SECTION
D – PARTS 1 AND II – GENERAL INFORMATION
AND
BUSINESS CAPABILITIES AND PLAN
D5 URL of
Registry operator’s principle world wide web site
D6 Dun and
Bradstreet D-U-N-S number (if any) of registry operator
D8 Registry
operator’s total revenue (in US dollars) in the last fiscal year.
D9 Details of
Registry operators owner, managers
II. BUSINESS CAPABILITIES AND PLAN
D12 Instructions
for Business Capabilities and plan
D13.1 Registry
Operator’s Capabilities
D13.1.2 Current Business Operations
D13.1.3 Past Business Operations
and Entity History
D13.1.4 Registry, Database,
Internet Related Experience And Activities
D13.1.5 The Mission Of The Global
Name Registry
D13.1.8 Commercial General
Liability Insurance
D13.2.1 Services To Be Provided
D13.2.5 Estimated Demand For
Registry Services In The New Tld
D13.2.7 Plans For Acquiring
Necessary Systems And Facilities
D13.2.8 Staff Size/Expansion
Capability
D13.2.14 Business Opportunities and
Risks
D13.2.15 Registry Failure
Provisions
D13.3 Pro-Forma
Financial Projections
D13.4 Supporting
Documentation
D13.4.1 Registry Operator's
Organizational Documents
[INSTRUCTION: A Registry Operator's Proposal is to be submitted as part of every new TLD application. In the case of applications for unsponsored TLDs, the registry operator will be the applicant and should prepare and submit the proposal as part of the application. In the case of applications for sponsored TLDs, the sponsoring organization (or, where the sponsoring organization has not yet been formed, organization(s) or person(s) proposing to form the sponsoring organization) will be the applicant. The sponsoring organization should select the proposed registry operator, have it prepare the Registry Operator's Proposal, and submit it as part of the application.
Please place the legend "CONFIDENTIAL" on any part of your description that you have listed in item F3.1 of your Statement of Requested Confidential Treatment of Materials Submitted.
The Registry Operator's Proposal should be separately bound (if more than one volume, please sequentially number them) and labeled: "Registry Operator's Proposal." and must cover all topics described below. This page, signed on behalf of the registry operator, should be included at the front of the Registry Operator's Proposal.]
D1 Introduction
The first section of the registry operator's proposal (after the signed copy of this page) should be a listing of the following information about the registry operator. Please key your responses to the designators (D1, D2, D3, etc.) below.
D2 Registry operator details
The full legal name, principal address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the registry operator.
The Global Name Registry, Limited
10 Fenchurch Avenue,
LONDON
EC3M 5BN
UK
Tel: +47 (0)20 7663 5600
Fax: +47 (0)20 7663 5700
Email: Icann@theglobalname.org
D3 Other business locations
The addresses and telephone and fax numbers of all other business locations of the registry operator.
The registry operator does not have any other business location than listed under D2.
D4 Type of business entity
The registry operator's type of business entity (e.g., corporation, partnership, etc.) And law (e.g., Denmark) under which it is organized.
The Global Name Registry, Ltd. is a limited liability company, incorporated under the laws of England and Wales with the company number 04076112 at the UK Companies House.
D5 URL of Registry operator’s principle world wide web site
The Global Name Registry Ltd, URL is www.theglobalname.org.
D6 Dun and Bradstreet D-U-N-S number (if any) of registry operator
The Global Name Registry, Ltd. does not have a Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S number.
D7 Number of employees
The Global Name Registry, Ltd. does not yet have any employees. However senior managers from Nameplanet.com have been seconded to The Global Name Registry, both for the preparation of this plan, and for permanent placement into GNR on successful delegation. The number currently seconded is equal to 3.
D8 Registry operator’s total revenue (in US dollars) in the last fiscal year.
The company will be set up for the purpose of running the TLD, so no operations currently exist.
D9 Details of Registry operators owner, managers
Full names and positions of (i) all directors, (ii) all officers, (iii) all relevant managers, and (iv) any persons or entities owning five percent or more of registry operator.
Hakon Haugnes and Lars Odin Mellemseter are the initial directors of The Global Name Registry, Ltd. The latter director is CEO in Nameplanet.com, Ltd. The former director is Vice President in the same company.
The Global Name Registry as yet is not operational, although, it is proposed that the following senior managers from Nameplanet.com are permanently transferred as Officers: Hakon Haughes (VP Business Development), Geir Rasmussen (Chief Technical Officer), & Dominic Chambers (Sales & Marketing VP). The non-executive directors will be Michael Dillon and Julie Meyers.
