.ABBOTT New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Abbott Laboratories
String: ABBOTT
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1765-99580
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Abbott Laboratories
- Address of the principal place of business
100 Abbott Park Road
Abbott Park Illinois 60064
US
- Phone number
+1 847 937 6100
- Fax number
+1 847 937 3675
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.abbott.com
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Philip Lodico
6(b). Title
Managing Partner
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+1 202 223 9252
6(e). Fax Number
+1 202 204 5205
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Dirk Hoerter
7(b). Title
Director, Digital Marketing Excellence
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+1 847 393 6361
7(e). Fax Number
+1 847 937 3675
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Corporation
8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
Illinois, USA
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.
New_York_Stock_Exchange;ABT
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
Miles Denton White Chairman of the Board
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
Andrew David Forrest Senior Vice President, International Nutrition
Brian James Blaser Senior Vice President, Diagnostics
Carlos Alban Senior Vice President, Proprietary Pharmaceutical Products, Global Commercial Operations
Edward Louis Michael Executive Vice President, Diagnostic Products
Greg Walter Linder Vice President and Controller
Heather Lynn Mason Senior Vice President, Diabetes Care
James Vito Mazzo Senior Vice President, Abbott Medical Optics
Jeffrey Scott White Senior Vice President, U.S. Nutrition
John Charles Landgraf Executive Vice President, Nutritional Products
John Michael Capek Executive Vice President, Medical Devices
Laura Jane Schumacher Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Michael James Warmuth Senior Vice President, Established Products, Pharmaceutical Products Group
Miles Denton White Chief Executive Officer
Richard Allen Gonzalez Executive Vice President, PPG
Richard Warner Ashley Executive Vice President, Corporate Development
Robert Bell Hance, IV Senior Vice President, Vascular
Stephen Ryan Fussell Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Thomas Craig Freyman Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer
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.
ABBOTT
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.
16, Mitigation of operational or rendering problems.
Abbott Laboratories anticipates the introduction of this .ABBOTT gTLD without operational or rendering problems. Based on a decade of experience launching and operating new TLDs, Afilias Limited (ʺAfiliasʺ) the back-end provider of registry services for the .ABBOTT gTLD, is confident the launch and operation of this gTLD presents no known challenges. The rationale for this opinion includes:
-The string is not complex and is represented in standard ASCII characters and follows relevant technical, operational and policy standards;
-The string length is within lengths currently supported in the root and by ubiquitous Internet programs such as web browsers and mail applications;
-There are no new standards required for the introduction of the .ABBOTT gTLD;
-No onerous requirements are being made on registrars, registrants or Internet users, and;
-The existing secure, stable and reliable Afilias SRS, DNS, WHOIS and supporting systems and staff are amply provisioned and prepared to meet the needs of the .ABBOTT gTLD.
- (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.
18.1 Mission and Purpose of .ABBOTT
Abbott Laboratories (“Abbott”) is a global, diversified healthcare company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceuticals, nutritional products, and medical products including devices, diagnostic tests, and instruments. Abbott has sales, manufacturing, research and development, and distribution facilities around the world and is well-recognized for its global reach. Abbott employs over 90,000 people and has an online presence in over 75 countries. Its online content is accessible in the .COM gTLD and also in multiple ccTLDs. A sample of the ccTLDs in which Abbott posts content is as follows: .COM.AR, .COM.AU, .COM.CN, .DK, .FR, .DE, .CO.IN, .IE, JP, .NO, .ES, .CO.UK, .CA, and .US.
Abbott Laboratories manufactures and distributes numerous products around the world in the following categories: Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. For more information, see: http:⁄⁄www.abbottinvestor.com⁄.
Through a unified corporate approach, Abbott intends to submit two gTLD applications for the .ABBOTT and .ABBVIE gTLDs.
The intended future mission and purpose of the .ABBOTT gTLD is to serve as a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive namespace provided by Abbott and its subsidiaries for its consumers. Abbott Laboratories is the designated entity to file this application and bring the .ABBOTT gTLD to market. Therefore, although Abbott is committed to moving forward with the .ABBOTT gTLD application, at the time of filing Abbott does not believe that there has been enough time or market information available to fully analyze and evaluate all potential use case options. Thus, Abbott is planning for a limited use of the .ABBOTT gTLD initially, with the possibility of expanding as market information becomes available and Abbott’s digital strategy develops.
