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Two-Character Letter/Letter Label Comments and Mitigation Measures

As of 13 December 2016, this page is no longer active. Please visit here for more information.

For comments submitted before 6 October 2015, view the archive of comments received.

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TLD  Two
Characters  		Comments from GovernmentLast
updated  		RO Mitigation PlanRO NameBRAND TLD
legalruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation
View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
lgbtruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

lgbt Mitigation

By Afilias

Afilias has reviewed the comments submitted for the release of certain 2 character labels. We have taken these comments into consideration and will will continue to block the respective labels at the second level until further notice to avoid confusion.


2016-04-20

AfiliasNo
liferuView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

life Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
lightingruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

lighting Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
likeruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

like Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Proposed Release of 2-Character Letter-Letter Combinations in .AUTHOR, .BOT, .BUY, .CALL, .CIRCLE, .COUPON, .DEAL, .FAST, .GOT, .HOT, .JOT, .JOY, .LIKE, .MOI, .NOW, .PAY, .PIN, .READ, .ROOM, .SAFE, .SECURE, .SAVE, .SMILE, .SONG, .SPOT, .TALK, .TUNES, .TUSHU, .WANGGOU, and .xn--rovu88b.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the TLDs listed above (“the TLDs”), proposes release of the following 2-character letter-letter combinations: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, and tw. ARSI further proposes the following measures to avoid confusion with the corresponding country codes.

ARSI will commit to:
1. Investigate in a timely manner a report by the government of the country, state, or territory for which a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above (ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, or tw) corresponds to its country code, that:
a. the use in any of the TLDs of a domain name consisting of a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above; and
b. corresponds to that government’s country code; and
c. implies or represents that it is, or has the approval of, such government; and
2. Where, in ARSI’s sole opinion, such use has occurred, ARSI, in its sole discretion:
a. will seek to work indirectly with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address such use, or
b. may cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS; and
3. Provide a written response within a commercially reasonable time period.

ARSI’s Acceptable Use Policy for the TLDs will require registrants of a domain name in each of the TLDs to ensure that their use of a 2-character letter-letter combination does not imply or represent that it is, or has the approval of, any government. ARSI will reserve the right to cancel, lock, place on hold, transfer or delete the domain name in accordance with our commitment above.


2016-04-25

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. No
limitedruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

limited Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
limoruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

limo Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
linderuView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

linde Mitigation

By Linde Aktiengesellschaft

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:
Linde Aktiengesellschaft has applied for .LINDE to run a closed .brand environment.

Protections
Linde Aktiengesellschaft for the .LINDE TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that the Linde Aktiengesellschaft will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:
1. .LINDE is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .LINDE is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .LINDE TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .LINDE that requires that all domain names in the .LINDE TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .LINDE TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .LINDE TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .LINDE TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .LINDE TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Linde Aktiengesellschaft, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator.
By this letter Linde Aktiengesellschaft confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-25

Linde AktiengesellschaftYes
linkruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
liveruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

live Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
loanruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

loan Mitigation

By Famous Four Media Limited

By Famous Four media Limited.

Registry Operator understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to avoid such confusion is willing to offer the following:

1. Registry Operator will commit to:

a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from any relevant governments, and provide a written report in response; and

b. where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS.

2. Registry Operator will enforce the terms of its Acceptable Use and Take down Policy against Registrants.

3. Should a Registrant fail to comply with the Acceptable Use and Take down Policy, the domain names may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted. Thus, all Registrants in the TLDs, including ourselves, have an obligation to avoid confusion with two letter country codes and we have clear penalties for any failure to do so.


2016-04-25

Famous Four Media LimitedNo
loansruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

loans Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
lolruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
londonruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
lotteruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

lotte Mitigation

By Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd.

.lotte 2 Letter Codes Mitigation Plan

To address the confusion concerns cited by governments regarding the use of the second-level domains in the .lotte TLD, Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. will implement a closed registration policy for .lotte that mitigates the potential confusion. To these ends, Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. commits to the following:

・Developing and implementing a closed registration policy for .lotte that requires that all domains name in the TLD be registered and used by Lotte Holding Co., Ltd., its affiliates, or its trademark licensees;

・Clearly publishing this registration policy on Registry Operator`s homepage for the .lotte TLD at “nic.lotte”.

・Referring to this registration policy in registry Operator`s Registry-Registrar Agreement with all appointed preferred registrars for the .lotte TLD.

・Enforcing of this registration policy and ensuring continued compliance, including through annual recertification of .lotte`s qualification for Specification 13; and

・Using all domain names in the .lotte TLD in association with Lotte`s brand products, and services.

This publicly available registration and usage policy would prevent Governments from registering domains in the .lotte TLD. It would therefore clearly designate to the public that .lotte was a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD were being operated by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. and not governments.


2016-04-25

Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd.Yes
lottoruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

lotto Mitigation

By Afilias

Afilias has reviewed the comments submitted for the release of certain 2 character labels. We have taken these comments into consideration and will will continue to block the respective labels at the second level until further notice to avoid confusion.


2016-04-20

AfiliasNo
luxeruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

luxe Mitigation

By Minds + Machines Group Limited, Bayern Connect GmbH, Minds + Machines GmbH

Registry Operator understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to mitigate such concern is willing to commit to:
a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from any relevant government and provide a written report in response; and
b. where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, registry operator will seek to work indirectly with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address the misuse.
c. In the event that misuse continues to occur, the Registry Operator may, in its sole discretion, undertake direct action up to and including suspension or deletion of the domain name.


2016-04-22

Minds + Machines Group Limited, Bayern Connect GmbH, Minds + Machines GmbHNo
luxuryruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
maisonruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

maison Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
manruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

man Mitigation

By MAN SE

.man is a closed Brand TLD for the sole and exclusive use of MAN SE.

