18(a) Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD

Prototypical answer:

Our vision is to create a world-class, innovative and trusted TLD for London, to be operated in the public interest, through a commercial business model which reinvests profits for the benefit of London. Dot London Domains Ltd. (DLD – a wholly owned subsidiary of London & Partners Ltd.) has secured the support of the Mayor of London and non objection from UK Government to bring forward this application for the London TLD (.LONDON). We believe that operating a successful London TLD registry and the subsequent use of .LONDON domains will:
- Enhance the reputation of London and promote the London brand
- Amplify London & Partners’ promotional activity
- Position London as a leading centre of technology and innovation
- Promote consumer choice and benefit registrants by offering relevant and affordable .LONDON domain names
- Create jobs and economic benefit for London

LONDON context
London is a leading world city and a vibrant centre for business, investment, technology, creativity, education and tourism. London is made up of the City of London Corporation and 32 boroughs, has a population of 7,900,500 and is home to 331,540 businesses. London attracts over 100,000 international students from 200 nations to its higher education institutions and welcomes millions of visitors each year. London is the powerhouse of the UK economy and is Europeʹs leading centre for technology. According to a recent report on Londonʹs Digital Economy (GLA, 3 Jan 2012), there are over 23,000 ICT and software companies in London, the highest number of any European city. London hosts a quarter of all British jobs in computer and related activities and 22% of jobs in telecommunications. According to the Experian Business Strategies Regional Planning Service, in 2010 the Gross Value Added of communications companies in London was £7.9 billion.

London is in the international spotlight during this unique and special year. Her Majesty the Queenʹs Diamond Jubilee celebrations, closely followed by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, will see the city celebrate as never before. Many high profile sporting and cultural events are planned for future years as the Olympic legacy London’s and presence on the world stage continues.

London is a diverse, cultural and evolving capital city that welcomes enterprise, provides opportunities for businesses and individuals and adopts technological change. .LONDON domains will support the digital platforms on which these activities can flourish.

Demand
Over the last decade, the global market for domain name registrations has grown at a tremendous rate. From 2000 to 2010 registrations increased from 40 million to 200 million. 2011 saw growth of approx. 9%, which was significantly higher than the previous year’s 6% growth, ending third quarter 2011 with approx. 220 million domain names registered. Approx. 60% are gTLDs while the remaining 40% are ccTLDs. Specifically, gTLD growth was 8% in 2011, while ccTLD growth exceeded 11%. Considering the opportunities available from new gTLDs, growth is expected to continue in all sectors of the domain name industry. Established gTLDs, such as .COM and .NET, do not provide solutions for many registrants and domain names that relate to their businesses, interests or associations are often already registered and if for sale are costly. Therefore acquiring a relevant and useful domain name may only be achievable through a new gTLD.

This clearly demonstrates there is likely to be high and sustainable demand for .LONDON domains and audiences will be receptive to digital channels and communications that use .LONDON domains.

Mission and purpose
Our mission is to generate benefits for London and Londoners and provide .LONDON domains to:
- Those interested in disseminating information, whether commercial, non-commercial, news, culture, lifestyle, entertainment, sports or any other topic and who wish to associate themselves and their information with London.
- Those interested in selling goods and services or providing information and who wish to associate themselves and their goods, services and information with London.
- Individuals, organisations and businesses who wish to associate themselves or identify with London

Our purpose is to:
- Make .LONDON domains available to organisations and individuals in London, the UK and world-wide and by the use of .LONDON domains, enable them to associate their products, information and themselves with London for their own legal purposes.
- Allow organisations and individuals to promote their association or identification with London and provide a means to communicate with those who associate or identify with London.
- Increase the number of organisations and individuals that identify with London through their use of .LONDON domains and email accounts.
- Make .LONDON domains affordable and available subject to compliance with the rules governing .LONDON discussed elsewhere in this application.
- Operate a safe and secure registry for .LONDON that exceeds ICANN’s requirements.

Registry operator and RSP
DLD is the .LONDON applicant, the registry operator for .LONDON. and is a wholly owned subsidiary of London & Partners Ltd, the official promotional organisation for London. London & Partners is a not for profit organisation and through its remit acts in the interests of London. London & Partners Ltd. is funded by the Greater London Authority and derives additional income from commercial activites. London & Partners operates Londonʹs official tourism website www.visitlondon.com which attracts over 16.5 million unique visits a year. Registry services for .LONDON will be provided by Minds + Machines Ltd. (a subsidiary of Top Level Domain Holdings LTD) and supported by Minds + Machines LLC of the USA. Minds + Machines Ltd will operate Espresso, the complete registry services platform used by Minds + Machines LLC and described elsewhere in this application. DLD, Minds + Machines Ltd. and their parent companies give their full commitment to operating a safe, stable and sustainable registry for .LONDON and the organisations will be the proud custodians of a vital piece of the Internetʹs infrastructure.

Operating model
Generally, the London TLD will operate on a first come, first served basis. Pricing will be competitive and the business model will be sustainable. We expect applicants will have an association or affiliation with London, however this need not be based on the location of the applicant. This will ensure .LONDON domains are accessible to London organisations and individuals and those with a geographical connection, affinity with, or customer base in London.

Policy development
DLD is committed to developing .LONDON policies through a multi-stakeholder model of engagement and consultation in line with industry best practice. The stakeholder constituency will be broad and consist of London-specific communities, London and UK-wide organisations and bodies and issue-specific communities or organisations who may present particular points of view during the policy making process. DLD will facilitate and manage this process and acknowledges that setting effective policies will be vital to the success of .LONDON. The process should be perceived as open and transparent, in which legitimate concerns will be heard. DLD and Minds + Machines Ltd.’s policies will endeavour to protect consumers from harm and to secure businesses existing rights, as set out in responses to questions 28 and 29.

IP
DLD owns the Dot London trade mark in the UK (under registration no.2501539) and this will be a key part of our strategy to build and promote the Dot London brand.

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