Abbott will be analyzing and evaluating other .BRAND gTLD applications, as well as general market adoption, to determine short- and long-term potential best use case options to more effectively serve and enhance Abbott’s online strategy as a leading global diversified healthcare company.
Abbott intends to initially limit registration and use of domain names within the .ABBOTT gTLD to Abbott and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. This initial limited use will allow Abbott to establish its operations and achieve full sustainability. This limited distribution, coupled with the other requirements set forth in Specification 9 of the template Registry Agreement, is intended to exempt Abbott from its annual Code of Conduct Compliance requirements.
After Stage 3 (below), Abbott will evaluate whether opportunities exist to carry out the business strategy for the .ABBOTT gTLD through expansion that continues the sustainable operations of the registry through fee-based registrations to parties other than Abbott and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates.
Abbott currently plans a four-stage rollout for the .ABBOTT gTLD:
- Stage 1
The initial stage of implementation of the gTLD will involve Abbott registering a limited number of .ABBOTT second-level domain names.
This initial use will provide Abbott’s IT and security personnel the time to run a number of tests to ensure seamless and secure access using the .ABBOTT gTLD domain names, interoperability with various software and Web-based applications, and unbroken and secure use of all names. This initial allocation will also allow the appropriate Abbott staff to coordinate with the internal and external staff responsible for the application, delegation, and setup phases of the .ABBOTT gTLD to ensure a proper transition from delegation to full operation.
- Stage 2
Once all testing has been successfully completed, Abbott will begin allocating domain names in the .ABBOTT gTLD for more widespread internal corporate use. During this same period of time, Abbott will begin evaluating strategies to potentially migrate traffic away from its current network of second-level domain names, which are registered in a variety of TLDs, to Abbott’s new gTLDs.
It is in Stage 2 that Abbott will evaluate expanding the operations of the gTLD to permit registration by other registrants, such as licensees or other strategic parties. Should an assessment of its expansion strategy lead to a decision to extend registration rights to other parties, Abbott is currently planning for this expansion to take place during Stage 3. However, any expansion would be dependent upon a review of Specification 9 (Registry Code of Conduct) set forth in the template Registry Agreement to ensure compliance with Abbott’s business model.
- Stage 3
Depending upon the analysis of the evaluations undertaken in stage two, Abbott may begin to implement the migration of Internet traffic away from the TLDs in which Abbott’s domain names are currently registered, and toward the .ABBOTT gTLD. It is in this stage that Abbott also may implement its decision to extend registration rights to licensees or strategic parties depending upon compliance with Specification 9 as noted above. The dates of such expansion are subject to change depending upon business, strategic, and industry factors at the time.
After consideration of the following factors: analysis of Abbott’s existing domain name portfolio; internal analysis of marketing initiatives; and the fact that Abbott will have full control over the number of registrations in the .ABBOTT gTLD namespace, Abbott is confident that the number of domain name registrations will be less than 10,000 in the first five years of operation.
- Stage 4
Based on its experience with any expansion implemented in Stage 3, Abbott will assess whether its business plan and expansion strategy should be augmented by extending registration rights to a broader class of licensees, potentially including customers of Abbott. It is anticipated by Abbott that changes to the domain name industry, and particularly the impact of .BRAND gTLDs, will take at least five years to be realized and assessed. Any decision to expand the gTLDs beyond corporate, qualified subsidiary and affiliate, and licensee use will take into account this experience as well as the technical analysis of potential expansion.
The potential use of the .ABBOTT gTLD by Abbott and its various business segments will also be driven by Abbott’s future business strategies as identified in its annual report and investor filings, see: http:⁄⁄www.abbottinvestor.com⁄.
Utilizing current projections based upon Abbott’s existing businesses, future business plans, current domain name portfolio, and other strategic factors, Abbott estimates that second-level domain name registrations will be in line with the projections set forth in the financial template provided in response to Question 46 of this application.
18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
18.2 How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
Abbott believes that the proposed .ABBOTT gTLD has the potential to offer the following benefits to Internet users and consumers:
-Establish a trusted source of information for the millions of consumers who use Abbott’s products and services, for investors and third parties seeking information, and for the general Internet user population;
-Provide Abbott and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates with short and memorable Internet addresses; provide improved and integrated navigation to products, services, advertising campaigns, public interest content, public awareness initiatives, etc.; and minimize the cost and need for defensive registrations because domain names will only be allocated by Abbott within the .ABBOTT gTLD to Abbott and its subsidiaries and affiliates; and
-Develop a potential platform for secure access to Abbott products and information to consumers, in order to minimize the potential for counterfeit or infringing products and services.
