.PFIZER New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: Pfizer Inc.
String: PFIZER
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1827-93225
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
Pfizer Inc.
- Address of the principal place of business
235 East 42nd Street
New York NY 10017
US
- Phone number
+1 212 733 2323
- Fax number
+1 212 573 7851
- If applicable, website or URL
http:⁄⁄www.pfizer.com⁄home⁄
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Joshua Slocum Bourne
6(b). Title
FairWinds Partners LLC, Managing Partner
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+1 202 223 9252
6(e). Fax Number
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
Richard Friedman
7(b). Title
Assistant General Counsel
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+1 212 733 0086
7(e). Fax Number
+1 212 573 2273
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).
Delaware, 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;PFE
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
Constance Horner Director
Dennis Ausiello Director
Frances Fergusson Director
George Lorch Director
James Kilts Director
John Mascotte Director
- Anthony Burns Director
Michael Brown Director
Stephen Sanger Director
Suzanne Nora Johnson Director
- Don Cornwell Director
William Gray Director
11(b). Name(s) and position(s) of all officers and partners
Amy Schulman Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Business Unit Lead, Pfizer Nutrition
Cavan Redmond Group President, Animal Health, Consumer Healthcare, Capsugel and Corporate Strategy
Chuck Hill Executive Vice President, Worldwide Human Resources
David Simmons President and General Manager, Emerging Markets and Established Products
Douglas Lankler Executive Vice President, Chief Compliance and Risk Officer
Frank DʹAmelio Executive Vice President, Business Operations and Chief Financial Officer
Freda Lewis-Hall Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer
Geno Germano President and General Manager, Specialty Care and Oncology
Ian Read President and CEO
Kristin Peck Executive Vice President, Worldwide Business Development and Innovation
Loretta Cangialosi Controller
Matthew Lepore Corporate Secretary
Mikael Dolsten President, Worldwide Research & Development
Oliver Brandicourt President and General Manager, Primary Care
Richard Passov Treasurer
Sally Susman Executive Vice President, Policy, External Affairs, and Communications
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.
PFIZER
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.
Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”) foresees no known rendering issues in connection with the proposed .PFIZER gTLD for which it is applying. This answer is based upon consultation with Pfizer’s selected back-end provider, Neustar, which has successfully launched a number of new gTLDs over the last decade. In reaching this determination, Neustar analyzed the following data:
-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 on TLD Universal Acceptance.
- (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 .PFIZER
The intended future mission and purpose of the .PFIZER gTLD is to serve as a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive namespace provided by Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”), qualified affiliates, licensees or partners, for its consumers. Pfizer will be the entity to file this application and bring the .PFIZER gTLD to market. Although Pfizer is committed to moving forward with the .PFIZER gTLD application, at the time of filing this application there has not been enough time, and currently there is not enough market information available, to fully analyze and evaluate all potential use case options.
Pfizer will be analyzing and evaluating other .BRAND gTLD applications as well as general market adoption to determine short- and long-term potential best-in-class use case options to most effectively serve and enhance Pfizer’s online strategy as a leading global pharmaceutical provider with operations in the following segments:
CONSUMER-FACING WEBSITE (PFIZER.COM): Pfizer has been operating Pfizer.com since 1992. Now, the site serves as a trusted source of important news and information regarding Pfizer’s products and their safety. Through Pfizer’s website, consumers are unable to purchase products (as this requires a prescription from a medical professional depending on an individual’s health conditions), but visitors will find valuable information regarding Pfizer’s research and development projects, product safety and side effects, and general health and wellness. Additionally, Pfizer operates country-specific websites for millions of its global consumers, including but not limited to:
France (Pfizer.fr)
Canada (Pfizer.ca)
Germany (Pfizer.de)
Russia (Pfizer.ru)
Venezuela (Pfizer.com.ve)
China (Pfizer.cn)
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL-FACING WEBSITE (PFIZERPRO.COM): Pfizer also operates PfizerPro.com, which the company has been running since 2006. PfizerPro.com is a website designed for licensed medical professionals that provides important medical news, drug information, and supply information, along with a number of educational materials. The content of this website is accessible only with an approved account.