Protections
MAN SE (Registry Operator) for the .man TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that the Registry Operator will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

.man is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
.man is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
Registry Operator has developed and implemented a closed registration policy for .man that requires that all domain names in the .man TLD be registered only by MAN SE, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees.

As required under the Registry Agreement, the Registry Operator published this registration policy on its website.

Registry Operator will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the Registry Operator from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .man TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by the Registry Operator, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the governments or the corresponding country code operators.

By this text MAN SE confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-21

MAN SEYes
managementruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

management Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
marketruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

market Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
marketingruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

marketing Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
marketsruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

markets Mitigation

By dotBroker Registry, dotCFD Registry, dotForex Registry, dotMarkets Registry, dotSpreadbetting Registry, dotTrading Registry [collectively, the "Boston Ivy Registry"]

Please find attached a document which outlines the Registry's plans to avoid confusion in respect of the below TLDs:

.Markets
.Trading
.Forex
.Broker
.Spreadbetting
.CFD


View Documents
2016-04-21

dotBroker Registry, dotCFD Registry, dotForex Registry, dotMarkets Registry, dotSpreadbetting Registry, dotTrading Registry [collectively, the "Boston Ivy Registry"]No
marriottruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

marriott Mitigation

By Marriott Worldwide Corporation

Marriott Worldwide Corporation, the Registry Operator for the .MARRIOTT gTLD, has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Marriott Worldwide Corporation will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

1. .MARRIOTT is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .MARRIOTT is not a Generic String, as the term is defined in Specification 11 of the Registry Agreement;
3. Marriott Worldwide Corporation has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .MARRIOTT that requires that all domain names in the .MARRIOTT gTLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, Marriott Worldwide Corporation submitted this policy as part of its application for Specification 13 and has clearly published this registration policy; and
5. .MARRIOTT will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13, as required by the Registry Agreement.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .MARRIOTT gTLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designates to the public that the .MARRIOTT gTLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the gTLD are being operated by Marriott Worldwide Corporation, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not any government or corresponding country-code TLD operator.

With this submission, Marriott Worldwide Corporation confirms that all registrations of two-letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-20

Marriott Worldwide CorporationYes
mbaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

mba Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
mediaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

media Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
meetruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

meet Mitigation

By Charleston Road Registry Inc. (d/b/a Google Registry)

Please find attached Google Registry's proposed mechanisms to avoid confusion between the use of two-letter labels in its top level domains and the corresponding country codes.


View Documents
2016-04-22

Charleston Road Registry Inc. (d/b/a Google Registry)No
melbourneruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

melbourne Mitigation

By The Crown in right of the State of Victoria, represented by its Department of State Development, Business and Innovation

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion

A brief explanation of the TLD:

.melbourne is a geographic TLD for the city of Melbourne, Australia and the the State Government of Victoria is the designated ‘Registry Operator’. While .melbourne is an open TLD, registration of domain names is limited to Victorian residents and businesses, and other entities with an interest in the state of Victoria, Australia as described in the Registration Policy.

The proposed protections to avoid confusion with country codes at the second level outlined below specifically apply to: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, hk, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, and tw

Protections

Registry Operator understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to avoid such confusion is willing to offer the following:
1. Registry Operator will commit to:
a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from the government of a related country code, and provide a written report in response; and
b. where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS.

Furthermore, contained within our Acceptable Use Policy for the .melbourne TLD is the following text:
“…The Registrant of a domain name, as recorded in the Registry Service, will be responsible for:
a. the use of their domain name;
b. ensuring that the use of the domain name, where that domain name is a two letter Label that corresponds to a country code described in the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard, avoids confusion with the corresponding country code;…”

Should a Registrant fail to comply with the Acceptable Use Policy, the domain name may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted. Thus all Registrants in the TLDs, have an obligation to avoid confusion with two letter country codes and we have clear penalties for any failure to do so.


2016-03-31

 The Crown in right of the State of Victoria, represented by its Department of State Development, Business and InnovationNo
memorialruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

memorial Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
menuruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
miamiruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

miami Mitigation

By Minds + Machines Group Limited, Bayern Connect GmbH, Minds + Machines GmbH

Registry Operator understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to mitigate such concern is willing to commit to:
a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from any relevant government and provide a written report in response; and
b. where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, registry operator will seek to work indirectly with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address the misuse.
c. In the event that misuse continues to occur, the Registry Operator may, in its sole discretion, undertake direct action up to and including suspension or deletion of the domain name.


2016-04-22

Minds + Machines Group Limited, Bayern Connect GmbH, Minds + Machines GmbHNo
microsoftruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

microsoft Mitigation

By Microsoft Corporation

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion—Brand TLD (Specification 13)

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:

.MICROSOFT TLD is a closed Brand new gTLD operated by Microsoft Corporation

Protections:

Microsoft Corporation for the .MICROSOFT TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Microsoft Corporation will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

1. .MICROSOFT is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .MICROSOFT is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .MICROSOFT TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .MICROSOFT that requires that all domain names in the .MICROSOFT TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .MICROSOFT TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .MICROSOFT TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .MICROSOFT TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .MICROSOFT TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Microsoft Corporation, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator. By this Microsoft Corporation confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-05

Microsoft CorporationYes
miniruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

mini Mitigation

By Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft

Please find Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft's "Mitigation Measures to Avoid Confusion" (concerning 2-letter labels in general) for the “.MINI” and the ."BMW" TLDs attached.


View Documents
2016-04-23

Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftYes
modaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

moda Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
moeruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
moiruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

moi Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Proposed Release of 2-Character Letter-Letter Combinations in .AUTHOR, .BOT, .BUY, .CALL, .CIRCLE, .COUPON, .DEAL, .FAST, .GOT, .HOT, .JOT, .JOY, .LIKE, .MOI, .NOW, .PAY, .PIN, .READ, .ROOM, .SAFE, .SECURE, .SAVE, .SMILE, .SONG, .SPOT, .TALK, .TUNES, .TUSHU, .WANGGOU, and .xn--rovu88b.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the TLDs listed above (“the TLDs”), proposes release of the following 2-character letter-letter combinations: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, and tw. ARSI further proposes the following measures to avoid confusion with the corresponding country codes.

