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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As of 13 December 2016, this page is no longer active.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
vistavnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

vista Mitigation

By Vistaprint Limited

.vista is a closed top-level domain name for the sole and exclusive use of VISTAPRINT LIMITED.

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


2016-04-14

Vistaprint LimitedNo
vistaprintvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

vistaprint Mitigation

By Vistaprint Limited

.vistaprint is a closed top-level domain name for the sole and exclusive use of VISTAPRINT LIMITED.

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


2016-04-14

Vistaprint LimitedNo
vivavnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
vodkavnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

vodka 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
volkswagenvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

volkswagen Mitigation

By Volkswagen Group of America Inc.

.volkswagen is a closed Brand TLD for the sole and exclusive use of Volkswagen Group of America Inc.

Protections
Volkswagen Group of America Inc. (Registry Operator) for the .volkswagen 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:

.volkswagen is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
.volkswagen is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
Registry Operator has developed and implemented a closed registration policy for .volkswagen that requires that all domain names in the .volkswagen TLD be registered only by Volkswagen Group of America Inc., 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 .volkswagen 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 submission Volkswagen Group of America Inc. confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-21

Volkswagen Group of America Inc.Yes
voyagevnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

voyage Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
waltervnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

walter Mitigation

By Sandvik AB

.walter is a closed top-level domain name for the sole and exclusive use of Sandvik AB.

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


2016-04-11

Sandvik ABYes
wangvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

wang Mitigation

By Zodiac Registry

This “Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion” is submitted to ICANN on behalf of the Registry Operator of the following TLDs:

Registry Operator TLD English translation
Zodiac Wang Limited .wang “web” or “net” or the Chinese surname "王"
Zodiac Aquarius Limited .商城 (xn--czru2d) .mall
Zodiac Taurus Limited .网店(xn--hxt814e) .web store
Zodiac Gemini Limited .八卦(xn--45q11c) .gossip

All four TLDs are Chinese IDNs, except .wang (a Chinese pinyin). All these TLDs have applied for and three of them have received approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China to operate within the country.

As these TLDs are intended for the millions of the Chinese-speaking Internet users and the way in which pinyin (the official phonetic system for transcribing Chinese characters into Latin alphabet) works, we believe it is extremely unlikely that confusion with corresponding country codes will arise.

Nevertheless, we understand the concerns expressed by governments or ccTLD Managers and set out the protections below that are already in place or to be implemented by Registry Operator, to avoid confusion.

Protections

1. Registry Operator will commit to:

a. investigate any reports of misuse or abusive use, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from the relevant government or ccTLD Manager, 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. The Registry Operator’s Anti-Abuse Policy contains the following text that prohibits abusive use and provides consequences for abusive use:

“Registry Operator expressly prohibits abusive use of a domain name for any illegal or fraudulent activities, including but not limited to, distributing malware, abusively operating botnets, phishing, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement, fraudulent or deceptive practices, counterfeiting or otherwise engaging in activity contrary to applicable law”
…
“Registry Operator reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name(s) on registry lock, hold or similar status, that it deems necessary, in its discretion:

a. to enforce any Registry Policies (http://en.zodiac.wang/policy.html, including this policy) and ICANN requirements, as amended from time to time;”

Further, the Registry-Registrar Agreements of all these TLDs require registrars to enter a registration agreement with each Registered Name Holder (“RNH Registration Agreement”) and such agreement must include the following term:

“Registered Name Holder must comply with all Registry Policies (http://en.zodiac.wang/policy.html), as if they were incorporated into, and form part of the RNH Registration Agreement. In the event of any inconsistency between any Registry Policy and the RNH Registration Agreement, then that Registry Policy will prevail to the extent of such inconsistency.”

This mandatory term in the RNH Registration Agreement means registrants in the above TLDs are bound by the Registry’s Anti-Abuse Policy. Thus, if a registrant’s use of a two-character domain name amounts to misuse or abusive use, the domain name may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted.


2016-04-22

Zodiac RegistryNo
watchvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

watch Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
webcamvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

webcam 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
websitevnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

website 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
weddingvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

wedding 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
whoswhovnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
wienvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond with country codes - this is the document for .CI

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond with country codes - this is the document for .EG

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond with country codes - this is the document for .HK

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond with country codes - this is the document for .IL

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond with country codes - this is the document for .IN

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond to country codes - this is the document for .IT

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond to country codes - this is the document for .ME

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond to country codes - this is the document for .TW

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond to country codes - this is the document for .CN

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond to country codes - this is the document for .PT

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond to country codes - this is the document for .SG

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-12

View Mitigation

wien Mitigation

By punkt.wien GmbH

Hello

please find attached our measures to avoid confusion for 2-letter SLDs that correspond with country codes (applicable to all 2-letter cc-SLDs)

best regards
Ronald


View Documents
2016-04-15

punkt.wien GmbHNo
wikivnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

wiki Mitigation

By Top Level Design LLC

The .wiki measures for the avoidance of confusion pertain to the following letter/letter labels: ci, cn, eg, il, in, and me.

Top Level Design LLC is the Registry Operator for .wiki, an open, generic TLD that resonates with a wide variety of industries and topics.

Top Level Design LLC understands the concern that confusion may arise and is willing to offer the following:

1. Top Level Design LLC will commit to:
a. Investigate any reports of misuse, including misleading or deceptive conduct, from relevant governments (including Ivory Coast, China, Egypt, Israel, India, and Montenegro), and provide a written report in response.
b. Where, in the Registry Operator’s sole opinion, misuse has occurred, the 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, in accordance with its Acceptable Use Policy.