The Global Name Registry, Ltd. does not yet have any managers.
The registry operator is fully owned (100 %) by Nameplanet.com, Ltd., a limited liability company, registered in England and Wales with the company number 03895286 and with 10 Fenchurch Avenue, LONDON, EC3M 5BN, as the registered business address
D10 Contact for information
Name, telephone and fax number, and e-mail address of person to contact for additional information regarding this proposal. If there are multiple people, please list all their names, telephone and fax numbers, and email addresses and describe the areas as to which each should be contacted.
The contact point for all requests for additional information regarding this proposal from ICANN should be directed to Hakon Haugnes, as per his contact details below:
Email:
Hakon.Haugnes@theglobalname.org
Tel: +44-20-7663 5606 (Switchboard)
Fax: +44-20-7663 5700
The contact point for all requests for additional information regarding this proposal should be directed in the first instance to questions@theglobalname.org
D11 Subcontractors details
The full legal name, principal address, telephone and fax numbers, email address, and Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S number (if any) of all subcontractors identified in item D15.3 below.
IBM United Kingdom limited
PO Box 41, North Harbour
Portsmouth
Hampshire, PO6 3AU
Tel.: +44 02392 561000
Fax: +44 02392 388914
Email: david_white@uk.ibm.com. Tel.: +44(0)-7710-031042.
DUNS: Dunn & Bradstreet No.: 210151718
SourceFile
2201 Broadway, Suite 703,
Oakland, California 94612,
Tel: +1 510-419-3888
Fax: +1 510-419-3875
National tax number:943294304
Email: escrow@sourcefile.com
D12 Instructions for Business Capabilities and plan
D13.1 Registry Operator’s Capabilities
Detailed description of the registry operator's capabilities. This should describe general capabilities and activities. This description also offers the registry operator an opportunity to demonstrate the extent of its business and managerial expertise in activities relevant to the operation of the proposed registry. The following items should, at a bare minimum, be covered:
D13.1.1 Company Information
Date of formation, legal status, primary location, size of staff, formal alliances, references, corporate or other structure, ownership structure
The Global Name Registry is being established as the
operational company to apply and run a new TLD, .NAME. This company is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Nameplanet.com Ltd. The following sections, to D13.1.4
refer to the parent company Nameplanet.com Ltd:
NamePlanet.com Ltd was formed in December 1999, and is a private limited company registered both in Norway & the United Kingdom. The Head Office is in London; Norway acts as a branch office. Nameplanet.com also has representive offices in Germany (Frankfurt) & Sweden (Stockholm). The primary location is London, although the servers are located in Oslo.
The company currently has 35 employees, 26 in London, 9
in Oslo
The company has a close technical relationship with IBM
and UUNET, which provide hardware and hosting facilities
Nameplanet.com Ltd is a privately owned company, with
the shares almost evenly between investors and founders or employees. The
actual split is shown below:
|
Shareholder |
%
Ownership |
|
Founders |
34.7% |
|
Four
Seasons Venture |
16.5% |
|
Carlyle Internet Partners |
20.4% |
|
Venture
Partners |
16.5% |
|
Others |
11.9% |
|
Total |
100% |
Ownership of Nameplanet.com
D13.1.2 Current Business Operations
Core capabilities, services offered, products offered, duration of provision of services and products.
NamePlanet.com became fully operational in February 2000, and since then has experienced exceptional growth, with over 650,000 users now registered to the service around the World.
The Nameplanet.com vision is to enable as many people as possible with the same last to share a domain name. Nameplanet.com effectively buys 'cyber real estate' in the form of domain names and then build virtual skyscrapers renting out the floors to individuals in cyberspace. Nameplanet.com aims to build a web-based personal communications service built around a community of individuals with the unique benefit of having their own name as their Internet address.
Nameplanet.com is a "full service" company with capabilities in the following key areas:
Marketing
Although Nameplanet.com commenced operations in Norway, it has since relocated to London and developed an international marketing capability. Marketing is currently focused on the four key markets: Norway, Sweden, UK and Germany. PR is the primary channel being used to generate awareness and consumer understanding of what Nameplanet.com offers, PR via an experienced PR manager is managed through one the world's largest consultancies, Burson Marsteller.
