voyageurs division
Christian Cochet Risks Management & Audit
Christophe Fanichet Communication
François Nogué Human Resources – High level executives
Frédéric Castay Safety
Guillaume Pepy Chairman
Jean-Marc Ambrosini Human Resources
Jean-Pierre Farandou Keolis
Marie-Christine Lombard Geodis
Mathias Emmerich Finance & Performance
Patrick Ropert Gares & Connexions Unit
Pierre Izard SNCF Railway Service Safety and Quality
Rachel Picard SNCF Voyages Unit
Sophie Boissard Strategy & Development
Stéphane Volant General Secretary – Public Affairs
Sylvie Charles Freight & Multimodal Transportation
Xavier Roche Shared Services Centre
Yves Tyrode Digital & Communication 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
Government of France 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.
sncf
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 .sncf 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
- .sncf 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 .sncf has not already been queried with meaningful frequency at the root. Therefore, it is unlikely that .sncf will inherit significant invalid query traffic.
Due to the positive results of these checks, SNCF does not believe that the .sncf 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 .sncf gTLD is to benefit internet users by ensuring increased trust, convenience and utility.
The .sncf gTLD will create a new generation gTLD serving the interests of end users by providing an authoritative Internet space where information, services and resources of the brand and, potentially, its affiliates and partners that are associated with the brand will be closely controlled by Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais (SNCF). The majority of the anticipated domain name registrations in the .sncf gTLD will be used in the promotion and communication of the SNCF brand and its rail services. A subset of domain names has the potential to be created and used for communication and marketing purposes, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.
SNCF, also known as the French National Railway Corporation, was established in 1938. SNCF is France’s national state-owned railway company that offers an extended range of services to ensure door to door mobility for clients including passengers, transport, logistics operators and regional and local Transport Organizing Authorities. SNCF has 5 main areas of expertise:
- SNCF Infra (rail and related infrastructure): In 2010, SNCF Infra had 15,000 trains running daily across 36 countries.
- SNCF Proximites (local, urban and regional passenger services): SNCF Proximites transported an average of 10 million passengers per day in 2010.
- SNCF Voyages (operating long-distance and high-speed passenger rail services): SNCF Voyages and its subsidiaries carried 132 million passengers in 2010 and the www.voyages-sncf.com website is the leading online travel agency in France, with over 10 million visitors per month and an additional 2 million visitors per month accessing Voyages-sncf.com via mobile phones.
- SNCF Geodis (providing freight and logistic services): SNCF Geodis was operating in 120 countries across 5 continents and was ranked No 1 in France and No 2 in Europe leading European operator in freight transport and logistics and the 7th leading operator worldwide in 2010.
- Gares & Connexions: Gares & Connexions, which handles train-station management and development, has about 2 billion travellers transit through their stations each year and was operating about 3,000 passenger stations in France in 2010.
SNCF is present in 120 countries, employs over 240,000 people and has generated revenue of €30.5 billion in 2010, €33 billion in 2011. As a world leader in the area of mobility and logistics, continuous innovation and consumer trust are paramount considerations in SNCF’s activities.
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 .sncf gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with SNCF online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction.
SNCF’s mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest. SNCF is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- consumer trust: the .sncf gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to SNCF, at this stage, which will provide added consumer trust that .sncf domain names are trustworthy. As the .sncf domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under SNCF’s control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .sncf domain space;
- competition: the proposed new 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 the .sncf 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 SNCF’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 SNCF. As SNCF has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under the .sncf domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.
Given the restricted nature of the .sncf gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that up to 1000 domain names will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to about 2000 domain names as SNCF create relevant domain names for use including product and services related to its rail services.
SNCF will utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level, including French, Asiatic (including Japanese, Chinese and Korean), Arabic and Cyrillic languages. The use of IDNs will allow internet users to engage with .sncf in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity. As the use of the .sncf gTLD evolves, it is anticipated that the use of IDNs, including additional languages, will increase within the .sncf domain space.
SNCF is a well-recognised global brand with its “SNCF” trademark registered in 11 countries and territories including the EU, the US and China for categories such as Vehicles (Class 12); Transportation and storage (Class 39); Hotels and Restaurants (Class 43). Its “SNCF Assistance”, “SNCF Conseil”, “SNCF Consulting”, “SNCF La Radio”, “Le Train SNCF”, “Le Train by SNCF”, “Le Train from SNCF”, “Fret SNCF”, “SNCFI”, “SNCF International” trademarks are also registered in many countries and most of the time in the same categories as mentioned.
SNCF has 67 existing domain names with an exact match to the applied-for .sncf string and its “SNCF” trademark in domain spaces including but not limited to sncf.com, sncf.travel, sncf.fr and sncf.jp. The company also has an existing domain name in Russian IDN in снцф.рф.
