Skip to main content
Resources

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As of 13 December 2016, this page is no longer active.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.

Download Excel
TLD  Two
Characters  		Comments from GovernmentLast
updated  		RO Mitigation PlanRO NameBRAND TLD
workptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
worksptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View Mitigation

works Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
worldptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View Mitigation

world Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
wowptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
wtfptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View Mitigation

wtf Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xboxptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
xeroxptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
xinptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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--3ds443gptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--3oq18vl8pn36aptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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--55qx5dptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--czr694bptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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--czrs0tptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View Mitigation

xn--czrs0t Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xn--czru2dptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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--fiq228c5hsptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--fjq720aptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View Mitigation

xn--fjq720a Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xn--g2xx48cptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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 ptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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--io0a7iptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--kcrx77d1x4aptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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--ngbe9e0aptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--ses554gptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--unup4yptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View Mitigation

xn--unup4y Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xn--vermgensberater-ctbptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--vermgensberatung-pwbptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--vhquvptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View Mitigation

xn--vhquv Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xn--vuq861bptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--w4r85el8fhu5dnraptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
xn--w4rs40lptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30Yes
xperiaptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
xxxptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
xyzptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
yachtsptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
yodobashiptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
yogaptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
yokohamaptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
zapposptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
zaraptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View 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
zoneptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30View Mitigation

zone Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
zuerichptView Comments
2015-11-30
2015-11-30No
abogadoesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View Mitigation

abogado 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
bankesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View 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
bingoesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View Mitigation

bingo Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
bioesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View 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
bookesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View 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
brokeresView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View 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
casinoesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View Mitigation

casino Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
forexesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View Mitigation

forex 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
juegosesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20No
pharmacyesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View Mitigation

pharmacy Mitigation

By National Association of Boards of Pharmacy

Background

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

Implementation Plan to Avoid Confusion

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

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

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

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

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


View Documents
2016-04-25

National Association of Boards of PharmacyNo
theateresView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View Mitigation

theater Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
theatreesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20No
vinesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View Mitigation

vin Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
wineesView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View Mitigation

wine Mitigation

By Donuts Inc.

Attached.


View Documents
2016-04-25

Donuts Inc.No
xxxmyView Comments
2015-11-20
2015-11-20View 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
airforcenzView Comments
2015-11-10
2015-11-10View 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
armynzView Comments
2015-11-10
2015-11-10View 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
navynzView Comments
2015-11-10
2015-11-10View Mitigation

navy Mitigation

By United TLD Holdco

Please see attached PDF on behalf of United TLD Holdco


View Documents
2016-04-25

United TLD Holdco No
abbaaView Comments
2015-11-02
2015-11-02View 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
tabnaView Comments
2015-10-30
2015-10-30View Mitigation

tab Mitigation

By Tabcorp Holdings Limited

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


2016-04-22

Tabcorp Holdings LimitedYes

pt Comments

By Ana Cristina Ferreira Amoroso das Neves, Director, Department Information Society, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education

I request previous comments to objections to the release of the ".pt" as the SLD signalling 1) consumer protection concerns and confusion; 2) some gTLD correspond to a regulated market in EU countries, so their release might generate possible abuses and confusion at the end-users level and therefore must be subject to authorization by the Portuguese Government; 3) others should remain reserved so that can only be assigned to a person, entity or corporation proposed or accepted by the Portuguese Government, which demands consultations with the Portuguese Government. These comments are due to the ICANN's new process launched on the 6th October 2015 on the use of the 2-letter CC and CN at the SLD, taken into account nonetheless GAC's advice from Dublin Communiqué (October 2015). Confusability exists in all instances since the PT code is widely recognized both on and off the Internet as an identifier for Portugal. In this regard, we are concerned that consumers assume that persons or undertakings operating under "pt.string" not only offer their services in Portugal or products or services related to Portugal but that they comply with applicable regulations. As this may not be warranted by registration policies and contracts, we would request Portuguese Government is consulted before any registration, regardless of the grounds for objection. Portugal reserves the right to change position in this regard in the future.
The Portuguese Government will continue to closely follow the evolution of the market and of the technical and political framework to collect data and evidence to better understand the consequences of such release.

es Comments

By GEMA CAMPILLOS GONZALEZ, Deputy Director on Information Society Services, Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism

I request previous comments (signalling consumer protection concerns in most cases and demanding consultations with the Spanish Government before assigning them to second level domain name registrants) be taken into account as the GAC has recommended in its recent Dublin Communiqué (2015).