In addition to PR, Nameplanet.com has made extensive use of affiliate programmes in the USA and Europe to cost effectively attract new users to the site. Nameplanet.com currently has total base of 500 affiliates delivering 25,000 new users per month.
The targeted use of banner campaigns has been used to raise awareness, improve image, and recruit users. These campaigns are constantly monitored, and have been used in most European countries.
Nameplanet.com has a clear identity that uses an iconic "thumb print" device that is intended to communicate that Nameplanet.com will allow consumers to have their personal ID on the web. Nameplanet.com has used both qualitative and quantitative research surveys to improve consumer insight within the company, in order to develop services that match the needs of our consumers. In addition we have a very active support service that handles incoming suggestions from users.
In summary the marketing efforts of Nameplanet.com have in a very short space of time developed a brand that is the 3rd best known web mail provider in Norway (Source: Nettavisen). It has also managed to attract 650,000 users with a relatively small marketing budget, by creative use of PR and a valuable viral effect that drives forward the recruitment of new users.
Sales
Nameplanet.com uses both a direct sales force, two banner networks, and a dynamic opt-in email partner to maximise revenues from some 18 million page impressions a month.
The direct sales force of 6 is based out of Oslo, managed by a highly experienced sales manger (from the Norwegian telecom operator, Telenor). The company is currently developing direct sales in the 3 Scandinavian markets, and relying on banner networks for the rest of the world.
Content including Product & Service provision
Nameplanet.com has a very active product development department that is following a programme of continually improving the Nameplanet.com offer.
Existing Products and Services
Web Mail (introduced February 2000)
The primary offering is a web-mail service. This offers consumers a comprehensive free email service that can be accessed anywhere in the world from the WWW. The service includes address book, 5mb disk space, folders, sender block option and other features.
Personal Web Address (introduced September 2000)
Nameplanet.com is offering the world’s first free personal web address service, this allows users to convert their current Nameplanet.com email address (e.g. David@Wellings.com) to a web address www.David.Wellings.com. An opportunity is also given for users to click to partner sites where web home pages can be created and hosted.
WAP Service (introduced May 2000)
Users can access their web mail by using their WAP mobile phone. This allows users to send as well as receive messages, and is free to users, (although normal phone charges apply).
E Cards (introduced September 2000)
Users can also send e cards, this allows them to send humorous or occasion based cards to friends and family from their Nameplanet.com email.
Future Services (October-November 2000)
Nameplanet.com intends to introduce a number of new features in the near futures, including, POP 3 access and additional storage (paid for), voice mail, and free IP calls to North America, instant messaging and chat.
Finance & Administration
Nameplanet.com has a full service financial and accounting department, providing financial and management accounts for both operational territories (Norway & UK). There is also an arrangement in place with Worldpay.com to accept consumer payment via credit cards for premium services. In addition Nameplanet.com have a legal counsel providing in-house advice, and executing commercial contracts with suppliers, partners, and customers.
Domains
Nameplanet.com has an unrivalled knowledge and capability with domain management and use.
The company has the world’s largest number of personal domains and has developed a bespoke database management system to ensure it has sufficient coverage of names amongst the population.
Technical
Nameplanet.com:
Has successfully acquired 700,000 users after 8 months of operations, who are all using a personal domain name to solve a web-mail and web-page solution which has fully developed and operated in-house;
Is currently operating a 2.3 Terabyte ESS backend system, and a high availability active-active failover front-end system designed to scale to millions of users;
Encrypts private information in real-time;
Operates currently a system handling more than 90 transactions per second;
Has extensive experience with backup, which is taken daily and transported offsite;
Has extensive experience with running DNS, since the company is handling the full DNS service for the personal domains of all 700,000 users;
Has entered into a strategic partnership with IBM and minimised variations in equipment used;
Has ensured 99.85% uptime since the service was launched February 1.
D13.1.3 Past Business Operations and Entity History
History, date of formation, legal status, type of entity, initial services, duration of provision of services and products.
As stated in D13.1.2 Nameplanet.com was established in December 1999 as a new venture providing personal domain web mail. No previous business operations existed.
D13.1.4 Registry, Database, Internet Related Experience And Activities
Registry and DNS experience
Nameplanet.com has, as its core proposition to end users, the free usage of a domain name that corresponds to the user's personal name for email and web page purposes. To be able to offer this service, Nameplanet.com has acquired extensive statistics about the most common last names in the world, for each of the countries in which the service is launched. A large number of domain names identical to the most common last names have then been purchased on different TLDs to be shared among different users, each using it for free. The result is that domain names are being shared among people with equal interests, i.e. Ken Williams and Sven Williams can both use the domain name Williams for their personal purpose, instead of it being held by one user only.