2016-04-25

Top Level Design LLCNo
winvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

win 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
windowsvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

windows Mitigation

By Microsoft Corporation

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

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:

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

Protections:

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

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .WINDOWS TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .WINDOWS 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
winevnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

wine Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
wmevnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02Yes
woodsidevnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

woodside Mitigation

By Woodside Energy ltd

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion—Brand TLD (Specification 13)
Provide a brief explanation of the TLD: Woodside Petroleum Limited has applied for .WOODSIDE to run a closed .brand environment.
Protections
Woodside Petroleum Limited for the .WOODSIDETLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Woodside Petroleum Limited will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:
1. .WOODSIDE is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .WOODSIDE is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .WOODSIDE has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .WOODSIDE that requires that all domain names in the .WOODSIDE TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .WOODSIDE TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .WOODSIDE TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.
Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .WOODSIDE TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .WOODSIDE TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Woodside Petroleum Limited - its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the Government or the corresponding country code operator.
By this letter, Woodside Petroleum Limited confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-22

Woodside Energy ltdYes
workvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

work 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
worksvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

works Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
worldvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

world Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
wowvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

wow Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the .WOW TLD, proposes release of the following 2-character letter-letter combinations: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, gb, gi, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, tw, uk, and vn. 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, gb, gi, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, tw, uk, or vn) corresponds to its country code:
a. the use in the .WOW TLD 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 .WOW TLD will require registrants of a domain name in the .WOW TLD 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
wtfvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

wtf Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xboxvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xbox Mitigation

By Microsoft Corporation

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

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:

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

Protections:

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

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .XBOX TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .XBOX 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
xeroxvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xerox Mitigation

By Xerox DNHC LLC

.XEROX gTLD Confusion Avoidance Plan
Xerox DNHC LLC, the Registry Operator for the .XEROX gTLD, has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Xerox DNHC LLC will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:
1. .XEROX is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .XEROX is not a Generic String, as the term is defined in Specification 11 of the Registry
Agreement;
3. Xerox DNHC LLC has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for
.XEROX that requires that all domain names in the .XEROX gTLD be registered ONLY by
Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, Xerox DNHC LLC submitted this policy as part
of its application for Specification 13 and has clearly published this registration policy;
and
5. .XEROX 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 .XEROX gTLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designates to the public that the .XEROX gTLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the gTLD are being operated by Xerox DNHC LLC, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not any government or corresponding country-code TLD operator.
With this submission, Xerox DNHC LLC confirms that all registrations of two-letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


View Documents
2016-04-21

Xerox DNHC LLCYes
xinvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xin Mitigation

By Elegant Leader Limited

A Proposal to Minimize the Potential Likelihood of Confusion in Connection with the Allocation of Specific Two Character Domain Names

The .XIN gTLD wishes to help establish a trusted and reliable namespace for the Chinese market.

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 involving a two character domain name associated with the corresponding government and provide a written report in response
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 .XIN TLD is the following text:

“Registry operator reserves the right at its sole discretion to deny, cancel, or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name(s) on registry lock, hold, or similar status, that it deems necessary: (1) to protect the integrity and stability of the registry; (2) to comply with any applicable laws, government rules or requirements, requests of law enforcement, or any dispute resolution process; (3) to avoid any liability, civil or criminal, on the part of registry operator, as well as its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, and employees; (4) per the terms of the registration agreement and this Anti-Abuse Policy, or (5) to correct mistakes made by registry operator or any registrar in connection with a domain name registration. Registry operator also reserves the right to place upon registry lock, hold, or similar status a domain name during resolution of a dispute.



View Documents
2016-04-25

Elegant Leader LimitedNo
xn--3ds443gvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--3oq18vl8pn36avnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--3oq18vl8pn36a Mitigation

By Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd.

.大众汽车 is a closed Brand TLD for the sole and exclusive use of Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd.

Protections
Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (Registry Operator) for the .大众汽车 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:

.大众汽车 is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
.大众汽车 is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
Registry Operator has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .大众汽车 that requires that all domain names in the .大众汽车 TLD be registered only by Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd., its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees.

As required under the Registry Agreement, the Registry Operator will publish 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 .大众汽车 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 submission Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd. confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-21

Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd.Yes
xn--55qx5dvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--czr694bvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--czr694b Mitigation

By HU YI GLOBAL INFORMATION RESOURCES (HOLDING) COMPANY. HONGKONG LIMITED

Please see the attached file that details ". 商标" (dot Trademark) (xn--czr694b)
Registry's implementation plan to avoid confusion with corresponding country codes.


View Documents
2016-04-25

HU YI GLOBAL INFORMATION RESOURCES (HOLDING) COMPANY. HONGKONG LIMITEDNo
xn--czrs0tvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--czrs0t Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xn--czru2dvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--czru2d Mitigation

By Zodiac Registry

This “Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion” is submitted to ICANN on behalf of the Registry Operator of the following TLDs:

Registry Operator TLD English translation
Zodiac Wang Limited .wang “web” or “net” or the Chinese surname "王"
Zodiac Aquarius Limited .商城 (xn--czru2d) .mall
Zodiac Taurus Limited .网店(xn--hxt814e) .web store
Zodiac Gemini Limited .八卦(xn--45q11c) .gossip

All four TLDs are Chinese IDNs, except .wang (a Chinese pinyin). All these TLDs have applied for and three of them have received approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China to operate within the country.

As these TLDs are intended for the millions of the Chinese-speaking Internet users and the way in which pinyin (the official phonetic system for transcribing Chinese characters into Latin alphabet) works, we believe it is extremely unlikely that confusion with corresponding country codes will arise.

Nevertheless, we understand the concerns expressed by governments or ccTLD Managers and set out the protections below that are already in place or to be implemented by Registry Operator, to avoid confusion.