1-800-PFIZER: By calling 1-800-PFIZER, consumers can speak with an expert regarding any questions or concerns they may have about Pfizer’s products.
ANIMAL HEALTH SITE (PFIZERAH.COM): Pfizer’s operations also include a variety of products dedicated to animal care for both companion animals and livestock. PfizerAH.com provides all visitors with extended information on common conditions found in a variety of animal species and the appropriate Pfizer products for treating each condition.
18.1.1 Pfizer Inc.
Pfizer is a leading global pharmaceutical corporation serving the wide-ranging needs of consumers, with more than 110,000 employees and offices in 46 different countries. Pfizer products are available for purchase only through pharmacies by customers with a prescription from a licensed physician, and Pfizer content is accessible in the .COM gTLD and the .CN, .CA, .FR, .EU, and .COM.VE ccTLDs, among others.
Pfizer intends to submit one gTLD application for the string .PFIZER.
18.1.2 POTENTIAL BUSINESS PLAN
Pfizer currently plans a four-stage rollout for its gTLD:
- Stage One
The initial stage of implementation of the gTLD will involve Pfizer registering a limited number of .PFIZER second-level domain names.
This initial use will provide Pfizer’s IT and security personnel the time to run a number of tests to ensure seamless and secure access using the .PFIZER 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 Pfizer staff to coordinate with the internal and external staff responsible for the application, delegation, and setup phases of the .PFIZER gTLD to ensure a proper transition from delegation to full operation.
- Stage Two
Once all testing has been successfully completed, Pfizer will begin allocating domain names in .PFIZER for more widespread internal corporate use. During this same period of time, Pfizer will begin evaluating strategies to potentially migrate traffic away from its current patchwork network of second-level domain names, which are registered in a variety of TLDs, to Pfizer’s new family of gTLDs.
It is in Stage Two that Pfizer will evaluate expanding the operations of the gTLD to permit registration by other registrants, such as licensees or strategic partners. Should an assessment of its expansion strategy lead to a decision to extend registration rights to other parties, this expansion is currently planned to take place during Stage Three, and likely after the first three years of operation. However, any expansion would be conditioned upon a review of the Specification 9 (Registry Code of Conduct) set forth in the template Registry Agreement to ensure compliance with Pfizer’s business model.
- Stage Three
Depending upon the analysis of the evaluations undertaken in Stage Two, Pfizer may begin to implement the permanent migration of Internet traffic away from the TLDs in which Pfizer’s domain names are currently registered, and toward the new Pfizer family of branded gTLDs. It is in this stage that Pfizer also may implement its decision to extend registration rights to licensees and strategic partners, 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 Pfizer’s existing domain name portfolio, internal analysis of marketing initiatives, and the fact that Pfizer will have full control over the number of registrations in the .PFIZER gTLD namespace, Pfizer is confident that the number of domain name registrations will be less than 10,000 in the first five years of operation.
- Stage Four
Based on its experience during the initial stages of operation, and based on its experience with any expansion implemented in Stage Three, Pfizer will assess whether its business plan and expansion strategy should be augmented by extending registration rights to a broader class of licensees, and, potentially, customers of Pfizer. Pfizer anticipates 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⁄affiliate, and licensee use will take into account this experience as well as the technical analysis of potential expansion.
The potential use of the .PFIZER gTLD by these or other business segments will also be driven by Pfizer’s future business strategies as identified in its annual report and investor filings, see http:⁄⁄www.pfizer.com⁄investors⁄.
Utilizing current projections based upon Pfizer’s existing businesses, future business plans, current domain name portfolio, and other strategic factors, Pfizer estimates second-level domain name registrations to be in line with the projections set forth in the financial template provided in the answer to Question 46 of this application.
18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
Pfizer believes that the proposed .PFIZER 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 that entrust their health to Pfizer’s products, for investors and third parties seeking information, and for the general Internet user population;
-Provide Pfizer and its qualified affiliates, licensees or partners with short and memorable Internet addresses, as well as increased navigation to products, services, advertising campaigns, public interest content, public awareness initiatives, etc.;
-Minimize the cost and need for defensive registrations because domain names will only be allocated by Pfizer within the .PFIZER gTLD to Pfizer and qualified affiliates, licensees or partners; and
-Develop a potential platform for the secure access to, purchase of, and distribution of Pfizer products and information to consumers, in order to minimize the potential for phishing and pharming.
