gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.photography	Top Level Design, LLC	gmail.com	View

i.) What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?

It is our expectation that .photography will be primarily used by professional photographers, photo enthusiasts, and companies. We do not intend to limit the gTLD to a specific community within the international photography scene. We believe that “photography” is a widely understood word and concept, and that the average Internet user will understand that the content of a .photography domain will be geared towards the expression and pursuit of photographic endeavors.

We hope to create an esteemed reputation throughout the various parts of the photography world by garnering the support of prominent photography organizations, schools, photographers, galleries, and other cultural institutions involved in the production, dissemination, and appreciation of photography. This will be achieved before and after our launch and as an aspect of a comprehensive marketing strategy. By securing endorsements from these organizations, and by getting them to create an online presence in the .photography TLD, we hope to solidify a positive and recognizable reputation as the best TLD option for those involved in photography. However, while we firmly believe that these endorsements may help our marketing efforts, what ultimately matters most is the reputation created throughout the entire photography industry, and not with specific well-known members. Thus, we will focus on creating a safe and secure space that is targeted at all relevant users and not some sections thereof; we believe that pursuing this bottom-up model is not only in the best interest of the productive development of the .photography TLD, but that it also further underscores the importance of the bottom-up, multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance.

ii.) What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of areas of competition, differentiation, or innovation?

A .photography TLD will allow continued growth and innovation within the online photography world and more generally within the photography industry as a whole. It will allow individuals and companies whose primary online interests revolve around photography to create a clear and meaningful distinction between this activity and their domain name. The .photography TLD will create a space that is entirely devoted to the appreciation, discussion, and dissemination of photography.

Implementing .photography into the root zone is not only necessary due to the scarcity of desirable domains in the Internet’s most prominent TLDs, but further necessitated by the size and diversity of the international photography market. Photography does not cleanly fit into any of the current gTLDs: for example, it is not necessarily a “commercial,” “organized,” “informational,” or “business” endeavor. Further, given that photography can transcend national boundaries, it also does not fit well into the purview of ccTLDs. Thus, the .photography TLD will provide a competitive alternative for those with the primary interest of making, appreciating, or facilitating photography; these companies and individuals will no longer have to choose a domain due to necessity and constraint but will have the chance to create a meaningful association between their domain name and its photography-related content. We also believe that creating a .photography TLD will facilitate more dialogue and educational opportunities than any other current TLD.

This does not mean we expect that all photography-centric sites will want to move to a .photography extension. Many companies and professionals may think that their commercial photography business is better served by .com, or that their non-profit photography program is at home in .org. Consequently, by adding a .photography to the root zone, ICANN will be improving existing TLDs by allowing them to become more focused on their intended significance, while simultaneously providing a differentiated and specific extension for those who identify first with photography. This will certainly facilitate more TLD competition, and allow the current offerings to become significantly more differentiated than they currently are.

iii.) What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
Top Level Design, LLC believes the .photography extension is largely self-explanatory and its content is readily apparent to both potential registrants and end-consumers. We hope that the Internet experience of both types of users will therefore be enhanced and simplified by the implementation of .photography into the root zone. Registrants will have the opportunity to clearly, and we hope proudly, identify themselves as a photographer, a photo specialist, or photography enthusiast. Internet users browsing and using sites with a .photography extension will be confident that the website they are navigating will be related to photography. We hope that this interaction between content providers and content consumers will allow the Internet’s photo-centric userbase to work in greater concert and to strengthen their connections globally.

We will create a safe and secure TLD, and believe that this is the most important way to ensure that our users have positive experiences when using .photography.

iv.) Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.

We intend to offer .photography domains through ICANN-accredited registrars, using an open registration policy that requires no verification of any certification, training, or other quantifiable measure of merit. Through targeted marketing efforts and niche pricing levels, we expect to see that a large majority of the domains registered will be by those with plans to develop sites related to photography. In this way, we are insuring the .photography TLD will be open to all individuals and companies that identify through photography, while still maintaining a strongly delineated space.

We will fully implement the requirements made by the ICANN Board with regards to the Trademark Clearinghouse, URS, Trademark PDDRP, RRDRP, and UDRP. We believe the these measures have been suitably developed to prevent defensive registrations, bad faith registrations, and other malicious registrations.

v.) Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.