Protections

1. Registry Operator will commit to:

a. investigate any reports of misuse or abusive use, including misleading or deceptive conduct, including those from the relevant government or ccTLD Manager, 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. The Registry Operator’s Anti-Abuse Policy contains the following text that prohibits abusive use and provides consequences for abusive use:

“Registry Operator expressly prohibits abusive use of a domain name for any illegal or fraudulent activities, including but not limited to, distributing malware, abusively operating botnets, phishing, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement, fraudulent or deceptive practices, counterfeiting or otherwise engaging in activity contrary to applicable law”
…
“Registry Operator reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name(s) on registry lock, hold or similar status, that it deems necessary, in its discretion:

a. to enforce any Registry Policies (http://en.zodiac.wang/policy.html, including this policy) and ICANN requirements, as amended from time to time;”

Further, the Registry-Registrar Agreements of all these TLDs require registrars to enter a registration agreement with each Registered Name Holder (“RNH Registration Agreement”) and such agreement must include the following term:

“Registered Name Holder must comply with all Registry Policies (http://en.zodiac.wang/policy.html), as if they were incorporated into, and form part of the RNH Registration Agreement. In the event of any inconsistency between any Registry Policy and the RNH Registration Agreement, then that Registry Policy will prevail to the extent of such inconsistency.”

This mandatory term in the RNH Registration Agreement means registrants in the above TLDs are bound by the Registry’s Anti-Abuse Policy. Thus, if a registrant’s use of a two-character domain name amounts to misuse or abusive use, the domain name may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted.


2016-04-22

Zodiac RegistryNo
xn--fiq228c5hsvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--fjq720avnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--fjq720a Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xn--g2xx48cvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--g2xx48c 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
xn--gk3at1e vnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--gk3at1e  Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the .xn--gk3at1e TLD, proposes release of the following 2-character letter-letter combinations: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, gb, gi, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, tw, uk, and vn. 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, gb, gi, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, tw, uk, or vn) corresponds to its country code:
a. the use in the .xn--gk3at1e TLD 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 .xn--gk3at1e TLD will require registrants of a domain name in the .xn--gk3at1e TLD 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
xn--io0a7ivnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--kcrx77d1x4avnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--kcrx77d1x4a 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
xn--ngbe9e0avnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--ses554gvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--unup4yvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--unup4y Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xn--vermgensberater-ctbvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--vermgensberatung-pwbvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--vhquvvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xn--vhquv Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xn--vuq861bvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--w4r85el8fhu5dnravnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
xn--w4rs40lvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02Yes
xperiavnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xperia Mitigation

By Sony Mobile Communications AB

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:
Sony Mobile Communications AB has applied for .XPERIA to run a closed .brand environment.

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

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


2016-04-25

Sony Mobile Communications ABYes
xxxvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

xxx Mitigation

By ICM Registry

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 any 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.

Furthermore, we have the following Anti-Abuse Policy:

Registry has the right, pursuant to its Registry-Registrant Agreement, to immediately deny, cancel, terminate, suspend, lock, hold, or transfer any domain name and/or registration to ensure registrant’s compliance with the following Anti-Abuse Policy.

1. Accurate Registration Information
Registrant represents and warrants to have provided current, complete, and accurate information in connection with its registration and agrees to correct and update this information to ensure that it remains current, complete, and accurate throughout the term of any resulting registration in a TLD. Registrant’s obligation to provide current, accurate, and complete information is a material element of the Registry-Registrant Agreement, and the registry reserves the right to immediately deny, cancel, terminate, suspend, lock, or transfer any registration if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the information is materially inaccurate.

2. Child Protection Labeling
Registrant understands that Registry Operator may label the sites in the TLD and any site to which such sites are automatically redirected irrespective of the top-level domain for child protection purposes; registrant consents to such labeling.

3. Prohibition on Child Abuse Images and Conduct or Content Designed to Suggest the Presence of Child Abuse Images
The term “child abuse images” is defined as any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, depicting child sexual abuse as stated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Registrant’s sites in the TLD shall not display any child abuse images. Registrant’s sites in the TLD shall not engage in practices that are designed to suggest the presence of child abuse images, including, without limitation, the use of meta-tags for that purpose. Registry Operator will refer any sites in a TLD that are reported to the Registry Operator to be in violation of this policy to child safety hotlines like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), or the International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE).

4. Prohibition on Abusive Registrations
No registrant may register an abusive second-level domain name in the TLD including, without limitation, domain names that infringe the intellectual property rights of a third party, including common law trademark rights; domain names that are obvious variants of well-known trademarks not belonging to the registrant; or domain names that suggest the presence of child abuse images.

5. Prohibition on Malicious Conduct
No registrant shall use or permit use of a domain name in the TLD for or in connection with email spoofing, phishing, spam, or other forms of malicious behavior.

6. Ongoing Best Practices Policies
Registry Operator will revise this Anti-Abuse Policy or the Registry-Registrant Agreement to include commercially reasonable best practices policies developed by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR) that are designed to promote responsible business practices related to (i) combating online child abuse images, (ii) facilitating user choice and parental control regarding access to online adult entertainment, (iii) protecting free expression rights, and/or (iv) protecting the privacy, security, and consumer rights of consenting adult consumers of online adult entertainment goods and services; registrant consents to adhere to such policies.

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 Anti-Abuse Policy, the domain name may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted. 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.


2016-04-19

ICM Registry No
xyzvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
yachtsvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

yachts 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
yodobashivnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

yodobashi Mitigation

By YODOBASHI CAMERA CO.,LTD.

2 Letter Codes Mitigation Plan for YODOBASHI TLDs
(.yodobashi .goldpoint)

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

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

・Clearly publishing this registration policy on Registry Operator`s homepage for the YODOBASHI TLDs at “nic.yodobashi”, and “nic.goldpoint”.