ARSI will commit to:
1. Investigate in a timely manner a report by the government of the country, state, or territory for which a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above (ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, or tw) corresponds to its country code, that:
a. the use in any of the TLDs of a domain name consisting of a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above; and
b. corresponds to that government’s country code; and
c. implies or represents that it is, or has the approval of, such government; and
2. Where, in ARSI’s sole opinion, such use has occurred, ARSI, in its sole discretion:
a. will seek to work indirectly with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address such use, or
b. may cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS; and
3. Provide a written response within a commercially reasonable time period.

ARSI’s Acceptable Use Policy for the TLDs will require registrants of a domain name in each of the TLDs to ensure that their use of a 2-character letter-letter combination does not imply or represent that it is, or has the approval of, any government. ARSI will reserve the right to cancel, lock, place on hold, transfer or delete the domain name in accordance with our commitment above.


2016-04-25

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. No
momruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
monashruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15Yes
moneyruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

money Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
monsterruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
montblancruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

montblanc Mitigation

By Richemont DNS Inc.

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion—Brand TLD (Specification 13)

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:

.MONTBLANC TLD is a closed Brand new gTLD operated by Richemont DNS Inc

Protections:

Richemont DNS Inc for the .MONTBLANC TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Richemont DNS Inc will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

1. .MONTBLANC is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .MONTBLANC is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .MONTBLANC TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .MONTBLANC that requires that all domain names in the .MONTBLANC TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .MONTBLANC TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .MONTBLANC TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .MONTBLANC TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .MONTBLANC TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Richemont DNS Inc, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator. By this Richemont DNS Inc confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-05

Richemont DNS Inc.Yes
mortageruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

mortage Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
moscowruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
motorcyclesruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

motorcycles Mitigation

By DERAutos LLC, DERBoats LLC, DERHomes LLC, DERMotorcycles LLC, DERYachts LLC (collective Dominion Registries)

See attached document


View Documents
2016-04-26

DERAutos LLC, DERBoats LLC, DERHomes LLC, DERMotorcycles LLC, DERYachts LLC (collective Dominion Registries)No
movieruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

movie Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
mtpcruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

mtpc Mitigation

By Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation

.mtpc two-letter-code plan

To address the confusion concerns cited by governments regarding the use of the second-level domains in the .mptc. Registry Operator will implement a closed registration policy for .mtpc that mitigates the potential confusion. To these ends, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation commits to the following:

Developing and implementing a closed registration policy for .mtpc that requires that all domain names in the TLD be registered and used by Registry Operator and its affiliates;

Clearly publishing this registration policy on Registry Operator’s homepage for .mtpc at [nic.mtpc];

Including this registration policy in Registry Operator’s Registry-Registrar Agreement with all .mtpc registrars; and

Enforcing of this registration policy and ensuring continued compliance, including through annual recertification of .mtpc’s qualification for an exemption to the Registry Operator Code of Conduct/Specification 13.

This publicly available registration and usage policy would prevent government from registering domains in the .mtpc TLD. It would clearly designate to the public that .mtpc was a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD were being operated by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation and not government.

Please note that .mtpc has not launched but before .mtpc officially launches, RO will conclude Code of Conduct or Specification 13.


2016-04-25

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma CorporationNo
mtrruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

mtr Mitigation

By MTR CORPORATION LIMITED

To minimize the possibility of confusion for lables, ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, gb, il, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, tw and uk, we have reserved those names at the second level of .mtr. In other words, no one can register and activate those domain names at the second level unless we received consent from ICANN and the relevant government body.

For label(s) pertaining to confusion but ICANN allows us to offer for registration and activation at the second level (e.g. in), it will not be used in a way causing confusion. In fact, .mtr is a brand TLD, the registrant of .mtr will not be people in the general public. The use of it can be easily controlled. In case of receiving comment from the relevant government, we can react at a quick and direct manner.


2016-03-24

MTR CORPORATION LIMITEDYes
nagoyaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

nagoya Mitigation

By GMO Registry

About .NAGOYA

.nagoya is a GeoTLD for the city of Nagoya, Japan, operated by GMO Registry, Inc.
The purpose of .nagoya is to promote Nagoya and provide an opportunity for citizens,
businesses and community groups to link their identities to the city’s brand. By bringing together quality and informative content, .NAGOYA provides a platform to effectively deliver city information to Internet users both locally and globally. It is also an important goal for the Registry that .NAGOYA is operated as a trusted, safe, secure, relevant and enjoyable namespace.

Protections
Registry Operator understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to mitigate such concern is willing to offer the following:
1. Registry Operator will commit to:
a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from the governments of a related country-code and provide a written report in response; and
b. where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS.
Furthermore, contained within our Domain Name Registration Policy for the .NAGOYA TLD is the following text:

All Applicants, all Domain Name Registrants, and any party submitting a Domain Name registration request represents and warrants that:
− to its knowledge, the registration of the Domain Name mentioned in the Application
or Domain Name Registration Request will not infringe upon or otherwise violate the
rights of any third party;
− will not register a domain name for the purpose of distributing malware, abusively
operating botnets, phishing, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement, fraudulent
or deceptive practices, counterfeiting or otherwise engaging in activity contrary to
applicable laws or regulations;

Should a Registrant fail to comply with the Acceptable Use Policy, the domain name may be canceled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted. Thus all Registrants in the TLDs, including ourselves, have an obligation to avoid confusion with two letter country codes and we have clear penalties for any failure to do so.