To keep track of domain names covering the last names of over 210 million people in the US alone, and the DNS functionality of hundreds of thousands of domain names, Nameplanet.com has developed a custom database for administering the DNS servers, renewals, MX records etc. This database makes Nameplanet.com confident that all possible actions are taken to ensure a stable operation of the domain names that the end users rely on. Large efforts have been deployed to ensure that all DNS updates, maintenance and transfers of data to DNS servers are done securely and without loss of function.
Nameplanet.com has through the operations in the DNS space secured knowledge and contacts within the arena, both through commercial relationships with several registrars, ccTLD managers, and ICANN-ccTLD relationships. Participation in the ICANN Board meetings have also given insight into the policies and operations of the DNS community.
Internet experience, database operations, IP rights and data protection
The users of Nameplanet.com register on-line and immediately get assigned an address of the type firstname@lastname.com and a web page www.firstname.lastname.com, or other TLDs where the .COM version has not been available. Nameplanet.com has developed fully in-house a custom object-oriented database for the web mail users, and has ensured 99.9% uptime since launch in February 2000. This custom database currently runs with more than 70 transactions per second, and can do tens of thousands of email account and web page account registrations per day. The high-performance web-servers and storage solutions scale to millions of users, and is able to handle increasing data volumes.
By currently operating a web mail solution for 700,000 people, Nameplanet.com has taken extreme precautions in ensuring user privacy, both technically and legally, in terms of storage, encryption, backup, protection and IP rights in various jurisdictions.
Nameplanet.com has recent experience of managing intellectual property rights with regards to domain names, dealing with conflicts that have arisen between people and businesses with the same last name domain name. This expertise applies to the UDRP as well as national IP law of the US and EU countries.
D13.1.5 The Mission Of The Global Name Registry
VIsion
The need for a global personal naming solution transcends the barriers of nation and language. Our enduring commitment to promote individuality and the right to self-expression will create the opportunity for all people in the digital society to own their own names independent of commercial connotations.
What This Means
For some hundreds of millions of people access to computers and the Internet has brought a previously unimaginable enlargement of perspective. In these countries the number online will inexorably grow, certainly passing the 350 million mark before the end of the 2000, and likely to reach 750 million by 2003.
As the people of world come on line - so the demand for domain names will also grow-from 28 million today to over 300 million by the end of 2003 (Source: Network Solutions Predictions - www.dotcom.com).
But the Global Name Registry is about more than allowing an individual his or her own digital identity. It is ultimately about what, with that identity, an individual can achieve.
We believe that individuals everywhere should have the opportunity to participate in the digital society and that a prerequisite to digital citizenship is a fair personal naming solution that puts the individual in control of how he or she is represented and contacted.
Our approach to achieving these ambitious goals is inherently rooted in another aspect of the culture of cyberland: its essentially decentralized spirit. Taking the evolution of the Net and the Web as models, the Global Name Registry sees its role as catalysing the development of a web of initiatives. We imagine that most of these will be local initiatives, though some will be global; many will be grassroots actions, though some may be actions by governments or international organizations.
Functions
What the Global Name Registry can do to help will be even more varied. Our primary objectives will be in three key areas:
To provide a top level domain that is reserved for the exclusive use of individuals not commercial organisations;
To allow only the 3rd level domain to be registered, so allowing a much better control and space allocation of the domain space;
To provide services to ICAAN and the registrars which enable them to sell .NAME;
To encourage competition amongst registrars and resellers to drive acceptance of .NAME in their marketplace.
On a less material level, the Global Name Registry will serve to distribute ideas, to facilitate the creation of networks and, will act intellectually as a spearhead of new ideas honed to protect and promote the creative use of Personal Domain Space.
D13.1.6 Management
Qualifications and experience of financial and business officers and other relevant employees. Please address/include past experience, resumes, references, biographies.
The Global Names Registry (GNR) currently has three employees seconded to it: Hakon Haugnes, Georg Panzer, and Dominic Chambers. In addition two further employees: Ken Trotter and Geir Rasmussen have been identified as the initial officers of GNR.