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

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

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

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


2016-04-25

YODOBASHI CAMERA CO.,LTD.Yes
yogavnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

yoga 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
yokohamavnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

yokohama Mitigation

By GMO Registry

About .YOKOHAMA

.YOKOHAMA is a GeoTLD for the city of Yokohama, Japan, operated by GMO Registry, Inc. The purpose of .YOKOHAMA is to promote .YOKOHAMA 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, .YOKOHAMA 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 .YOKOHAMA 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 .YOKOHAMA 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
zapposvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

zappos Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the .Brand TLDs .AUDIBLE, .AWS, .FIRE, .IMDB, .KINDLE, .PRIME, .SILK, and .ZAPPOS (collectively, “the .Brand 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, or tw.

ARSI has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement for each of the .Brand TLDs. Specification 13 contractually requires ARSI to apply measures which, in and of themselves, avoid confusion with the country codes corresponding to the 2-character letter-letter combinations listed above, namely:

1. Each of the .Brand TLDs is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. Each of the .Brand TLDs is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. ARSI has developed and will implement a registration policy for each of the .Brand TLDs that requires all domain names in each such TLD be registered only by ARSI, its Affiliates, or Trademark Licensees of ARSI or its Affiliates;
4. ARSI will publish the registration policy for each of the .Brand TLDs upon delegation; and
5. ARSI has ensured, and will continue to ensure, its compliance with the registration policy through annual certification of qualification for Specification 13 for each of the .Brand TLDs.

Compliance with Specification 13 clearly designates to the public that the .Brand TLDs are proprietary spaces in which ARSI, its Affiliates, or Trademark Licensees of ARSI or its Affiliates use all second-level domain names. Accordingly, there will be no basis on which a letter-letter domain name registered in any of the .Brand TLDs could be confused with the country codes corresponding to the 2-character letter-letter combinations listed above.


2016-04-25

Amazon Registry Services, Inc.Yes
zaravnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

zara Mitigation

By INDITEX, S.A.

.ZARA TLD is a closed Brand new gTLD operated by Inditex S.A.

Protections:

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

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

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


2016-04-20

INDITEX, S.A.Yes
zonevnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02View Mitigation

zone Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
zuerichvnView Comments
2015-12-02
2015-12-02No
aarptwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

aarp Mitigation

By AARP

.AARP gTLD Confusion Avoidance Plan

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

1. .AARP is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .AARP is not a Generic String, as the term is defined in Specification 11 of the Registry Agreement;
3. AARP has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .AARP that requires that all domain names in the .AARP gTLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, AARP submitted this policy as part of its application for Specification 13 and has clearly published this registration policy; and
5. .AARP 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 .AARP gTLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designates to the public that the .AARP gTLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the gTLD are being operated by AARP, its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not any government or corresponding country-code TLD operator.

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


View Documents
2016-04-25

AARPYes
abbtwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

abb Mitigation

By ABB Ltd

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:
ABB Ltd has applied for .ABB to run a closed .brand environment.

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

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


2016-04-25

ABB LtdYes
accenturetwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

accenture Mitigation

By Accenture plc

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion—Brand TLD (Specification 13)
Provide a brief explanation of the TLD: Accenture plc has applied for .ACCENTURE to run a closed .brand environment.

Protections

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


2016-04-20

Accenture plcYes
adulttwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

adult Mitigation

By ICM Registry

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 any 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.

Furthermore, we have the following Anti-Abuse Policy:

Registry has the right, pursuant to its Registry-Registrant Agreement, to immediately deny, cancel, terminate, suspend, lock, hold, or transfer any domain name and/or registration to ensure registrant’s compliance with the following Anti-Abuse Policy.

1. Accurate Registration Information
Registrant represents and warrants to have provided current, complete, and accurate information in connection with its registration and agrees to correct and update this information to ensure that it remains current, complete, and accurate throughout the term of any resulting registration in a TLD. Registrant’s obligation to provide current, accurate, and complete information is a material element of the Registry-Registrant Agreement, and the registry reserves the right to immediately deny, cancel, terminate, suspend, lock, or transfer any registration if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the information is materially inaccurate.

2. Child Protection Labeling
Registrant understands that Registry Operator may label the sites in the TLD and any site to which such sites are automatically redirected irrespective of the top-level domain for child protection purposes; registrant consents to such labeling.

3. Prohibition on Child Abuse Images and Conduct or Content Designed to Suggest the Presence of Child Abuse Images
The term “child abuse images” is defined as any photograph, film, video, picture, or computer or computer-generated image or picture, whether made or produced by electronic, mechanical, or other means, depicting child sexual abuse as stated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Registrant’s sites in the TLD shall not display any child abuse images. Registrant’s sites in the TLD shall not engage in practices that are designed to suggest the presence of child abuse images, including, without limitation, the use of meta-tags for that purpose. Registry Operator will refer any sites in a TLD that are reported to the Registry Operator to be in violation of this policy to child safety hotlines like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), or the International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE).

4. Prohibition on Abusive Registrations
No registrant may register an abusive second-level domain name in the TLD including, without limitation, domain names that infringe the intellectual property rights of a third party, including common law trademark rights; domain names that are obvious variants of well-known trademarks not belonging to the registrant; or domain names that suggest the presence of child abuse images.

5. Prohibition on Malicious Conduct
No registrant shall use or permit use of a domain name in the TLD for or in connection with email spoofing, phishing, spam, or other forms of malicious behavior.

6. Ongoing Best Practices Policies
Registry Operator will revise this Anti-Abuse Policy or the Registry-Registrant Agreement to include commercially reasonable best practices policies developed by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR) that are designed to promote responsible business practices related to (i) combating online child abuse images, (ii) facilitating user choice and parental control regarding access to online adult entertainment, (iii) protecting free expression rights, and/or (iv) protecting the privacy, security, and consumer rights of consenting adult consumers of online adult entertainment goods and services; registrant consents to adhere to such policies.