- Increase awareness of Abbott and its diversified portfolio of products and services.
Currently Abbott operates a number of websites that correspond to the various geographic regions in which it has a substantial presence. Abbott uses a combination of second-level and top-level domain names in connection with these websites. A representative sampling of Abbott websites registered in ccTLDs and well as those that incorporate geographical identifiers into domain names include:
www.Abbottinmunologia.com.ar
www.AbbottAustralasia.com.au
www.Abbott.com.cn
www.Abbott.dk
www.Abbott.fr
www.Abbott.de
www.Abbott.co.in
www.Abbott.ie
www.AbbottItalia.com
www.Abbottvascular.jp
www.Abbottdiabetescare.no
www.Abbott.es
www.Abbott.co.uk
www.AbbottNutritionUK.com
www.Abbott.ca
www.Abbott.us
Abbott believes that the .ABBOTT gTLD can provide an online single-source identifying construct that will be easier for its current and future customers around the globe, instead of the current approach that Abbott is forced to resort to as it expands into different markets around the world.
18.2.1 What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?
The primary mission and purpose of the .ABBOTT gTLD is to provide a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive virtual platform to deliver content and information about Abbottʹs business, focus, products and services. As Abbott continues to grow, it is the company’s desire to pursue and develop new opportunities to market its online content and products to consumers, in the U.S. and internationally, on a variety of platforms. Given that customers are increasingly requesting access to Abbott and its products and services through a variety of channels, including via domain names, Abbott believes that the .ABBOTT gTLD has the potential to provide an innovative, virtual avenue to Abbott products and services that will deepen and broaden the companyʹs relationship with consumers.
Most importantly, Abbott will be able to provide access to its products and online content in a namespace void of piracy, cybersquatting, and other malicious activities. Providing consumers with a reliable online experience is paramount to Abbott, and the .ABBOTT gTLD will be used to further that goal.
18.2.2 What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
As a branded gTLD, the primary driving factors behind the .ABBOTT gTLD are differentiation and innovation. The success of .ABBOTT will not be measured by the number of domain names registered, but rather by the levels of consumer recognition and trust that are placed in the gTLD. Using this as a benchmark, Abbott will continue to strive to increase these until they rise to the levels of those found in the .EDU and .GOV gTLDs. More specifically, Abbott will be able to communicate to Internet users that the .ABBOTT namespace provides a safe and trusted place to find information about the company and its products and services.
18.2.3 What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
Abbott believes that the .ABBOTT gTLD will provide a single, trusted ecosystem experience for the millions of consumers worldwide who use the company’s products and services, as well as for those seeking information provided by Abbott, such as investors, medical providers, insurers and business partners. In addition to providing consumers with short, memorable, and intuitive domain names, the .ABBOTT gTLD will indicate to consumers that the domains and content are owned and controlled by Abbott and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates.
Abbott expects the initial use of the .ABBOTT gTLD to involve Abbott registering a limited number of second-level domain names. This initial use will provide Abbott’s IT and security personnel with the ability to run a number of tests to ensure seamless and secure access to the Abbott website, and interoperability with various software and Web-⁄mobile-based applications. Once the appropriate security and stability issues have been satisfactorily addressed, Abbott will likely begin allocating domain names for internal corporate use and may redirect new .ABBOTT domain names to pre-existing content. This phased rollout will likely take place over a multi-year period, but is subject to change depending upon a range of external factors.
During this same period of time, Abbott will continue to evaluate potential strategies for use of the .ABBOTT gTLD in other ways that will advance Abbott’s corporate mission and goals.
18.2.4 Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Abbott currently intends for the .ABBOTT gTLD to be exclusively used by Abbott and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. Because of this condition, any registration and use requirements are more appropriately vested in the corporate agreements between Abbott Laboratories and its subsidiaries and affiliates, and not in a domain name registration agreement.
Notwithstanding this, Abbott will incorporate all required ICANN consensus policies and other legal⁄policy requirements imposed on new gTLD applicants into the terms and conditions of the domain name registration agreement that each potential partner will execute.
18.2.5 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.