Confusion with the country identified by the label ".es" underlies comments submitted. Were there not be such an association between the country and the string, there would be no grounds for objecting. Confusability exists in all instances since the ES code is widely recognized both on and off the Internet as an identifier for Spain. Our Government only deems necessary to interfere in the allocation of second level domains with the "es" label where other concerns arising from the association of the string with our country come out.

In this regard, we are concerned that consumers asumme that persons or undertakings operating under "es.string" not only offer their services in Spain or products or services related to Spain but that they comply with applicable regulations. As this may not be warranted by registration policies and contracts, we would request Spanish Government is consulted before these names are registered.

We are open to consider other mitigation plans that effectively address concerns expressed successively by our Government.

my Comments

By Nur Yushan Binti Yusof, Acting Deputy Director, Network media and Security Management Department

We hereby respectfully submit an objection to release of “my” with names in the subject line for its registration by the registry operators of the TLDs.

.MY is the ccTLD representing Malaysia under ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code, duly delegated to MYNIC Berhad by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) with registration record dated 8th June 1987. MY means Malaysia to the Internet community globally and locally. The use of "MY" as SLD in new gTLDs would give the perception that the domain names in question belong to or are related to Malaysia and the Malaysian community.

The preamble to the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) Operating Principles dated April 2005 states that ccTLDs are operated in trust by the Registry for the public interest, including the interest of the Internet community, on behalf of the relevant public authorities including governments, who ultimately have public policy authority over their ccTLDs, consistent with universal connectivity of the Internet. In this context, "MY" officially represents the ccTLD for Malaysia and it is operated in trust by MYNIC Berhad as the duly appointed Registry pursuant to national laws by the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for the public interest, which includes the interests of the Internet community in Malaysia and globally.

Reference is made to ICANN NGPC Resolution No. 2014.02.05.NG01 and Category 1 Safeguards as Public Interest Commitments in Specification 11 of the new gTLD Registry Agreement. We emphasize on the importance to ensure that these Safeguards are implemented by the Registry operators. We also emphasize on the obligations for Registry Operators to implement measures to avoid confusion and misleading use. Until and unless those measures to avoid confusion and misleading use are implemented by Registry operators, MCMC requests that:-

Registry operator should consult both MCMC and MYNIC on any request for domain name registration of "MY" at the SLD in .XXX TLD.

nz Comments

By Nicola Treloar, GAC Representative for New Zealand, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Please find below comments from the New Zealand Government regarding ICANN’s request to for governments and others who commented on two-character letter/label requests clarify their reasons for commenting, and the statement by ICANN to “note that confusion with the corresponding country code is the standard by which ICANN will evaluate requests and comments submitted under the Authorization Process”.

BASE REGISTRY AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Specification 5 of the Base Registry Agreement states that:

• Two-character label strings may be released to the extent that Registry Operator reaches agreement with the related government and country-code manager of the string as specified in the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard.

• The Registry Operator may propose the release of these reservations based on its implementation of measures to avoid confusion with the corresponding country codes, subject to approval by ICANN.

We would note that under the Base Registry Agreement, the requirement to specify how confusion with corresponding country codes will be managed is a requirement that the Registry Operator must specify in its application, rather than a requirement that the related government and country-code manager of the string must fulfil. We would welcome the opportunity to review any measures proposed by the Registry Operator.

PREVIOUS GAC ADVICE

Further, we note the GAC Advice on this matter provided in its GAC Dublin Communique of 21 October 2015. The Communique reiterates GAC’s previous advice on two-character label strings, which recommended that governments´ comments be fully considered. That advice was accepted by Board resolution 2015.02.12.16. The GAC also advised the Board that comments submitted by the relevant Governments be fully considered regardless of the grounds for objection.