Recently, SNCF was successful in securing sunrise application for 16 domain spaces such as sncf.asia, sncf.xxx and an SNCF domain name in Chinese IDN in 法国国营铁路公司.asia based on existing trademark registration.
SNCF believes that the .sncf gTLD is unlikely to cause confusion with either a generic term or any existing TLDs. SNCF trademarks are a leading global brand with significant reputation for its rail services in Europe and operates with a strong reputation in countries all around the world. SNCF has used the term “SNCF” as a renowned brand in conjunction with its mobility and logistics businesses for over 70 years.
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 .sncf gTLD are in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. SNCF also seeks to foster its online reputation and provide an authoritative internet space through which SNCF is able to communicate with its customers and passengers 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 .sncf gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:
Differentiation (Increased trust):
The .sncf gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with SNCF by providing a distinctive domain space for its uses including passengers engaging with SNCF through their mobile devices or for its online ticket booking services. Internet users and SNCF train passengers will be able to directly navigate to the .sncf gTLD site, saving time and resources searching for an official site or the relevant information they seek. Further, SNCF plans to develop specific sites to provide direct and target specific communication to their different consumer groups. 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. SNCF can address some of these vulnerabilities by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .sncf domain space and limiting such registrations to its exclusive use at the initial stage. Together with consumer trust and confidence, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under the .sncf domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and SNCF online.
Competition:
The differentiation of .sncf gTLD as a trusted site for SNCF will drive existing and new TLD registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs. Internets users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under .sncf domain space. As a result, .sncf will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .sncf 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 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. This problem is amplified for organisations such as SNCF who work across many different jurisdictions and geographical markets. 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. SNCF has the ability to create second or third level domain names including the use of IDNs on demand which are relevant to its customer base, services and products. For example, SNCF Voyages will be able to innovatively utilise the .sncf gTLD to assist its customer to book tickets online in a more efficient and convenient way. With complete control over the .sncf domain space, SNCF seeks to strengthen its brand reputation as the world leader in mobility and logistics services. SNCF 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 and better customer communication.
18(b)iii. What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
The proposed .sncf gTLD will provide a positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. SNCF 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 SNCF. Therefore, the .sncf gTLD will:
- provide an easy and intuitive reference and access point for internet users;
- allow SNCF to communicate directly and efficiently with target specific content to their customers and passengers;
- represent authenticity thus promoting user confidence;
- direct internet users to relevant information in a timely manner by creating domain names on demand to cater to SNCF’s customer groups;
- use IDNs to enable customer to interact directly in their native language;
- allow the use of 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.
SNCF does not intend to use geographic names in the second level initially. However, as the use of .sncf develops, SNCF may wish to use geographic names, at a later stage, to localise its websites in the 120 countries in which it operates. The use of geographic names will be in accordance with registration policy and the proposed measures for protection of geographic names as outlined in response to Question 22 and is intended to:
- connect internet users with relevant information as applicable to the territory; and
- comply with required rules and regulations in the relevant territory.
The .sncf 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 .sncf 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 SNCF will be eligible to register domain names in .sncf 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.
SNCF 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 Receipt No. 1253753 of the CNIL (French National Freedom of Information Commission) and Article 38 of Act No. 78-17 (Freedom of Information Act).
Privacy is of fundamental concern to most of SNCF’s customers as the interaction between SNCF and its customers may involve monetary transactions. As such SNCF has a strong interest in ensuring a high level of privacy protection for its customers. SNCF has also implemented its own privacy policy to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information.
The purpose of SNCF’s websites is to enable SNCF to contact with its internet users. SNCF will only use the data gathered through its website for the purposes of professional communications, to process user requests and to improve the quality of service provided to its customers. However, SNCF ensures that users are aware that SNCF may be obliged, in certain circumstances such as by reason of legal or fiscal procedures, to provide the gathered data to the relevant authorities.
As the .sncf gTLD will only be available to SNCF, 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. SNCF 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, SNCF 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.
SNCF will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both SNCF and its users interacting with SNCF 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 .sncf gTLD. SNCF already implements measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorised access. Such measures include:
- use of passwords;
- use of data encryption; and
- use of Secure Socket Layers (SSL).
SNCF 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 .sncf 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 SNCF at this stage and no third parties will be able to register domain names under the .sncf domain space. Therefore, it is not anticipated that third party trademark owners will incur costs in relation to the .sncf gTLD. All the policy requirements for registration will be satisfied. SNCF 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 .sncf 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 SNCF is intended to be the only registrant under the .sncf 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.