Also, through the adoption of new gTLDs by the wider Internet user community, consumers may benefit from lower incidents of phishing and malware often associated with mistypes of domain names in the .COM space that are owned by cybersquatters since they will be navigating to domain names in the .PFIZER gTLD.
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 .PFIZER gTLD is to provide a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive online platform to deliver Pfizer content, information on its business and focus, and other goods and services. As Pfizer continues to expand, it is in the company’s desire to pursue and develop opportunities to market and distribute its online content and products to consumers, in the U.S. and internationally, on various platforms, including the Internet and mobile devices, among others. Given that consumers increasingly demand access to Pfizer’s products and services through a variety of channels, which include domain names and the address bar, Pfizer believes that the .PFIZER gTLD has potential to provide an innovative, virtual avenue to Pfizer products that will deepen and broaden its relationship with consumers.
Most importantly, Pfizer will be able to provide access to its products and online content in a namespace devoid of piracy, cybersquatting, and other malicious activities. Providing consumers with a trusted experience is paramount to Pfizer, and a .PFIZER gTLD will be used to further that goal.
While pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer fight a never-ending battle to protect valuable intellectual property from piracy on the Internet, a .PFIZER gTLD potentially offers legitimate consumers a safe and intuitive means of accessing authorized content from Pfizer and its qualified affiliates, licensees or partners.
Pfizer is supportive of existing anti-cybersquatting legislation and consumer protection measures, including the U.S. Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) and others. As Pfizer invests in expanding the domain name space through the establishment of the .PFIZER gTLD, it will also actively prevent cybersquatting, fraud, phishing, and other malicious activities within the .PFIZER gTLD because domain names will only be issued to Pfizer and its qualified affiliates, licensees or partners. Maintaining the highest standards within the .PFIZER gTLD will give Pfizer the opportunity to take a proactive approach to protecting intellectual property rights and fostering a cleaner, safer, online experience for all Internet users.
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 for the .PFIZER gTLD are differentiation and innovation. The success of the gTLD 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 .PFIZER gTLD. Using these as a benchmark, Pfizer will strive to build consumer recognition and trust through the usage of the .PFIZER gTLD that rise to the levels of those found in the .EDU and .GOV gTLDs.
As noted above, Pfizer is a leading global pharmaceutical company that leverages numerous distribution channels and emerging technologies to deliver its online content, products, and services to consumers internationally. The .PFIZER gTLD has the potential to serve as a cornerstone of this online strategy. However, any broader adoption of this strategic initiative may be impacted by input from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the law enforcement community regarding ICANN’s New gTLD Program.
18.2.3 What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
Pfizer believes that the .PFIZER gTLD will provide a single, trusted, ecosystem experience for the millions of consumers worldwide that purchase the company’s pharmaceutical goods and services, as well as those that seek information that Pfizer provides, such as investors and members of the press. In addition to providing consumers with short, memorable, and intuitive domain names, consumers will know all domains and content are owned and controlled by Pfizer, thus protecting users from potential infringing, pirated, or harmful content within the .PFIZER gTLD.
The initial use of the .PFIZER gTLD will involve Pfizer registering a limited number of second-level domain names. This initial use will provide Pfizer’s IT and security personnel with the ability to run a number of tests to ensure seamless and secure access to the Pfizer website and interoperability with various software and Web⁄mobile-based applications. Once the appropriate security and stability issues have been satisfactorily addressed, Pfizer will likely begin allocating domain names for internal corporate use and may redirect new .PFIZER 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, Pfizer will evaluate potential strategies to migrate all traffic away from the current network of second-level domains registered in various gTLDs to the .PFIZER gTLD. This will provide consumers with a single, trusted, online source for its products and services.
