.KRED New gTLD Application
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New gTLD Application Submitted to ICANN by: KredTLD Pty Ltd
String: KRED
Originally Posted: 13 June 2012
Application ID: 1-1707-1944
Applicant Information
- Full legal name
KredTLD Pty Ltd
- Address of the principal place of business
322⁄5 Lime St
Sydney NSW 2000
AU
- Phone number
+61 400 818881
- Fax number
+01 415 738 8087
- If applicable, website or URL
Primary Contact
6(a). Name
Michael Deparini
6(b). Title
Director of Operations
6(c). Address
6(d). Phone Number
+01 925 667-6051
6(e). Fax Number
+01 925 566-6536
6(f). Email Address
Secondary Contact
7(a). Name
John D. Rich
7(b). Title
CEO⁄Founder
7(c). Address
7(d). Phone Number
+61 400 818881
7(e). Fax Number
7(f). Email Address
Proof of Legal Establishment
8(a). Legal form of the Applicant
Limited Proprietary
8(b). State the specific national or other jursidiction that defines the type of entity identified in 8(a).
Registered under the Corporations Act 2001 and is registered in Victoria, Australia
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.
PeopleBrowsr Pty Ltd
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
John D Rich CEO⁄Founder
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
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.
KRED
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.
KredTLD Pty Ltd. foresees no known rendering issues in connection with the proposed .KRED string which it is seeking to apply for as a gTLD. This answer is based upon consultation with KredTLD Pty Ltd.’s 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 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.
Part1. Mission⁄Purpose
The mission⁄purpose of the .kred TLD is to establish a cohesive, clear, dedicated, immediately identifiable online identity, experience, and sales channel for KredTLD Pty Ltd.
Kred, launched by social analytics leader PeopleBrowsr in 2011, measures influence in online communities connected by affinities. Kred values audience quality and engagement over audience size by assessing anyone’s ability to inspire action (Influence) and propensity to engage with others (Outreach).
As a market leader in social media engagement and analytic services, Kred is excited to have the opportunity to take a lead in this new, expanded Internet environment as one of the first brand TLDs. The .kred TLD leverages the influential Kred brand, to enable us to offer our cutting edge technology products and services to individuals, brands, and industries in a clearer way than is currently possible. It will bring Kred’s online presence together into one clear channel of communication and experience, thus clearly distinguishing the company and its products from competitors.
18(b). How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
Part 2.
How do you expect that your proposed TLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
Kredʹs technology-based influence and outreach measurement products are highly sought after, thus the .kred TLD will bring clear benefits by functioning as a dedicated, trusted, easily located online space for KredTLD Pty Ltd. These services are currently offered by our parent company, PeopleBrowsr Pty Ltd., via kred.com, peoplebrowsr.com and other websites. We will license rights to those services and provide them via the new .kred TLD platform.
The .kred TLD will facilitate Kred’s economies of scale and assist in building brand awareness and loyalty. All registrations in the .kred TLD will be made and controlled by KredTLD Pty Ltd., thus effectively preventing abuse, and offering high protection to Kred’s valuable trademark and commercial reputation.
A great benefit of the .kred TLD to Internet users seeking Kred’s products and services will be the increase in trust and confidence in the legitimacy of information accessed through .kred sites.
By providing a space in which Internet users can feel confident about the legitimacy of the much-sought-after information they seek, the .kred TLD will promote awareness of and will also contribute to a broader confidence in the online community by providing Kred’s existing high level of service to a broader field of users.
The naming convention to be employed in the .kred TLD (for example, individual name.kred, brand.kred, or industry.kred) will enable online users to find the information they seek quickly and reliably while reducing confusion.
(2i) Level of Service and Reputation
KredTLD Pty Ltd. intends to be both Registry operator and the sole registrant in the .kred TLD. The .kred TLD will be used to register domain names exclusively by Kred for the purposes of promoting and selling its innovative technology-based influence and outreach measurement products and services. As the core branding and service platform for KredTLD Pty Ltd. and its affiliates, we require best-in-class registry services and have hired a highly experienced TLD operator, Neustar Inc., as our registry services provider.
Among Internet users the .kred TLD will be the official influence and outreach platform of KredTLD Pty Ltd. and its affiliates. The .kred TLD will extend, through the global DNS, Kred’s existing reputation as a leading provider of high quality influence and outreach measurement products and services. We consider that being one of the first brand TLDs is consistent with our reputation as dedicated to innovation and the maximization of the benefits of technology in our day-to-day lives.
(2ii and 2iii) Differentiation to existing TLDs, and are these differences aimed at addressing a specific need of the targeted use
An important distinction between the .kred TLD and existing TLDs is the vertical integration of our TLD Model. The .kred TLD intends to be one of the first TLDs added to the root in which domain names are not commercially available, but rather are registered and in complete control of the Registry Operator. This will bring added benefits to the DNS in terms of preventing abuse and infringement, and increasing reliability and trust. The .kred TLD will contribute to a new level of trust and confidence in Influence measurement.
Another important difference between the .kred TLD and existing TLDs is the brand-specific nature of our TLD. The .kred TLD will be one of the first TLDs added to the root in which a company’s brand and the values of that brand are clearly communicated by and through the TLD. Our valuable services can be provided in a manner that is easier for internet users to find and understand via use of the DNS.
The .kred TLD will make Kred’s influence and outreach metrics readily available to all Internet users in an intuitive and beneficial manner. Due to our exclusive registration policy and the many rights protection mechanisms described in this application, Kred intends that online users will be reasonably assured that information obtained from .kred sites is legitimate and can be trusted.