The recruitment plan in section D13.2.8 describes how additional human resources will be acquired through recruiting. GNR will, from the moment of delegation, extract key competences from the mother company. In addition it will recruit new employees and management and give them proper training to ensure safe and stable operations of the Registry.
The management that is already for the initial phase is:
GNR management CV’s
Dominic Chambers |
|
VP Sales and Marketing |
Born
|
1965 |
London |
Work |
2000 |
Nameplanet.com, Global Head of Sales & Marketing |
|
|
1999-2000 |
Warner Home Video (UK & Ireland), Marketing Director reporting to Managing Director |
|
|
1988-1998 |
Seagram: Marketing Director. Overall responsibility for Seagram's malt portfolio with particular focus in North America |
Education |
1993 |
Kingston University, MBA (Part One) |
|
|
1984-1988 |
University of Lancaster, BSc (Hons) 2:1 in Management Science |
|
Languages |
|
English |
Geir Rasmussen |
|
CTO |
|
Geir Rasmussen is one of the co-founders of Nameplanet.com and has been CTO for Nameplanet.com since launch of its services. Geir has successfully managed the in-house development of the system which today serves 700,000 users and has had 99.86% uptime since it was first opened for traffic, including external backbone downtime. Being overall responsible for the design, stability and security of the system, Geir has ensured that Nameplanet.com now has a system that both in hardware and software is scalable to millions of users. Geir will be dedicated to the task of ensuring a fully stable and secure system for registrations and will recruit the appropriate people to develop and maintain the necessary environment and operational conditions for the system. |
||
Ken Trotter |
|
Financial Controller |
Born
|
1957 |
Britain |
Work |
2000 |
Nameplanet.Com Limited, Financial Controller |
|
|
1999 -00 |
Nexpress Solutions Limited, Business Director |
|
|
1999 - 00 |
Alfred McAlpine Plant Limited, Finance Manager |
|
|
1993 - 97 |
Virgin Aerostations / Virgin Airship & Balloon Co |
|
|
1990 - 93 |
The Charndown Company Limited, Finance Director |
|
|
1986 - 90 |
GEC Traffic Automation Limited, Finance Director |
|
|
1982 - 85 |
Cyfas Systems Limited, Financial Controller |
|
|
1978 - 82 |
DOW Chemical Company Limited, UK Management Accountant |
|
|
1973 - 77 |
TI Churchill Limited, Trainee Accountant |
|
Qualifications |
|
ACMA |
Hakon Haugnes |
|
VP Business Development |
Born
|
1975 |
Norway |
Work |
1999-2000 |
Cofounder of Nameplanet.com, successfully built the
whole domain name infrastructure on which Nameplanet.com is operating,
including commercial relationships, financing and technical system
design. Project Manager for the new
TLD .name ICANN application. |
|
|
1999 |
The Norwegian Defence HQ, re-evaluating the
Norwegian defence IT-project portfolio and reworking the IT-strategy in
Project "Focus". |
|
|
1998 |
Alcatel Telecom Norway, Business developement on
WAP, Screenphone and mobile Internet.
Wrote a final thesis in Engineering studies on the porting of CTI
services and Internet synergies on to mobile terminals. Obtained top ranking
A. |
Education |
1996-1998 |
3rd to 5th year of Institute for Cybernetics,
Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTNU). Specialisation in technology
management and technology business administration. Graduated with top
ranking, average 1.7/1. |
|
|
1994-1996 |
Classes Préparatoires at INSA, France. This was a preparation course. Graduated among top 2%. |
|
Languages |
|
French (fluent), English (fluent), Norwegian
(fluent), German (reading skills), Spanish (conversational skills) |
Georg Panzer |
|
Legal Counsel |
Born
|
1970 |
Norway |
Work |
2000 |
General counsel, Nameplanet.com Ltd., London |
|
|
1997-2000 |
Attorney
at Advokatfirmaet Steenstrup Stordrange DA, Oslo. Lead counsel in several Norwegian litigations, involving
ISP and competition Law. |
Education |
1997 |
Law degree from the University of Oslo. Cand.jur (1st
class). Stays at the Universities of
Amsterdam, Cambridge, and Vienna |
|
|
1999 |
Lecturer in law at the Norwegian Bar Association and the Norwegian Patent and Trademark Office and other institutions. |
|
Languages |
|
German
(fluent), English (fluent), Norwegian (fluent) |
Michael Dillon |
|
Non-Executive Director |
|
Internet user since 1991 and a participant in the Internet Service Provider industry since 1994, Michael Dillon’s knowledge of Internet infrastructure, operations and Internet networking technology including security is unusually comprehensive. For two years, from mid-1997 through mid 1999, he was Senior Contributing Columnist for Internet world magazine writing a weekly column as their Internet infrastructure expert. He has also written for Boardwatch and other publications. In the recent years he has worked with many companies including Global Telesystems Ltd, ISP Ltd, Prince Rupert Citytel Internet, Priori Networks Inc, and Okanagan Internet Junction. |