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 Anti-Abuse Policy, the domain name may be cancelled, locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted. 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.


2016-04-19

ICM Registry No
aegtwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

aeg Mitigation

By Aktiebolaget Electrolux

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:
Aktiebolaget Electrolux has applied for .[TLD] to run a closed .brand environment.

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

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


2016-04-25

Aktiebolaget ElectroluxYes
airforcetwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

airforce Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
allytwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02Yes
amsterdamtwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

amsterdam Mitigation

By City of Amsterdam

For the top level domain .AMSTERDAM we would like to use two letter domains and we propose the following measures to avoid confusion.

A brief explanation of the TLD:
.amsterdam is a geographic TLD for the City of Amsterdam; the City of Amsterdam is the designated Registry Operator. The toplevel domain is open, anyone in the world can register domain names.

Proposed measures to avoid confusion
The proposed protections to avoid confusion with country codes at the second level outlined below specifically apply to: ci, cn, eg, hk, il, in, it, me, pt and sg.

Protections
The 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 government of a related country code, 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.

Policy measures
Contained within our Acceptable Use Policy for .amsterdam is the following text:
".Abuse in the context of this Policy shall be defined as an action that causes actual and substantial harm, or is a material predicate of such harm, or is illegal, illegitimate, or otherwise contrary to this Policy, including, but not limited to, the following:
...
h. Violation of any applicable local, state, national or international law or regulation by use of a Domain Name;
i . The confusing use of a 2character domain name that corresponds to a country code as described in the ISO 3166 alpha 2 standard with the corresponding country code...”

Should a Registrant fail to comply with the Acceptable Use Policy, the registry has the right to lock, transfer or cancel any offending domain name. Thus all Registrants in the TLDs, have an obligation to avoid confusion with two letter country codes and the City of Amsterdam has clear penalties for any failure to do so.


View Documents
2016-05-09

City of AmsterdamNo
analyticstwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

analytics Mitigation

By Karen L. Day

Please see the attached documents outlining our registry's plans to avoid confusion with certain 2 character labels as previously requested.


View Documents
2016-05-06

Karen L. DayNo
anztwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

anz Mitigation

By Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited

Proposed Measure to Avoid Confusion—Brand TLD (Specification 13)
Provide a brief explanation of the TLD: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited has applied for .ANZ to run a closed .brand environment.
Protections
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited for the .ANZ TLD has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:
1. .ANZ is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .ANZ is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. .ANZ has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .ANZ that requires that all domain names in the .ANZ TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .ANZ TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;
5. .ANZ TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.
Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .ANZ TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .ANZ TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited - its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the Government or the corresponding country code operator.
By this letter, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited confirms that all registrations of two letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13


2016-04-22

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group LimitedYes
appletwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02Yes
architwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

archi Mitigation

By Starting Dot

The proposed measure to avoid confusion for .ARCHI applies across all two-character labels.

The proposed measure can be found in the file attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Starting DotNo
armytwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

army Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
artetwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

arte Mitigation

By Association Relative à la Télévision Européenne G.E.I.E.

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:
Association Relative à la Télévision Européenne G.E.I.E. has applied for .ARTE to run a closed .brand environment.

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

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


2016-04-25

Association Relative à la Télévision Européenne G.E.I.E.Yes
audibletwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

audible Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the .Brand TLDs .AUDIBLE, .AWS, .FIRE, .IMDB, .KINDLE, .PRIME, .SILK, and .ZAPPOS (collectively, “the .Brand 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, or tw.

ARSI has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement for each of the .Brand TLDs. Specification 13 contractually requires ARSI to apply measures which, in and of themselves, avoid confusion with the country codes corresponding to the 2-character letter-letter combinations listed above, namely:

1. Each of the .Brand TLDs is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. Each of the .Brand TLDs is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. ARSI has developed and will implement a registration policy for each of the .Brand TLDs that requires all domain names in each such TLD be registered only by ARSI, its Affiliates, or Trademark Licensees of ARSI or its Affiliates;
4. ARSI will publish the registration policy for each of the .Brand TLDs upon delegation; and
5. ARSI has ensured, and will continue to ensure, its compliance with the registration policy through annual certification of qualification for Specification 13 for each of the .Brand TLDs.

Compliance with Specification 13 clearly designates to the public that the .Brand TLDs are proprietary spaces in which ARSI, its Affiliates, or Trademark Licensees of ARSI or its Affiliates use all second-level domain names. Accordingly, there will be no basis on which a letter-letter domain name registered in any of the .Brand TLDs could be confused with the country codes corresponding to the 2-character letter-letter combinations listed above.


2016-04-25

Amazon Registry Services, Inc.Yes
autotwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02No
awstwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

aws Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the .Brand TLDs .AUDIBLE, .AWS, .FIRE, .IMDB, .KINDLE, .PRIME, .SILK, and .ZAPPOS (collectively, “the .Brand 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, or tw.

ARSI has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement for each of the .Brand TLDs. Specification 13 contractually requires ARSI to apply measures which, in and of themselves, avoid confusion with the country codes corresponding to the 2-character letter-letter combinations listed above, namely:

1. Each of the .Brand TLDs is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. Each of the .Brand TLDs is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;
3. ARSI has developed and will implement a registration policy for each of the .Brand TLDs that requires all domain names in each such TLD be registered only by ARSI, its Affiliates, or Trademark Licensees of ARSI or its Affiliates;
4. ARSI will publish the registration policy for each of the .Brand TLDs upon delegation; and
5. ARSI has ensured, and will continue to ensure, its compliance with the registration policy through annual certification of qualification for Specification 13 for each of the .Brand TLDs.