2016-04-25

GMO RegistryNo
navyruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

navy Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
netbankruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

netbank Mitigation

By Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Refer measures in attached PDF document


View Documents
2016-04-13

Commonwealth Bank of AustraliaYes
networkruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

network Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
neustarruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
newsruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

news Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
nhkruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

nhk Mitigation

By Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)

.nhk 2 Letter Codes Mitigation Plan

To address the confusion concerns cited by governments regarding the use of the second-level domains in the .nhk TLD, Japan Broadcasting Corporation will implement a closed registration policy for .nhk that mitigates the potential confusion. To these ends, Japan Broadcasting Corporation commits to the following:

・Developing and implementing a closed registration policy for .nhk that requires that all domains name in the TLD be registered and used by Japan Broadcasting Corporation, its affiliates, or its trademark licensees;

・Clearly publishing this registration policy on Registry Operator`s homepage for the .nhk TLD at “nic.nhk”.

・Referring to this registration policy in registry Operator`s Registry-Registrar Agreement with all appointed preferred registrars for the .nhk TLD.

・Enforcing of this registration policy and ensuring continued compliance, including through annual recertification of .nhk`s qualification for Specification 13; and

・Using all domain names in the .nhk TLD in association with NHK`s brand products, and services.

This publicly available registration and usage policy would prevent Governments from registering domains in the .nhk TLD. It would therefore clearly designate to the public that .nhk was a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD were being operated by Japan Broadcasting Corporation and not governments.

Please note that .nhk is in the process of concluding specification 13.


2016-04-25

Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)No
nicoruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

nico Mitigation

By DWANGO Co., Ltd.

.nico 2 Letter Codes Mitigation Plan

To address the confusion concerns cited by governments regarding the use of the second-level domains in the .nico TLD, DWANGO Co., Ltd. will implement a closed registration policy for .nico that mitigates the potential confusion. To these ends, DWANGO Co., Ltd. commits to the following:

・Developing and implementing a closed registration policy for .nico that requires that all domains name in the TLD be registered and used by DWANGO Co., Ltd., its affiliates, or its trademark licensees;

・Clearly publishing this registration policy on Registry Operator`s homepage for the .nico TLD at “nic.nico”.

・Referring to this registration policy in registry Operator`s Registry-Registrar Agreement with all appointed preferred registrars for the .nico TLD.

・Enforcing of this registration policy and ensuring continued compliance, including through annual recertification of .nico`s qualification for Specification 13; and

・Using all domain names in the .nico TLD in association with Dwango`s brand products, and services.

This publicly available registration and usage policy would prevent Governments from registering domains in the .nico TLD. It would therefore clearly designate to the public that .nico was a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD were being operated by DWANGO Co., Ltd. and not governments.


2016-04-25

DWANGO Co., Ltd.Yes
nikonruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15Yes
ninjaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

ninja Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
nissanruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

nissan Mitigation

By NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.

2 Letter Codes Mitigation Plan for NISSAN TLDs
(.nissan .infiniti .datsun)

To address the confusion concerns cited by governments regarding the use of the second-level domains in the NISSAN TLDs,
NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. will implement a closed registration policy for NISSAN TLDs that mitigates the potential confusion. To these ends, NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. commits to the following:

・Developing and implementing a closed registration policy for NISSAN TLDs that requires that all domains name in the TLDs be registered and used by NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD., its affiliates, or its trademark licensees;

・Clearly publishing this registration policy on Registry Operator`s homepage for the NISSAN TLDs at “nic.nissan”,”nic.infiniti”, and “nic.datsun”.

・Referring to this registration policy in registry Operator`s Registry-Registrar Agreement with all appointed preferred registrars for the NISSAN TLDs.

・Enforcing of this registration policy and ensuring continued compliance, including through annual recertification of Nissan TLDs` qualification for Specification 13; and

・Using all domain names in the NISSAN TLDs in association with NISSAN`s brand products, and services.

This publicly available registration and usage policy would prevent Governments from registering domains in the NISSAN TLDs. It would therefore clearly designate to the public that NISSAN TLDs were proprietary spaces in which all second-level domains in the TLDs were being operated by NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. and not governments.


2016-04-25

NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.No
nokiaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

nokia Mitigation

By Nokia Corporation

.NOKIA TLD is a closed Brand new gTLD operated by Nokia Corporation

Protections:

Nokia Corporation for the .NOKIA TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Nokia Corporation will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

1. .NOKIA is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .NOKIA is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .NOKIA TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .NOKIA that requires that all domain names in the .NOKIA TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .NOKIA TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .NOKIA TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .NOKIA TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designates to the public that .NOKIA TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Nokia Corporation, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator. By this notice, Nokia Corporation confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-12

Nokia CorporationYes
nowruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

now Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Proposed Release of 2-Character Letter-Letter Combinations in .AUTHOR, .BOT, .BUY, .CALL, .CIRCLE, .COUPON, .DEAL, .FAST, .GOT, .HOT, .JOT, .JOY, .LIKE, .MOI, .NOW, .PAY, .PIN, .READ, .ROOM, .SAFE, .SECURE, .SAVE, .SMILE, .SONG, .SPOT, .TALK, .TUNES, .TUSHU, .WANGGOU, and .xn--rovu88b.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the TLDs listed above (“the TLDs”), proposes release of the following 2-character letter-letter combinations: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, and tw. ARSI further proposes the following measures to avoid confusion with the corresponding country codes.

ARSI will commit to:
1. Investigate in a timely manner a report by the government of the country, state, or territory for which a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above (ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, or tw) corresponds to its country code, that:
a. the use in any of the TLDs of a domain name consisting of a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above; and
b. corresponds to that government’s country code; and
c. implies or represents that it is, or has the approval of, such government; and
2. Where, in ARSI’s sole opinion, such use has occurred, ARSI, in its sole discretion:
a. will seek to work indirectly with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address such use, or
b. may cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS; and
3. Provide a written response within a commercially reasonable time period.