NEW ZEALAND POSITION ON USE OF .NZ WITH THE DOMAINS .AIRFORCE, .ARMY, AND .NAVY

Notwithstanding the advice provided in the GAC Dublin Communique of 21 October 2015, we provide the following clarification regarding our concerns with the release of the .nz country code in association with the domains .airforce, .army, and .navy:

• On 25 March 2015 the New Zealand Government advised ICANN that it was unable to agree to the use of its country code in association with the above domain names without further consultation.

• In May 2015, the New Zealand Government contacted the relevant Registry Operator, United TLD Holdco Ltd (‘United TLD’), to outline the reasons behind our response, and to invite United TLD to discuss its request further if it wishes to progress its request.

• We consider the United TLD proposal to use country codes with these domain names, and particularly with the use of ‘nz’, is likely to increase confusion among users. Unlike many country codes, ‘nz’ is a common term used to refer to country of New Zealand. This is demonstrated by the official use of the term ‘NZ Army’ to refer to the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force. This is one of the key reasons behind the moderation of domain names relating to the military within the .nz country code Top Level Domain.

• We also consider the United TLD proposal has the potential to cause reputational harm to the New Zealand Government, in that anyone receiving a communication from the likes of ‘nz.army’, ‘nz.navy’, or ‘nz.airforce’ would have a good probability of assuming it came from the New Zealand Defence Force or a New Zealand Government Service.

• We acknowledge that during the application process for the .army, .navy, and .airforce domains names, these names were identified as likely to cause confusion for users, and that United TLD made additional commitments in order reduce the potential for confusion among users. While these commitments go some way towards addressing concerns about the use of these domain names in general, we do not consider these measures are appropriate to address user confusion and reputational risk when using these domain names in association with country codes.

aa Comments

By testing, testing, testing

this is a test - do not post

na Comments

By Ziegie Willemse, Deputy Director - MICT, ICTD

RESPONSE TO APPLICATIONS TO AUTHORIZE TWO-CHARACTER (LETTER-LETTER) DOMAINS AT THE SECOND LEVEL BY GAC REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA: 25 MAY 2015

We hereby respectfully submit an objection to release of “.na" with the names in the subject line for its registration by the registry operators of the TLD. We further request clarification from ICANN regarding the implementation of Specification 5 of the current Registry Agreement preventing all two-character ASCII labels from registration or allocation to a registry operator at the second level within the TLD. However, such two-character label strings may be released to the extent that the registry operator reaches agreement with the relevant government and country code manager of the string as specified in the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 standard (my emphasis added).
".na" is the country code for Namibia and the Applicants are new gTLDs. Save for an agreement between the involved Registry Operators and the Namibian Government, through facilitation by the designated government representative accredited to the GAC, the “.na" with the names in the subject line must remain reserved until assigned to a person or entity proposed, supported or accepted by the Namibian Government and the ccTLD manager for “.na”.
The objection and request for clarification are necessitated based on the following considerations:
· A national policy on the matter is due to be revised to address changes and advances in the Namibian DNS arrangements, which may require such reservations.
· The Namibian Government enacted national legislation on the operation and management of the “.na’ name and these are subject to revision, including ongoing consultations to develop a Namibian solution for the mandate to administer the “.na” name.
· The Namibian Government and wider internet community have limited understanding and appreciation for the two-character ASCII labels authorization process and need urgent and effective capacity building in this critical area from ICANN.
This would allow us to avoid third parties using the name “.na” for the wrong reasons and in a way that could negatively affect the Namibian internet community and the Government of Namibia.
We shall appreciate being informed of the decision taken in regards to our request and objection.

Kind regards,

Henri Jacob Kassen
Director for ICT Development
Ministry of ICT, Government of Namibia

A note about our terms of service:

We have updated our electronic terms of service to provide greater transparency and align with laws applicable to us. Learn more.

This site uses cookies to deliver an efficient user experience and to help us see how the site is used. Learn more.OK

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."