As a global, diversified healthcare company, Abbott recognizes that this is an evolving area of law in which there is no international standard. However, due to the fact that every domain name will be registered to Abbott or its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates, the company has a vested interest in ensuring that accurate and current domain registration name information is readily available in connection with each .ABBOTT domain name. For the .ABBOTT gTLD, all private and confidential information will be protected.
Abbott will ensure that the operation of the .ABBOTT gTLD will be consistent with the local privacy regulations of Abbott and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. For the Statement of Privacy Principles in the U.S. see: http:⁄⁄www.abbott.com⁄global⁄url⁄content⁄en_US⁄0:0⁄general_content⁄General_Content_00029.htm.
In addition, Abbott intends to incorporate contractual language in its Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA) modeled after language that has been included in the template Registry Agreement and that has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD Registry Operators. Specifically, Abbott shall notify Registrar of the purposes for which Personal Data submitted to Registry Operation by Registrar is collected, the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data, and the mechanism for access to and correction of such Personal Data. Registry Operator shall take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction. Registry Operator shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in a way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars. Registry Operator may from time to time use the demographic data collected for statistical analysis, provided that this analysis will not disclose individual Personal Data and provided that such use is compatible with the notice provided to registrars regarding the purpose and procedures for such use.
18.2.6 Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
As noted above, Abbott’s driving factor in securing the .ABBOTT gTLD in ICANN’s first gTLD application round is precautionary in nature, and while Abbott sees the potential for this gTLD to play a large role in Abbott’s future online strategic initiatives, there are a number of unanswered questions concerning consumer recognition, the adoption of new gTLDs, and the response from search engines in the marketplace that will influence the usage of the gTLD and communication about that usage.
Notwithstanding this, Abbott plans to start using .ABBOTT domains initially as redirects to existing .COM websites. Abbott also plans to carefully review the release of new gTLDs by others, the response from search engines to branded gTLDs, and consumer perception. As the marketplace evolves, Abbott will invest in outreach and communication as needed to ensure that its consumers and partners continue to interact with Abbott content in a simplified and efficient manner.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
18.3 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)?
Abbott’s proposed operating rules to limit registration to Abbott and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates will provide a trusted online environment for consumers to access Abbott online content, and will minimize social costs by default. This verified ecosystem will also provide consumers with a single, trusted source for Abbott’s products and services with a substantially lower risk of confusion than consumers encounter in .COM and other open gTLDs. Abbott does not anticipate consumer vulnerabilities; therefore, one way in which social costs will be eliminated is that trademark and brand owners will not need to defensively register second-level domains in the .ABBOTT gTLD. In fact, Abbott’s expectation is that the usage of the .ABBOTT gTLD will eliminate many of the vulnerabilities that Abbott consumers face in the wider Internet today.
18.3.1 What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences⁄costs imposed upon consumers?
Abbott believes that the proposed operation of the .ABBOTT gTLD as set forth in this application has no known negative consequences or cost implications to consumers. On the contrary, the proposed operation of this registry will likely benefit consumers.
18.3.2 How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come⁄first-serve basis?
Abbott does not envision multiple applicants for the same domain name, as domain names will only be registered to Abbott and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates.
18.3.3 Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
Abbott does not envision the implementation of any advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, or bulk registration discounts because these marketing⁄commercial initiatives are inconsistent with the mission and purpose of the .ABBOTT gTLD as a trusted online source identifier. Moreover, it is the current intention of Abbott to provide domain name registrations to itself and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates at no cost.
18.3.4 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 plans.
Abbott is committed to providing the domain name registration periods set forth in the Registry Agreement. However, as noted above, as a branded gTLD, the registration of the domain name is conditioned upon separate subsidiary or affiliate relationships with Abbott. Therefore, providing contractual commitments in a domain name registrant agreement regarding the magnitude of price escalations does not seem relevant or appropriate. Additionally, as noted above, the current business model envisions Abbott providing domain name registrations to itself and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates at no cost.
Abbott acknowledges that the current template Registry Agreement requires that the Registry Operator “shall offer registrars the option to obtain registration periods for one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar.” However, Abbott, as the sole registrant within the .ABBOTT gTLD, will only be registering domain names on an annual basis. This is done to better account for costs on an annual basis as well as to provide for more concise financial statements in Question 46, i.e., no multi-year registration or deferred revenue.