ARSI’s Acceptable Use Policy for the TLDs will require registrants of a domain name in each of the TLDs to ensure that their use of a 2-character letter-letter combination does not imply or represent that it is, or has the approval of, any government. ARSI will reserve the right to cancel, lock, place on hold, transfer or delete the domain name in accordance with our commitment above.


2016-04-25

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. No
nrwruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

nrw Mitigation

By Minds + Machines Group Limited, Bayern Connect GmbH, Minds + Machines GmbH

Registry Operator understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to mitigate such concern is willing to commit to:
a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from any relevant government and provide a written report in response; and
b. where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, registry operator will seek to work indirectly with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address the misuse.
c. In the event that misuse continues to occur, the Registry Operator may, in its sole discretion, undertake direct action up to and including suspension or deletion of the domain name.


2016-04-22

Minds + Machines Group Limited, Bayern Connect GmbH, Minds + Machines GmbHNo
nycruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

nyc Mitigation

By The City of New York by and through the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion

A brief explanation of the TLD
The .nyc is a geographic TLD representing the city of New York. The designated “Registry Operator” is The City of New York, a municipal corporation under the laws of the State of New York, by and through the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications. The .nyc TLD is open for registration to individuals or entities having a substantive and lawful connection to the city of New York. This requirement for “nexus” with the city of New York is strictly enforced and is described in our Nexus Policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.ownit.nyc/policies/nyc_nexus_policy.php. Further in order to ensure that we have complete Registrant information the .nyc TLD does not allow the use of proxy, private or anonymous domain name registrations. The .nyc TLD employs an algorithm to detect the inadvertent or intentional registration of proxy, anonymous and/or private domain name registrations, and enforces a Registrar’s obligation to not offer such services.

The proposed protections to avoid confusion with country codes at the second level outlined below specifically apply to: ai, bm, ci, cn, eg, hk, il, in, io, it, ky, me, ms, pt, sg, sh, tc and tw.

Protections
Registry Operator understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to avoid such confusion is willing to offer the following:
1. Registry Operator will commit to:
a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from the government of a related country code, and provide a written report in response; and
b. where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS.

Furthermore, contained within our Acceptable Use Policy for the .nyc TLD is the following text:
“1. By registering a name in the .nyc top-level domain (.NYC), you represent and warrant that you will not use that registration for any illegal purposes, including without limitation, to:
…
4. Infringe the intellectual property rights of any other person or entity including, without limitation, counterfeiting, piracy or trademark or copyright infringement;
5. Impersonate any person or entity, or submit information on behalf of any other person or entity, without their express prior written consent;…”

Should a Registrant fail to comply with the Acceptable Use Policy, the domain name may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted.

Thus all Registrants in the TLD have an obligation not to infringe any intellectual property rights nor to impersonate any person or entity, including the governments that are represented by these two letter country codes, and there are clear penalties in place for doing so.


2016-04-25

The City of New York by and through the New York City Department of Information Technology & TelecommunicationsNo
obiruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

obi Mitigation

By OBI Group Holding SE & Co. KGaA

.obi is a closed top-level domain name for the sole and exclusive use of OBI Group Holding SE & Co. KGaA.

Protections
OBI Group Holding SE & Co. KGaA is the Registry Operator for the .obi TLD and has executed Specification 13 of the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that OBI Group Holding SE & Co. KGaA will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:
1. .obi is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .obi is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .obi TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .obi that requires that all domain names in the .obi TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .obi TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .obi TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.
Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .obi TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .obi TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by OBI Group Holding SE & Co. KGaA, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator.
By this text OBI Group Holding SE & Co. KGaA confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-25

OBI Group Holding SE & Co. KGaAYes
omegaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

omega Mitigation

By The Swatch Group Ltd

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:
The Swatch Group Ltd has applied for .OMEGA to run a closed .brand environment.

Protections
The Swatch Group Ltd for the .OMEGA TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that the The Swatch Group Ltd will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:
1. .OMEGA is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .OMEGA is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .OMEGA TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .OMEGA that requires that all domain names in the .OMEGA TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .OMEGA TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .OMEGA TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .OMEGA TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .OMEGA TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by The Swatch Group Ltd, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator.
By this letter The Swatch Group Ltd confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-25

The Swatch Group LtdYes
onlruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

onl Mitigation

By I-Registry Ltd.

The .onl TLD provides a unique digital identity and facilitate the promotion of the brand ONL to Internet users in general.

Protections
I-Registry Ltd. (Registry Operator) understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to avoid such confusion is willing to offer the following:

Registry Operator will commit to:
- investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from the respective governments, and provide a written report in response; and
- where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS, or may result in the suspension or termination of the domain name registration.

Furthermore, contained within our Acceptable Use Policy for the .onl TLD is the following text:
The Registrant of a domain name, as recorded in the Registry Service, will be responsible for:
- the use of their domain name;
- ensuring that the use of the domain name, where that domain name is a two letter Label that corresponds to a country code described in the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard, avoids confusion with the corresponding country code;
- no domain name in the .onl space shall be used in a manner which infringes any other third parties’ rights;
- no domain name in the .onl space is in breach with any applicable laws, government rules or requirements or for the purposes of undertaking any illegal or fraudulent actions, including spam or phishing activities.

Failure to comply with the above provisions may result in the suspension or termination of the domain name registration by the Registry. Thus all Registrants in the TLD, including ourselves, have an obligation to avoid confusion with two letter country codes and we have clear penalties for any failure to do so.


2016-04-20

I-Registry Ltd.No
onlineruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

online Mitigation

By Radix

Dear ICANN,

We are submitting these proposed measures to avoid confusion with specific country codes at the second level for each of our 8 TLDs, in relation to the individual Government objections that have been raised pertaining to the release of those specific two-character labels:

Protections

Radix understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to mitigate such concern is willing to offer the following:

1. Radix will commit to:

a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from the relevant governments that have raised concerns about the release of specific two-character labels at the second level, and provide a written report in response; and

b. where, in Radix’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, Radix will seek to work
with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address the misuse.

c. In the event that misuse continues to occur, Radix may, in its sole discretion,
undertake direct action up to and including suspension or deletion of the domain name.