18.2.4 Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Pfizer currently intends for the .PFIZER gTLD to be exclusively used by Pfizer and its qualified affiliates, licensees or partners. Because of this condition, any registration and use requirements are more appropriately vested in these corporate⁄affiliate agreements, and not in a domain name registration agreement. While Pfizer is fully supportive of and committed to ICANN’s bottom-up, consensus-driven model, Pfizer is mindful that some registries have experienced significant delays when making amendments to their registrar⁄registrant agreements. Because the Pfizer trademark is a valuable brand whose protection is of paramount importance, any registration and use requirements (e.g., trademark quality control provisions) must vest in these other agreements.
Notwithstanding these concerns, Pfizer 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 qualified affiliate, licensee, or 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 pharmaceutical company, Pfizer respects the privacy of its customers. The company employs a variety of physical, electronic, contractual, and managerial safeguards to protect personal and confidential information on its websites and throughout its operations. Pfizer will take similar precautions to protect registrant and user data associated with the .PFIZER gTLD. However, due to the fact that every domain name will be initially registered to Pfizer or a qualified subsidiary or affiliate, Pfizer has a vested interest in making sure that accurate and current domain name information is readily available in connection with each .PFIZER domain name.
In addition, Pfizer intends to include contractual provisions to protect confidential and personal data in its registrar agreement, including provisions modeled after language in the template Registry Agreement that has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD registry operators. The template Registry Agreement states, “Registry Operator shall (i) notify each ICANN-accredited registrar that is a party to the registry-registrar agreement for the TLD of the purposes for which data about any identified or identifiable natural person (‘Personal Data’) submitted to Registry Operator by such registrar is collected and used under this Agreement or otherwise and the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data, and (ii) require such registrar to obtain the consent of each registrant in the TLD for such collection and use of Personal Data. Registry Operator shall take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data collected from such registrar 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.ʺ
18.2.6 Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
As noted above, Pfizer’s driving factor in securing the .PFIZER gTLD in ICANN’s first round is precautionary in nature, and while Pfizer sees the potential for this gTLD to play a large role in Pfizer’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, Pfizer plans to start using .PFIZER domains initially as redirects to existing .COM domains. As the aforementioned questions are answered over time, Pfizer may decide to initiate a targeted pilot rollout using .PFIZER domains as primary addresses and, after careful analysis and study of this rollout, Pfizer may plan to engage in a broader initiative should the results be satisfactory and in accordance with the company’s overall strategic goals, both in the online space and in its partner operations. The actual usage of .PFIZER domain names will dictate what public communications and consumer outreach initiatives are undertaken to encourage navigation to .PFIZER gTLDs. This is not limited to, but may include, advertising, media outreach, communications to medical professionals, email campaigns, etc.
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)?
Pfizer’s proposed operating rules to limit registration to Pfizer and its qualified affiliates, licensees, or partners will provide a trusted online environment for consumers to access Pfizer’s online content and, by default, will minimize social costs. This verified ecosystem provides consumers with a single, trusted source for Pfizer goods and services with a substantially lower risk of fraud and⁄or scams. Pfizer does not anticipate consumer vulnerabilities. In addition, there is no need for other trademark and brand owners to defensively register second-level domains in the gTLD. In fact, the expectation is that the usage of a .PFIZER gTLD will eliminate many of the vulnerabilities that Pfizer consumers face in the wider Internet today.
18.3.1 What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences⁄costs imposed upon consumers?
Pfizer believes that the proposed operation of the .PFIZER 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 lead to direct and quantifiable benefits to 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?
Pfizer does not envision multiple applicants for the same domain name, as domain names will only be allocated to Pfizer and its qualified affiliates, licensees, or partners.
18.3.3 Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
Pfizer does not envision any pricing, introductory discounts, or bulk registration discounts because these marketing⁄commercial initiatives are inconsistent with the mission and purpose of the .PFIZER gTLD as a trusted online source identifier. Moreover, it is the current intention of Pfizer to provide domain name registrations to itself and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates at no cost, though the company reserves the right to reevaluate this decision and may choose to impose a nominal fee in the future.
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.
Pfizer 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 and use of the domain name is conditional upon a separate authorization by or agreement with Pfizer. 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 Pfizer providing domain name registrations to itself and its qualified affiliates, licensees or partners at no cost.
Pfizer 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, as the sole registrant within the .PFIZER gTLD, Pfizer will only be registering domain names on an annual basis.