||
Julie Meyer |
|
Non-Executive Director |
|
Julie Meyers is Chief Marketing Officer and Head of International Affairs at FirstTuesday.Com. Julie launched First Tuesday in 17 cities on September 7th 1999, and has managed the growth to 80+ cities worldwide with a UK staff of 40. She was an Assistant Director at NewMedia Investors (1998/9), where she assisted lastminute.com, WGSN.com and ARCCores in raising expansion and development capital. She is still on the Advisory Board of NewMedia Investors and additionally, Lago Partners, BrightStation, Holtron, iWorldGroup and Global Start-up. Previously, Meyer worked with Andy Cunningham, Cunningham.com where she managed the Motorola PC Marketing Communication program in 1995 and 1996. Julie consulted to Hewlett Packard, 3Com, the OECD and other technology companies in Paris from 1998 to 1993. She has an INSEAD MBA (Dec'97) and a BA and Honors degree from Valparaiso University (1988): Ernst & Young London Entrepreneur of the Year Award - June 2000. Received "Supporter of Entrepreneurship" in recognition of her ingenuity in bringing internet entrepreneurs and investors together through a series of networking events. Management Today - April 2000. Britain's Most Powerful Women. Julie Meyer, straight into the list for at No.17. "US-born INSEAD graduate Meyer has become a leading voice of e-business in Britain since founding First Tuesday, bringing investors and e-trepreneurs together." Silicon.com Agenda Setters 2000 - Voted number 30 in a list of Top 50 Industry Agenda setters Forbes magazine - 30 Dec'99. Highlighted as one of eight people in the technology industry to watch as a trailblazer in 2000. Julie Meyer, "The co-founder of First Tuesday is bringing the spirit of American venture capitalism to Europe's new breed of Internet startups." |
||
D13.1.7 Staff
Current staff size, demonstrated ability to expand employee base, hiring policy, employee training, space for additional staff.
(This section is also elaborated upon in point D13.2.8)
The Global Name Registry LTD was established for the purpose of operating a potential new top-level domain as delegated by ICANN. GNR will be fully supported in the initial period by the parent company Nameplanet.com Ltd. Due to being a new company entirely dedicated to its purpose, the Registry can become independent of other entities and optimally operate the new top-level domain and ensure a competitive regime for registrations.
The Global Name Registry currently has three seconded employees from Nameplanet.com Ltd in-place, with others identified should the application go forward.(See D13.1.6.)
The parent company, Nameplanet.com, has in 8 months successfully expanded to 35 employees and has divided into two offices in two countries. At the same time, the company has ensured a stable and secure service for its userbase, which has been growing at 5% a week, reaching 700,000 after eight months of operation. Throughout this growth, the company has successfully managed to secure and recruit key personnel in technical, marketing, finance and management areas.
Employees and management not taken from Nameplanet.com will be recruited by recruitment agencies. The hiring policy and recruitment is described in detail in D13.2.8.
The company will set aside 2% of turnover for staff training and will comply with the most recent employment legislation in the E.U.
Space for additional staff
Provision has been made within the Nameplanet.com offices to accommodate all the initial staff of GNR. The office space, in central London, is an attractive location for new employees. The office space available to GNR will be scalable and allow expansion for both companies.
Hiring Policy
GNR will have a comprehensive HR policy, in step with the most recent EU legislation.
GNR will make use of professional recruitment agencies. The agencies will receive a written brief, and a set procedure will be set up in-house to ensure that there is consistency in evaluation;
GNR will operate an equal opportunities hiring policy in line with current US and EU legislation;
All new employees will be offered share options in the new organization.
Employee training
The company will have a progressive policy towards staff training. It will dedicate 2% of revenue for the purpose of individual and team training;
A senior employee in Sales and Marketing will be designated as a champion for staff training.
D13.1.8 Commercial General Liability Insurance
Address/include amount of insurance policy, provider of policy, plans for obtaining additional insurance.