Thank you.


2016-04-25

RadixNo
oooruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

ooo Mitigation

By Infibeam Incorporation Ltd.

The .OOO gTLD could be used for any entity launching or expanding an e-commerce venture as it offers a domain name of their choice.

The Registry Operator wishes to adopt the following mechanism of mitigation measures for all the 2 character labels identified by ICANN :

1.Registry Operator will commit to:
 a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from the concerned government, and provide a written report in response; and
 b. where, in RO’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS.

Furthermore, contained within our Acceptable Use Policy for the .OOO TLD is the following text:

“The Registrant of a domain name, as recorded in the Registry Service, will be responsible for:
 the use of their domain name;
 ensuring that the use of the domain name, where that domain name is a two letter Label that corresponds to a country code described in the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard, avoids confusion with the corresponding country code;”

Should a Registrant fail to comply with the Acceptable Use Policy, the domain name may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted. Thus all Registrants in the TLDs, including ourselves, have an obligation to avoid confusion with two letter
country codes and we have clear penalties for any failure to do so.


2016-04-21

Infibeam Incorporation Ltd.No
oracleruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15Yes
orangeruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

orange Mitigation

By Orange Brand Services Limited

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:
Orange Brand Services Limited has applied for .ORANGE to run a closed .brand environment.

Protections
Orange Brand Services Limited for the .ORANGE TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that the Orange Brand Services Limited will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:
1. .ORANGE is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .ORANGE is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .ORANGE TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .ORANGE that requires that all domain names in the .ORANGE TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .ORANGE TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .ORANGE TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .ORANGE TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .ORANGE TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Orange Brand Services Limited, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator.
By this letter Orange Brand Services Limited confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-25

Orange Brand Services LimitedYes
organicruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

organic Mitigation

By Afilias

Afilias has reviewed the comments submitted for the release of certain 2 character labels. We have taken these comments into consideration and will will continue to block the respective labels at the second level until further notice to avoid confusion.


2016-04-20

AfiliasNo
originsruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15Yes
osakaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
otsukaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

otsuka Mitigation

By Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd.

.otsuka 2 Letter Codes Mitigation Plan

To address the confusion concerns cited by governments regarding the use of the second-level domains in the .otsuka TLD,
Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. will implement a closed registration policy for .otsuka that mitigates the potential confusion. To these ends, Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. commits to the following:

・Developing and implementing a closed registration policy for .otsuka that requires that all domains name in the TLD be registered and used by Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., its affiliates, or its trademark licensees;

・Clearly publishing this registration policy on Registry Operator`s homepage for the .otsuka TLD at “nic.otsuka”.

・Referring to this registration policy in registry Operator`s Registry-Registrar Agreement with all appointed preferred registrars for the .otsuka TLD.

・Enforcing of this registration policy and ensuring continued compliance, including through annual recertification of .otsuka`s qualification for Specification 13; and

・Using all domain names in the .otsuka TLD in association with Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd.`s brand products, and services.

This publicly available registration and usage policy would prevent Governments from registering domains in the .otsuka TLD. It would therefore clearly designate to the public that .otsuka was a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD were being operated by Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. and not governments.


2016-04-25

Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd.Yes
pageruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

page Mitigation

By Charleston Road Registry Inc. (d/b/a Google Registry)

Please find attached Google Registry's proposed mechanisms to avoid confusion between the use of two-letter labels in its top level domains and the corresponding country codes.


View Documents
2016-04-22

Charleston Road Registry Inc. (d/b/a Google Registry)No
panerairuView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

panerai Mitigation

By Richemont DNS Inc.

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion—Brand TLD (Specification 13)

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:

.PANERAI TLD is a closed Brand new gTLD operated by Richemont DNS Inc

Protections:

Richemont DNS Inc for the .PANERAI TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Richemont DNS Inc will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

1. .PANERAI is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .PANERAI is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .PANERAI TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .PANERAI that requires that all domain names in the .PANERAI TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .PANERAI TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .PANERAI TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .PANERAI TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .PANERAI TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Richemont DNS Inc, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator. By this Richemont DNS Inc confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-05

Richemont DNS Inc.Yes
partnersruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

partners Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
partsruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

parts Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
partyruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

party Mitigation

By Famous Four Media Limited

By Famous Four media Limited.

Registry Operator understands the concern that confusion may arise, and in order to avoid such confusion is willing to offer the following:

1. Registry Operator will commit to:

a. investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from any relevant governments, and provide a written report in response; and

b. where, in Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS.

2. Registry Operator will enforce the terms of its Acceptable Use and Take down Policy against Registrants.

3. Should a Registrant fail to comply with the Acceptable Use and Take down Policy, the domain names may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted. Thus, all Registrants in the TLDs, including ourselves, have an obligation to avoid confusion with two letter country codes and we have clear penalties for any failure to do so.


2016-04-25

Famous Four Media LimitedNo
payruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pay Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Proposed Release of 2-Character Letter-Letter Combinations in .AUTHOR, .BOT, .BUY, .CALL, .CIRCLE, .COUPON, .DEAL, .FAST, .GOT, .HOT, .JOT, .JOY, .LIKE, .MOI, .NOW, .PAY, .PIN, .READ, .ROOM, .SAFE, .SECURE, .SAVE, .SMILE, .SONG, .SPOT, .TALK, .TUNES, .TUSHU, .WANGGOU, and .xn--rovu88b.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the TLDs listed above (“the TLDs”), proposes release of the following 2-character letter-letter combinations: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, and tw. ARSI further proposes the following measures to avoid confusion with the corresponding country codes.