(2iv) Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Eligibility to register domain names in the .kred TLD is intended to be restricted to KredTLD Pty Ltd., in accordance with internal processes regarding domain name registration. All registrations will be owned and controlled by KredTLD Pty Ltd., though use of .kred domains may be licensed to affiliates under terms and conditions which ensure KredTLD Pty Ltd.’s ongoing control of all such domains.
Apart from reserved names listed in Specification 5 of ICANN’s draft Registry Agreement (further addressed in response to Question 22), no restrictions will be imposed on which domain names may be registered in our TLD. We envision that domain names will most commonly take the form of brand.kred, individual names.kred, and industries.kred, but other forms of names could also be utilized provided that these are consistent with the mission of our TLD as described above.
(2v) 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.
KredTLD Pty Ltd. intends for users to perceive the TLD as indicator of the trustworthiness of online information and services provided by us and our affiliates. User trust is enhanced when users are confident that they are interacting with the website and service they intend to interact with, and that their private or confidential information is securely protected. KredTLD Pty Ltd. intends to use advanced technical and policy measures to reasonably ensure the security of online transactions and communications, and to reasonably ensure that domain names in the TLD are only used for purposes authorized by us.
KredTLD Pty Ltd. intends to deploy DNSSEC and to comply with all of the other policies and practices required by ICANN in the Registry Agreement and⁄or via any Consensus Policy. KredTLD Pty Ltd. Intends to comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to Internet security and the privacy of users’ confidential information. We already employ commercially reasonable practices with respect to the security of online transactions and users’ private or confidential information in our existing Kred and PeopleBrowsr businesses.
Further policies to protect information from abuse are stated in response to Questions 26, 28, 29 and 30.
- (2vi) Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
Marketing and promotion activities on behalf of our TLD will be conducted, and targeted at Internet users. We will utilize existing communication channels to inform existing and potential clients and affiliates to the existence of our TLD as a new online means of communicating our brand message, delivering our valuable services, and creating awareness among our users and the broader internet audience.
A formal marketing campaign with the objective of generating awareness of the .kred TLD amongst internet users will be managed by our Marketing Department and include initiatives such as:
- Informing consumers of the .kred TLD through content developed for our existing web sites.
- Promotional events at PeopleBrowsr HQ to generate awareness amongst existing users
- Participation in technology product fairs including having a booth and distributing promotional products and materials. Kred Pty Ltd. already participates in these events to launch and advertise its product range, so greater awareness of the .kred TLD could be achieved simultaneously.
The awareness generated among internet users from the activities described above are critical to achievement of the goals of the .kred TLD. We plan to utilize existing relationships and marketing opportunities by which we and our affiliates promote and deliver our services today. This should efficiently and effectively generate awareness of Kred’s new online presence. Existing users who have come to know and trust Kred will become aware through those established relationships of the new space in which to interact with Kred.
18(c). What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs?
Part 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)?
What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences⁄costs imposed
upon consumers?
The TLD is intended to be the online branding and services platform for KredTLD Pty Ltd. and its affiliates. It is intended to function with leading-edge technologies and business practices, ensuring a trustworthy and positive user experience. Kred’s online infrastructure, services and marketing is intended to encourage Internet users to interact online with us and our affiliates. Precise details are set forth in answers to Questions 26, 28 and 29.
In general, KredTLD Pty Ltd. intends for users to perceive the TLD as a trustworthy and intuitive indicator of the source of Kred’s online information and services. KredTLD Pty Ltd. intends to use advanced technical and policy measures to ensure the security and reliability of online transactions and communications taking place on domains within the TLD, and to ensure that domain names in the TLD are only used for purposes authorized by Kred.
Domains within the TLD will only be used for purposes authorized by The Company. Policies to define and prevent abuse of TLD domain names will be established and enforced to ensure the integrity of users’ .kred experience and the reputation of the TLD. These policies are described in further detail in answer to Questions 28 and 29.
The TLD will provide an easily navigable and predictable domain name space. For example, geographicnames.kred for locations of KredTLD Pty Ltd.’s localized websites, industry.kred for websites related to that industry and brandname.kred for websites related to that brand. All of this will reduce user confusion when visiting KredTLD Pty Ltd’s products and services online.
(3i) How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come⁄first-serve basis?
Kred Pty Ltd. intends to be the sole registrant of all domain names in the TLD, and will decide the most appropriate use for each domain, in the interests of Internet users who wish to interact or communicate with us, our affiliates and each other. Thus, we do not expect conflicting applications for a particular domain name. Kred Pty Ltd. will maintain control over the registration and use of all domain names in the TLD to ensure a trusted and legitimate user experience for our customers, our affiliates, and the broader internet audience.
(3ii) Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g. advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
(3iii) 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.
In the interests of Internet users who wish to interact or communicate with the Company, KredTLD Pty Ltd. intends to be the sole registrant of all domains in the TLD. There will be tangible benefits to those users from simpler navigation and trustworthy interactions with KredTLD Pty Ltd. Visitors should intuitively come to know and use .kred domain names as a method for directly navigating to their intended destination. There may be less reliance on search engines, lowering consumers’ time to get where they wish to go. Visitors will have enhanced confidence that they are dealing directly with KredTLD Pty Ltd and its affiliates.
To the extent KredTLD Pty Ltd. licenses use of the domain names to affiliates, it is likely that the domain name license will be a small part of a larger relationship, and thus ‘price’ of the domain registration would be insignificant. Instead we will offer our customers and the broader Internet audience the ability to take advantage of our products and services in an easier, more intuitive and thus valuable way than is possible today. Price is further insignificant since the domains would have no value if registered or used in a manner unauthorized by KredTLD Pty Ltd.