Compliance with Specification 13 clearly designates to the public that the .Brand TLDs are proprietary spaces in which ARSI, its Affiliates, or Trademark Licensees of ARSI or its Affiliates use all second-level domain names. Accordingly, there will be no basis on which a letter-letter domain name registered in any of the .Brand TLDs could be confused with the country codes corresponding to the 2-character letter-letter combinations listed above.


2016-04-25

Amazon Registry Services, Inc.Yes
banktwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

bank Mitigation

By fTLD Registry Services, LLC

Please see the attached file that details fTLD Registry Services' implementation plan for .BANK and .INSURANCE to avoid confusion with corresponding country codes.


View Documents
2016-04-20

fTLD Registry Services, LLCNo
bayerntwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

bayern 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
beatstwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02Yes
berlintwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

berlin Mitigation

By dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG

Proposed Measures to Avoid Confusion within the Community-based GeoTLD .BERLIN for ci, cn, eg, hk, il, in, it, me, pt, sg, tw

“.BERLIN is the top-level domain for the Community of Berliners in the Internet (the .BERLIN Community). The local domain names available with the .BERLIN top-level domain are concise and create an identity for citizens, companies and institutions. Those providing and looking for information, goods and services can thus intuitively come together. The .BERLIN domain names strengthen the feeling of community amongst Berliners, improve communication and make interaction easier, thus providing a stimulus for innovation and development. Both for Berliners and for non-Berliners, Berlin becomes more attractive as a place to visit, as a commercial location and as a place to live.”

Protections

To address the confusion concerns cited by the governments regarding the use of the second-level domains cited above in the .BERLIN, the Registry Operator dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG has implemented a restricted registration policy for .BERLIN that mitigates the potential confusion. To these ends, Registry Operator commits to the following (as mentioned in its application at https://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails:downloadapplication/1777?t:ac=1777):

dotBERLIN developed and implemented a restricted registration policy and enforces this restricted Registration Policy for .BERLIN including:

Eligibility Requirements: To meet the requirements of ICANN to a community-based designation of the application and to meet a sufficient reference to BERLIN, the group of registrants is limited. Exclusively eligible to register a domain name under the top-level domain .BERLIN is any natural person, legal person, organization or association of persons, if they can demonstrate that they have an economic, cultural, historical, social or any other connection to the German capital Berlin, verifiable by
-their residence or second home, office or place of business, a branch or permanent establishment in the City of BERLIN, or
-a contact listed in the Whois database with a domicile in the City of BERLIN, or
-other appropriate proof e.g. the certification by an employer to enroll at a school or college, or birth certificate.

With the registration of a .BERLIN domain name each registrant implicitly signs the registration policies and agrees with the fact that he acknowledges compliance with the registration guidelines. A review of whether the applicant meets the required eligibility, does not take place regularly on the date of registration, however, anyone can check compliance with the registration requirements by initiating an extrajudicial dispute resolution procedure (ʺ.BERLIN Eligibility Requirements Dispute Resolution Policyʺ) or an objection process.

Content and Use Requirements: To meet the requirements of ICANN to a community-based designation of the application, the registrant must satisfy the following criteria for the content and the use of .BERLIN domain names:
- The contents of the website under a domain name must be directly related to the eligibility requirements, and
- the domain must be in use within 12 months of registration.

Legal Safeguards, Enforcement and continued Compliance: To meet the requirements of ICANN to a community-based designation of the application, the registrant must use the .BERLIN domain in an economic, cultural, social or any other meaningful connection to the City of Berlin.

This designation of .BERLIN to the .BERLIN Community will be enforced by specific language in the Registry-Registrar-Agreement that holds gTLD registrars responsible to include the restrictions as outlined above in respective agreements with their gTLD registrants.

The .BERLIN Registry will, from time to time in its sole discretion or upon evidence or advice manually conduct continuing or recurring audits of domain names registered to ensure continued compliance with these requirements. Failure to comply will result in a notice providing 20-days to comply. Non-compliance following such a notice period may result in take-down of the relevant domain name, at the discretion of the Registry.

Those policies have been clearly publishing policy on Registry Operator’s homepage for .BERLIN.

This registration and usage policy would prevent governments from registering domains in the .BERLIN TLD. It would clearly designate to users that .BERLIN was a restricted space in which all second-level domains were registered by eligible Registrants.


2016-04-25

View Mitigation

berlin Mitigation

By dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG


Proposed Measures to Avoid Confusion within the Community-based GeoTLD .BERLIN for su, ru, uk, it, gb, ac, gi, tc, sh, ms, ky, io, bm, fk, ng, kr, il, sg, hk, pn, gs, tw, vn, ln, in, pt

“.BERLIN is the top-level domain for the Community of Berliners in the Internet (the .BERLIN Community). The local domain names available with the .BERLIN top-level domain are concise and create an identity for citizens, companies and institutions. Those providing and looking for information, goods and services can thus intuitively come together. The .BERLIN domain names strengthen the feeling of community amongst Berliners, improve communication and make interaction easier, thus providing a stimulus for innovation and development. Both for Berliners and for non-Berliners, Berlin becomes more attractive as a place to visit, as a commercial location and as a place to live.”

Protections

To address the confusion concerns cited by the governments regarding the use of the second-level domains cited above in the .BERLIN, the Registry Operator dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG has implemented a restricted registration policy for .BERLIN that mitigates the potential confusion. To these ends, Registry Operator commits to the following (as mentioned in its application at https://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicationdetails:downloadapplication/1777?t:ac=1777):

dotBERLIN developed and implemented a restricted registration policy and enforces this restricted Registration Policy for .BERLIN including:

Eligibility Requirements: To meet the requirements of ICANN to a community-based designation of the application and to meet a sufficient reference to BERLIN, the group of registrants is limited. Exclusively eligible to register a domain name under the top-level domain .BERLIN is any natural person, legal person, organization or association of persons, if they can demonstrate that they have an economic, cultural, historical, social or any other connection to the German capital Berlin, verifiable by
-their residence or second home, office or place of business, a branch or permanent establishment in the City of BERLIN, or
-a contact listed in the Whois database with a domicile in the City of BERLIN, or
-other appropriate proof e.g. the certification by an employer to enroll at a school or college, or birth certificate.