ARSI will commit to:
1. Investigate in a timely manner a report by the government of the country, state, or territory for which a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above (ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, or tw) corresponds to its country code, that:
a. the use in any of the TLDs of a domain name consisting of a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above; and
b. corresponds to that government’s country code; and
c. implies or represents that it is, or has the approval of, such government; and
2. Where, in ARSI’s sole opinion, such use has occurred, ARSI, in its sole discretion:
a. will seek to work indirectly with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address such use, or
b. may cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS; and
3. Provide a written response within a commercially reasonable time period.

ARSI’s Acceptable Use Policy for the TLDs will require registrants of a domain name in each of the TLDs to ensure that their use of a 2-character letter-letter combination does not imply or represent that it is, or has the approval of, any government. ARSI will reserve the right to cancel, lock, place on hold, transfer or delete the domain name in accordance with our commitment above.


2016-04-25

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. No
petruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pet Mitigation

By Afilias

Afilias has reviewed the comments submitted for the release of certain 2 character labels. We have taken these comments into consideration and will will continue to block the respective labels at the second level until further notice to avoid confusion.


2016-04-20

AfiliasNo
pharmacyruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pharmacy Mitigation

By National Association of Boards of Pharmacy

Background

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®), the impartial professional organization that supports state boards of pharmacy in protecting public health, is the exclusive Registry Operator for the .pharmacy Top-Level Domain (TLD). The .pharmacy TLD was established to provide a secure, verified, and trustworthy TLD where consumers around the globe can be sure the medications they buy online are safe. To that end, a global coalition of stakeholders, including NABP and the International Pharmaceutical Federation, developed policies and maintains standards to govern the .pharmacy TLD, ensuring those websites with a .pharmacy domain are safe and legal.

Implementation Plan to Avoid Confusion

To respond to the confusion concerns cited by several governments regarding the use of the second-level domains (SLDs) in the .pharmacy TLD, NABP notes that it currently implements a restricted registration policy for .pharmacy that recognizes the ongoing and critical need for patients’ medications to be managed by a licensed pharmacist and for their medications to be appropriately sourced in accordance with applicable standards of care. A copy of the policy can be found at http://safe.pharmacy/standards-policies. The very fact that .pharmacy verifies that each entity acquiring a .pharmacy SLD meets all applicable regulatory standards, including those addressing pharmacy licensure and valid prescription requirements, prior to allowing that entity to register a .pharmacy domain name avoids any potential confusion between the .pharmacy registration and a country code.

In order to ensure that there will be no confusion between any two character registrations and a country code sharing the same two letters, NABP will administer its verified registry operation in a manner that avoids potential confusion by:
• Continuing to implement a restricted registration policy for .pharmacy that verifies that each entity acquiring a .pharmacy SLD is an eligible member of the pharmacy community and meets all applicable regulatory standards to conduct pharmacy-related business.
• Continuing to implement a restricted registration policy that ensures website content is relevant to pharmacy services and drug information, which provides the opportunity for NABP to proactively identify any potential confusing use of the domain name with a corresponding country code.
• Maintaining, and continuing to create, ongoing “working relationship[s] with the relevant regulatory, or industry self-regulatory, bodies, including developing a strategy to mitigate as much as possible the risks of fraudulent, and other illegal, activities.” See Beijing GAC Communique. NABP will not issue a .pharmacy domain name in a given country until it has created a relationship with the appropriate health care regulators for a jurisdiction.
• Clearly publishing this registration policy on .pharmacy’s registry homepage.
• Including this registration policy in NABP’s Registry-Registrar Agreement with all accredited registrars for the .pharmacy TLD.
• Enforcing this registration policy and ensuring continued compliance. The process for obtaining a .pharmacy domain name is described here: http://www.safe.pharmacy/apply. More detailed instructions and information are available here: http://www.safe.pharmacy/apply/application-instructions.

NABP’s use of .pharmacy two-character domains would not, in and of itself and absent a verification process, cause any confusion with the corresponding two-letter country codes; nonetheless, NABP further contends that it avoids any potential confusion through its strenuous verification requirements and registration policies, which ensure only licensed and verified pharmacy-related entities are permitted to register and use .pharmacy domains.

Request to ICANN in Accordance With Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement

Based on public comments received, no government objecting to the release of its country code offered a specific explanation for the potential confusion arising from the use of a two-character SLD within a verified registry operation (as defined herein); therefore, based on the aforementioned proposal to avoid confusion as a verified registry operation and in accordance with Specification 5 of its Registry Agreement, NABP respectfully requests that Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers release the remainder of all second-level two-character country code domain names.


View Documents
2016-04-25

National Association of Boards of PharmacyNo
philipsruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

philips Mitigation

By Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Registry Operator will not register two letter SLDs that are equal to ccTLDs under its gTLD, unless:
- the corresponding country has given general consent to register these SLDs, or
- that Registry Operator has obtained authorization of the competent authority of that corresponding country to register the two letter SLD under its TLD..

Registry Operator will not register two letter SLDs under its TLD that are equal to ccTLDs when the corresponding country has objected to these registrations.


2016-03-08

Koninklijke Philips N.V.Yes
photoruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
photographyruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

photography Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
photosruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

photos Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
piagetruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

piaget Mitigation

By Richemont DNS Inc.

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion—Brand TLD (Specification 13)

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:

.PIAGET TLD is a closed Brand new gTLD operated by Richemont DNS Inc

Protections:

Richemont DNS Inc for the .PIAGET TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Richemont DNS Inc will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

1. .PIAGET is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .PIAGET is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .PIAGET TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .PIAGET that requires that all domain names in the .PIAGET TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .PIAGET TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .PIAGET TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .PIAGET TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .PIAGET TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Richemont DNS Inc, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the government or the corresponding country code operator. By this Richemont DNS Inc confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-05

Richemont DNS Inc.Yes
picsruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15No
pictetruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pictet Mitigation

By Pictet Europe S.A.