Insurance will be taken out covering the following:
Negligence or breach of contractual duty to use reasonable care and skill;
Negligent misstatement or misrepresentation;
Breach of copyright or intellectual property rights;
Defamation;
Breach of confidentiality;
Dishonesty and malice of partners, directors or employees;
The costs and expenses of investigating, settling and defending a claim;
Web site damages;
Damage to computer network ;
Director and officer liability against personal liability.
We have a quote on the above from AIG Europe (UK) Ltd and Hiscox Insurance Company Ltd through our insurance broker:
Lark Insurance Group
Wigham House
Wakering Road, Barking
Essex, IG11 8PJ
UK
D13.2 Business Plan
Business plan for the proposed registry operations. This section should present a comprehensive business plan for the proposed registry operations. In addition to providing basic information concerning the viability of the proposed operations, this section offers the registry operator an opportunity to demonstrate that it has carefully analysed the financial and operations aspects of the proposal.
D13.2.1 Services To Be Provided
(See E9 for Policies in respect to Services to be Provided)
New registrations
The Registry will enter new domain names into the database on request from any Registrar. The registrations will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and will in case of high, simultaneous demand be served in a round-robin order, with queuing allowed for each Registrar.
The Registrar will hold a prepaid account with the Registry that will be debited monthly with applicable fees for processed registrations. The application software and database management systems will not accept registrations from a Registrar for whom pre-paid amounts have been exceeded. The system is designed to avoid unpaid registrations and cancellations, which would make the DNS unstable and create the potential for unsatisfied users.
Registrations will be on third level only. Any combination of more than one (1) letter, with the exception of the prohibited list (see E5.2) will be accepted as valid. The destination DNS server will be selected by the Registrant.
Registrars will hold all personal information as it relates to the Registrant. The end-user information that will be held is described in E4.1.7. The Registry does not demand such information for the registration process.
New registrations will be inserted into the DNS continuously after which the propagation time will determine when the domain becomes active.
Transfers between Registrars
A registrant is free to change Registrar at any time. The policy in respect to transfers is described in E4.1.8
Accreditation of non-ICANN accredited Registrars
Only ICANN accredited Registrars will be eligible as GNR Registrars.
Registry interface client software
Registrars will be free to use the current Registry-Registrar software as implemented by Network Solutions and the alterations to interface with GNR system will be minimal.
Further, an enhanced software for connection to the GNR Registry will be made available to Registrars free of charge, along with a password, Registrar ID, protocol implementation and API. It is encouraged that the Registrar also uses a Virtual Private Network (VPN) interface encryption card to ensure secure communication between the Registrar and the Registry. There also will be an automated string notification system and a registry search (see E1.4.7 WHOIS).
DNS services
The second level DNS will be operated and controlled by the Registry.
Third level DNS records will point to DNS servers as set by the Registrant.
WHOIS service
The WHOIS service is described in D15.2.8 and in E1.4.7.
Renewals
Initial registration will record an expiration date and time in the database. It is the Registrar's responsibility to notify users of expiration, although reports can be generated by the Registrars at any time to determine expiration dates for any given domain.
Registrars are able to renew a domain in the same mechanism in which they were able to register the name. Renewals will be allowed up to the maximum term as described in E4.
Accounting information
The Registrars will have access to a special page where information about their domains can be extracted. Reports are generated and content is updated daily from the Registry database. The information given is typically number of registrations, listings of registrations, nameservers, billing and account information (remaining credit, billing information to Registrar, contact information, etc.), expiration dates and modification dates of domains.
Registry web
The Registry will have web pages with public, common access. The pages will describe the Registry, give our public statistics, contact information, WHOIS information, etc.
The web page for GNR is www.theglobalname.org
Registry-Registrar interface set-up assistance, if needed
The Registry can assist new, ICANN accredited registrars to set up the Registry interface through consultancy support, installation of software, web integration and testing.
Dispute Resolution
The Registry policy for handling disputes is described in E6.
D13.2.2 Revenue Model
A full description of the revenue model, including rates to be charged for various services.
The revenue model is based on several primary sources:
New registration
Renewal registrations
There are other ancillary revenue sources, which are incidental to the total revenue for the Registry:
Domain transfer fees
Registration fees
Registrar renewal fees
Registry interface set-up assistance
Registry interface client software
Descriptions of the revenue model for each of the services and the rates charged are included in the sections below. For a detailed description of the revenue associated with each of the above items refer to D13.2.12.