With the registration of a .BERLIN domain name each registrant implicitly signs the registration policies and agrees with the fact that he acknowledges compliance with the registration guidelines. A review of whether the applicant meets the required eligibility, does not take place regularly on the date of registration, however, anyone can check compliance with the registration requirements by initiating an extrajudicial dispute resolution procedure (ʺ.BERLIN Eligibility Requirements Dispute Resolution Policyʺ) or an objection process.

Content and Use Requirements: To meet the requirements of ICANN to a community-based designation of the application, the registrant must satisfy the following criteria for the content and the use of .BERLIN domain names:
- The contents of the website under a domain name must be directly related to the eligibility requirements, and
- the domain must be in use within 12 months of registration.

Legal Safeguards, Enforcement and continued Compliance: To meet the requirements of ICANN to a community-based designation of the application, the registrant must use the .BERLIN domain in an economic, cultural, social or any other meaningful connection to the City of Berlin.

This designation of .BERLIN to the .BERLIN Community will be enforced by specific language in the Registry-Registrar-Agreement that holds gTLD registrars responsible to include the restrictions as outlined above in respective agreements with their gTLD registrants.

The .BERLIN Registry will, from time to time in its sole discretion or upon evidence or advice manually conduct continuing or recurring audits of domain names registered to ensure continued compliance with these requirements. Failure to comply will result in a notice providing 20-days to comply. Non-compliance following such a notice period may result in take-down of the relevant domain name, at the discretion of the Registry.

Those policies have been clearly publishing policy on Registry Operator’s homepage for .BERLIN.

This registration and usage policy would prevent governments from registering domains in the .BERLIN TLD. It would clearly designate to users that .BERLIN was a restricted space in which all second-level domains were registered by eligible Registrants.


2016-04-25

dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KGNo
bettwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

bet 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
bingotwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

bingo Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
biotwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

bio Mitigation

By Starting Dot

This response applies across all two-character labels.

PROPOSED MEASURE TO AVOID CONFUSION – .BIO

StartingDot is the Registry Operator of the .BIO generic Top Level Domain string (gTLD) since June 2, 2014.

The .BIO gTLD is generally available to all Registrants, and among others, to actors in the fields of agriculture, food and farming. The .BIO gTLD intends to serve all of these topics and areas, while ensuring that national and international organic standards are respected.

The .BIO gTLD is established on the basis of the core organic agriculture principles that have been formulated by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (“IFOAM – Organics International”). IFOAM – Organics International is an official Partner of the .BIO Registry Operator.

The Principles of Organic Agriculture (“POA”) aim to inspire the organic movement in its full diversity, and to help steer the development of positions, programs and standards in the organic community. They are used as the principal framework for defining the .BIO registration policies. In order to apply for a .BIO domain name, the registrant is required to comply with specific requirements related to organic agriculture compliance mechanisms.

To address the confusion concerns cited by the relevant governments regarding the use of second-level domains (SLDs) in .BIO, StartingDot, has (i) implemented a registration policy for .BIO and (ii) established an Anti-Abuse Policy that mitigates the potential confusion addressed by the governments. Based on the above, StartingDot has:

• Developped and implemented a restricted registration policy for .BIO included in the .BIO Domain Name Policy (“.BIO DNP”). According to the .BIO DNP, although a .BIO domain name can be registered by anyone, specific terms of use apply to Registrants who are producers, transformers and retailers, or otherwise involved in the field of agriculture, food and farming when there is:

- A nexus with the European Union (i.e.: selling, exporting to or trading agricultural or food product in the European Union) or other relevant markets where the word “bio” may be used to refer to legally labeled and marketed organic, biological, ecological, biodynamic, or similarly named goods or intending to do so (“nexus with the European Union”); and

- No nexus with the European Union.

b. The Registrant who has no nexus with the European Union must commit to abiding by the POA.

c. The Registrant who has a nexus with the European Union must commit to abiding by both:

- The POA; and

- The Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labeling and its derived legislation, or any regulations in force in other relevant markets (the “E.C Regulations”).

• Made public on StartingDot’s website (www.startingdot.com) the abovementioned .BIO DNP;

• Included the .BIO Domain Name Policy in the StartingDot Registry – Registrar Agreement (RRA) signed with all the appointed registrars for .BIO;

• Enforced the .BIO Domain Name Policy by monitoring registrations on a random basis. StartingDot performs quarterly controls of .BIO registrations together with IFOAM – Organics International and ensures that registrants meet the eligibility criteria established in the .BIO DNP. StartingDot has also developped an Anti-Abuse Policy published on its website, which establishes StartingDot’s actions in case of an abuse of the .BIO domain space.

• Made public on StartingDot’s website (www.startingdot.com) the abovementioned Anti-Abuse Policy which contains specific text with regards to domain names that correspond to a country code described in the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard.

The .BIO Domain Name Policy would not prevent governments from registering domains in the .BIO TLD. However, if the latter register a .BIO domain name they must abide by the principles established under the .BIO DNP .