.PICTET gTLD Confusion Avoidance Plan

Pictet Europe S.A., the Registry Operator for the .PICTET gTLD, has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Pictet Europe S.A. will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

1. .PICTET is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .PICTET is not a Generic String, as the term is defined in Specification 11 of the Registry Agreement;
3. Pictet Europe S.A. has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .PICTET that requires that all domain names in the .PICTET gTLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, Pictet Europe S.A. submitted this policy as part of its application for Specification 13 and has clearly published this registration policy; and
5. .PICTET will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13, as required by the Registry Agreement.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .PICTET gTLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designates to the public that the .PICTET gTLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the gTLD are being operated by Pictet Europe S.A., its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not any government or corresponding country-code TLD operator.

With this submission, Pictet Europe S.A. confirms that all registrations of two-letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-21

Pictet Europe S.A.Yes
picturesruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pictures Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
pinruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pin Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Proposed Release of 2-Character Letter-Letter Combinations in .AUTHOR, .BOT, .BUY, .CALL, .CIRCLE, .COUPON, .DEAL, .FAST, .GOT, .HOT, .JOT, .JOY, .LIKE, .MOI, .NOW, .PAY, .PIN, .READ, .ROOM, .SAFE, .SECURE, .SAVE, .SMILE, .SONG, .SPOT, .TALK, .TUNES, .TUSHU, .WANGGOU, and .xn--rovu88b.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the TLDs listed above (“the TLDs”), proposes release of the following 2-character letter-letter combinations: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, and tw. ARSI further proposes the following measures to avoid confusion with the corresponding country codes.

ARSI will commit to:
1. Investigate in a timely manner a report by the government of the country, state, or territory for which a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above (ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, or tw) corresponds to its country code, that:
a. the use in any of the TLDs of a domain name consisting of a 2-character letter-letter combination listed above; and
b. corresponds to that government’s country code; and
c. implies or represents that it is, or has the approval of, such government; and
2. Where, in ARSI’s sole opinion, such use has occurred, ARSI, in its sole discretion:
a. will seek to work indirectly with the sponsoring registrar and/or directly with the registrant to address such use, or
b. may cause the domain name’s records to be removed from the DNS; and
3. Provide a written response within a commercially reasonable time period.

ARSI’s Acceptable Use Policy for the TLDs will require registrants of a domain name in each of the TLDs to ensure that their use of a 2-character letter-letter combination does not imply or represent that it is, or has the approval of, any government. ARSI will reserve the right to cancel, lock, place on hold, transfer or delete the domain name in accordance with our commitment above.


2016-04-25

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. No
pinkruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pink Mitigation

By Afilias

Afilias has reviewed the comments submitted for the release of certain 2 character labels. We have taken these comments into consideration and will will continue to block the respective labels at the second level until further notice to avoid confusion.


2016-04-20

AfiliasNo
pizzaruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pizza Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
placeruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

place Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
playruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

play Mitigation

By Charleston Road Registry Inc. (d/b/a Google Registry)

Please find attached Google Registry's proposed mechanisms to avoid confusion between the use of two-letter labels in its top level domains and the corresponding country codes.


View Documents
2016-04-22

Charleston Road Registry Inc. (d/b/a Google Registry)No
plumbingruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

plumbing Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
plusruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

plus Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
pncruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15Yes
pohlruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

pohl Mitigation

By Deutsche Vermögensberatung Aktiengesellschaft DVAG

Please find Deutsche Vermögensberatung Aktiengesellschaft DVAG's "Mitigation Measures to Avoid Confusion" (concerning 2-letter labels in general) for the “.DVAG” and ".POHL" TLDs attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Deutsche Vermögensberatung Aktiengesellschaft DVAGNo
pokerruView Comments
2015-12-07
2016-08-15View Mitigation

poker Mitigation

By Afilias

Afilias has reviewed the comments submitted for the release of certain 2 character labels. We have taken these comments into consideration and will will continue to block the respective labels at the second level until further notice to avoid confusion.


2016-04-20

AfiliasNo

ru Comments

By Yulia Elanskaya, Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation

Russia objects the release of Two-Character combination “.ru” at the second level under any kind/all gTLD.
We are concerned that the deceptive similarity of these two-letter combinations with country codes ccTLDs creates the risk of confusion and misleading of Internet users.
This requirement should apply to all current and future requests.

Domain Name System
Internationalized Domain Name ,IDN,"IDNs are domain names that include characters used in the local representation of languages that are not written with the twenty-six letters of the basic Latin alphabet ""a-z"". An IDN can contain Latin letters with diacritical marks, as required by many European languages, or may consist of characters from non-Latin scripts such as Arabic or Chinese. Many languages also use other types of digits than the European ""0-9"". The basic Latin alphabet together with the European-Arabic digits are, for the purpose of domain names, termed ""ASCII characters"" (ASCII = American Standard Code for Information Interchange). These are also included in the broader range of ""Unicode characters"" that provides the basis for IDNs. The ""hostname rule"" requires that all domain names of the type under consideration here are stored in the DNS using only the ASCII characters listed above, with the one further addition of the hyphen ""-"". The Unicode form of an IDN therefore requires special encoding before it is entered into the DNS. The following terminology is used when distinguishing between these forms: A domain name consists of a series of ""labels"" (separated by ""dots""). The ASCII form of an IDN label is termed an ""A-label"". All operations defined in the DNS protocol use A-labels exclusively. The Unicode form, which a user expects to be displayed, is termed a ""U-label"". The difference may be illustrated with the Hindi word for ""test"" — परीका — appearing here as a U-label would (in the Devanagari script). A special form of ""ASCII compatible encoding"" (abbreviated ACE) is applied to this to produce the corresponding A-label: xn--11b5bs1di. A domain name that only includes ASCII letters, digits, and hyphens is termed an ""LDH label"". Although the definitions of A-labels and LDH-labels overlap, a name consisting exclusively of LDH labels, such as""icann.org"" is not an IDN."