D13.2.2.1 NEW REGISTRATION FEES
For each new registration, a fee is charged to the registrant, via the Registrar. The fee for each registration is based on the pricing assumption shown in the chart below. All registration fees are payable annually in advance at the time of registration or renewal. The price varies over time based on the assumed demand for new registrations as detailed in D13.2.5. The prices specified above, are for a one year registration.
These price changes are driven by the rate of new registrations in combination with the rate at which existing registrations are renewed to determine the total number of active registrations held on the Registry. For further details on the assumptions of the rate at which registered domains are renewed, please refer to D13.2.12.2. The price charged to the Registrar can be reduced over time as the cost of operating the Registry is relatively insensitive to the total number of registrations on the Registry. The greater the number of new registrations and subsequent renewals, the lower the price can be driven due to the cost of the Registry being spread over a larger number of registrations. For further details on the costs of the Registry, refer to D13.2.11.
D13.2.2.2 REGISTRATION RENEWAL FEES
At the end of the initial registration period, assumed to be one year, the Registrant will need to renew their registration to continue their right to the domain. It is possible that some Registrars may offer alternative (longer) initial registration periods, although for the purposes of the revenue model, all registrations are assumed to be for one year, as this would provide a more conservative maximum cash requirement assumption.
The renewal price will be the price then prevailing as published by the
Registry, assumed to be based on the pricing structure shown below, subject to
the assumptions on demand and registration renewals. The renewal fee is payable annually in advance of the original
registration.
The pricing forecast
D13.2.2.3 DOMAIN TRANSFER CHARGES
The need to provide a service for registrants to transfer their registration from one Registrar to another, or from themselves as owner to another owner is a service that any Registry would be required to provide. A fixed fee of USD $5 is made for this service to update the Registry database, which is charged to the Registrar. For details of the revenue this generates, refer to D13.2.12.
D13.2.2.4 REGISTRAR REGISTRATION FEE
The primary channel to market is through the Registrar. Therefore, it is crucial that they are able to become a Registrar for the Registry with the minimum of barriers (on the assumption that they do meet the necessary assessment criteria for approval).
To meet this objective, for ICANN approved Registrars, no fee will be charged by the Registry. This also assumes that they will not require any support to implement the Registry-Registrar interface, nor elect to implement the revised communication protocol being developed by GNR.
If Registrars are subject to registration fees, the cost of accessing a number of TLD's would quickly become prohibitive for many.
D13.2.2.5 REGISTRAR RENEWAL FEE
For the purposes of determining the operational effectiveness of GNR, it has been assumed that no revenue would be generated from the Registrars for the total term of the financial projections. This includes both initial registration charges and subsequent renewal fees.
D13.2.2.6 ANCILLARY FEES
For the purposes of financial projections, GNR has assumed nil revenue from ancillary fees. However, it is recognised that some Registrars will require support in establishing their Registry-Registrar interface systems, and that it would be inappropriate for GNR to subsidise these Registrars at the expense of others. Therefore a fee will be charged at cost, but it is not anticipated that this would in any way either contribute to earnings or revenue to any significant level.
Likewise, those Registrars wishing to implement GNR's interface software would be expected to make a contribution to the cost of providing the software, probably in the region of USD $5,000 per annum. However, as this is also never intended to represent anything more than a cost recovery process, this has been assumed for financial planning purposes to have nil contribution.
D13.2.3 Market Definitions
D13.2.3.1 MARKET OVERVIEW
The Internet domains market has seen an extraordinary rise over the last two years, growing at 64% a quarter on average (Source: Network Solutions). To many consumers the words "dot com" are seen as the definitive Internet tagline, with aspirational connotations to the boom years at the turn of the 21st Century in the United States.
As the Internet continues to grow and consumer experience increases, understanding of domains, the online real estate, will improve. In the USA, with over 50% (source: NUA) of the population online, only about 1% (source: Network Solutions) of people have a personal domain, and even fewer have a personal or family home page. Domestic Internet usage is set torapidly increase over the coming months. This phenomenon is driven both by a better commercial provision of domain names since the end of Network Solutions' monopoly as a registrar, and consumers wanting to have an identity on the web. The widespread use of individual home pages has the potential to enhance communication by providing a platform for a vast range of consumer applications.
It is considered that the introduction of a global personal TLD will provide many ISPs with a global brand