Finally, as stated in the Anti-Abuse Policy, should a Registrant fail to comply with the Anti-Abuse Policy, the domain name may be subject to cancellation or other penalty measures (domain being locked, placed on hold, transferred or deleted). Thus all Registrants in the .BIO gTLD, have an obligation to avoid confusion with two letter country codes and we have clear penalties for any failure to do so.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Starting DotNo
boehringertwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

boehringer Mitigation

By Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:
Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH has applied for .BOEHRINGER to run a closed .brand environment.
Protections

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

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


2016-04-25

Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbHYes
booktwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

book Mitigation

By Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

Amazon Registry Services, Inc. (“ARSI”), the Registry Operator for the .BOOK TLD, proposes release of the following 2-character letter-letter combinations: ai, bh, bm, ci, cn, eg, es, 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, es, il, in, io, it, kr, ky, me, ms, pt, ru, sg, sh, su, tc, or tw) corresponds to its country code:
a. the use in the .BOOK TLD 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 .BOOK TLD will require registrants of a domain name in the .BOOK TLD 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
bootstwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

boots Mitigation

By THE BOOTS COMPANY PLC

.boots is a closed top-level domain name for the sole and exclusive use of THE BOOTS COMPANY PLC.

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


2016-04-25

THE BOOTS COMPANY PLCYes
bridgestonetwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

bridgestone Mitigation

By Bridgestone Corporation

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

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:

.bridgestone is a closed Brand new gTLD operated by Bridgestone Corporation

Protections:

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

1. .bridgestone is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;

2. .bridgestone is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;

3. .bridgestone TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .bridgestone that requires that all domain names in the .bridgestone TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;

4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .bridgestone TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;

5. .bridgestone TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

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


2016-04-25

Bridgestone CorporationYes
brokertwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

broker 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
budapesttwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

budapest 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
bzhtwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02No
cafetwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

cafe Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
cartwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02No
carstwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02No
casinotwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

casino Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
cbatwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

cba Mitigation

By Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Refer measures in attached PDF document


View Documents
2016-04-13

Commonwealth Bank of AustraliaYes
cerntwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

cern Mitigation

By European Organization for Nuclear Research ("CERN")

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

Provide a brief explanation of the TLD:

.cern is a closed top-level domain name for the sole and exclusive use of THE EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH (“CERN”).

Protections

THE EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH (“CERN”) is the Registry Operator for the .cern TLD and has executed Specification 13 of the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that CERN will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:

1. .cern is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;

2. .cern is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11;

3. .cern TLD has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .cern that requires that all domain names in the .cern TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator and its Affiliates;

4. As required under the Registry Agreement, the .cern TLD will clearly publish this registration policy;

5. .cern TLD will conduct internal reviews at least once per calendar year to ensure continued compliance with Specification 13.

Compliance with Specification 13 prohibits the .cern TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designate to the public that .cern TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by CERN and its Affiliates and not the government or the corresponding country code operator.

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


2016-04-25

European Organization for Nuclear Research ("CERN")Yes
cfdtwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

cfd 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
chaneltwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

chanel Mitigation

By Chanel International B.V.

CHANEL INTERNATIONAL B.V., the Registry Operator for the .CHANEL TLD, has executed Specification 13 to the Registry Agreement. Specification 13 already contractually requires that CHANEL INTERNATIONAL B.V. will apply measures which, by their very nature, avoid confusion with the corresponding country code, namely the following:
1. .CHANEL is identical to a qualifying registered trademark;
2. .CHANEL is not a Generic String, as this is defined in Specification 11 of the Registry Agreement;
3. CHANEL INTERNATIONAL B.V. has developed and will implement a closed registration policy for .CHANEL that requires that all domain names in the .CHANEL TLD be registered ONLY by Registry Operator, its Affiliates, and its Trademark Licensees;
4. As required under the Registry Agreement, CHANEL INTERNATIONAL B.V. submitted this policy as part of its application for Specification 13 and has clearly published this registration policy; and
5. CHANEL INTERNATIONAL B.V. 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 .CHANEL TLD from registering domain names to unaffiliated third parties and thus clearly designates to the public that the .CHANEL TLD is a proprietary space in which all second-level domains in the TLD are being operated by CHANEL INTERNATIONAL B.V., its Affiliates and Trademark Licensees and not the Government or the corresponding country-code operator.
By this letter, CHANEL INTERNATIONAL B.V. confirms that all registrations of two-letter domain names shall comply with the requirements of Specification 13.


2016-04-22

Chanel International B.V.Yes
circletwView Comments
2015-10-14
2015-12-02View Mitigation

circle 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

vn Comments

By Le Thi Ngoc Mo, Deputy Director General of Vietnam Telecommunications Authority (VNTA), Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC)

Dear ICANN,
“vn” is the country code for Viet Nam. The release of the two-character ".vn" label at the second-level under new gTLDs would create confusion with the ccTLD ".vn". On behalf of Viet Nam government, I would like to submit an objection to the release of the “.vn” at the second level under all new gTLDs.
Viet Nam is seting up the accurate criteria for releasing this two character at the second level domain names under new gTLDs . This is sensitive issue for government so it is taking some time for government to consider.
To reiterate, our objections are applied to all new gTLDs who have requested or will be requesting for the release of “.vn” at the second level until we set up the accurate criteria for releasing and send notice to ICANN.
Thank you and best regards,

tw Comments

By Lin, Mao-Shong, Deputy Director, Ministry of Transportation and Communications

I’m writing hereby to submit Taiwan government’s comments on the release of the “tw” label under the New gTLDs.

We object to the release of “tw” as SLD under all the above-mentioned New gTLDs for their registration by the corresponding Registry operators. We reserve the right to change position in this regard in the future.

The rationale of our objections are below:
Since “tw” label is the country code for Taiwan, the use of “tw” as SLD under these diverse New gTLDs would create confusion or concerns at multiple levels on our part, which include, but not limited to, ”dwarfing national dignity”, “violation of public order or good social custom”, “affecting the rights of domestic enterprises”, and “being prone to produce perplexity to our disadvantage”.

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."