As per the current requirements in Section 4 of the Registry Agreement, we will implement all necessary thick WHOIS services. We recognize how imperative it is for each registry and ICANN-accredited registrar to be in full compliance with ICANN’s current WHOIS standards, and we plan to update our policy in accordance with any future measures taken by the ICANN Board in regard to the continuous work by the GNSO’s WHOIS Task Force and other recommendations from the SOs. We have no plans to implement any privacy or confidential measures other than fully implementing any and all such measures as required by ICANN.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.gay	Top Level Design, LLC	gmail.com	View

i.) What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?

It is our expectation that .gay will be primarily used by homosexuals, queers, and those individuals that are involved in supporting gay culture, such as advocacy, outreach, and civil rights. Given the wide range of what gay can mean to a specific individual or a group of individuals, and who considers themselves gay, we do not intend to limit the gTLD to a specific community within international gay culture. For example, female-born individuals who have since identified as gay men, regardless of any medical measures taken to facilitate a physical identification, will be just as welcome as homosexual men. While many people may not understand exactly how nuanced gay and queer identification is, we believe that “gay” is a widely understood word and concept, and that the average Internet user will understand that the content of a .gay domain will be geared towards the expression and celebration of gay and queer culture and lifestyles on the Internet.

We hope to create an esteemed reputation throughout the widespread and diverse gay and queer populace by garnering the support of prominent international gay advocacy organizations, gay cultural icons and individuals, and prominent institutions involved in supporting homosexuals and queers. This will be done both before and after our launch and as an aspect of a comprehensive marketing strategy. By securing endorsements from these organizations and individuals, and by getting them to create an online presence in the .gay TLD, we hope to solidify a positive and recognizable reputation as the best TLD option for those passionate about gay culture. However, we firmly believe that while these endorsements may help our marketing efforts, what ultimately matters most is the reputation created throughout the entire gay and queer populace, and not with specific well-known members. Thus, we will focus on creating a safe and secure space that is targeted at all relevant users and not some sections thereof; we believe that pursuing this bottom-up model is not only in the best interest of the productive development of the .gay TLD, but that it further underscores the importance of the bottom-up, multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance.

ii.) What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of areas of competition, differentiation, or innovation?

We at Top Level Design, LLC, believe one of the most significant innovations facilitated by the implementation of the .gay TLD will be the development of a root zone and Internet that more accurately reflect the diverse world we live in. This TLD will create a space where society as a whole, and certain sections thereof, are able to interact and participate in a way that is specific to their wants and needs. It will allow those that are proud of their lifestyle, or those proud to support gay lifestyles, to digitally network and interact in a more cohesive and comprehensive way. This has tremendous potential to allow gays and those that support gays to strengthen their influence and better facilitate education and outreach.

This does not mean we expect that all of the gay-centric sites will want to move to a .gay extension. Many individuals may think that their commercial, gay-catered business is better served by .com, or that their non-profit gay outreach organization is at home in .org. Consequently, by adding a .gay to the root zone, ICANN will be improving existing TLDs by allowing them to become more focused on their intended significance, while simultaneously providing a differentiated and specific extension for those who identify with gay culture. This will certainly facilitate more TLD competition, and allow the current offerings to become significantly more differentiated than they currently are.

iii.) What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

Top Level Design, LLC believes the .gay extension, though broadly defined by the wide spectrum of what constitutes gay, is largely self-explanatory and its content is readily apparent to both potential registrants and end-consumers. We hope that the Internet experience of both types of users will therefore be enhanced and simplified by the implementation of .gay into the root zone. Registrants will have the opportunity to clearly, and we hope proudly, identify themselves with gay culture. Internet users browsing and using sites with a .gay extension will be confident that the website they are navigating will be related to the subject. We hope that this interaction between content providers and content consumers will allow the Internet’s gay, and gay-friendly user bases to work in greater concert and to strengthen their connections globally.

We will create a safe and secure TLD, and believe that this is the most important way to ensure that our users have positive experiences when using .gay.
iv.) Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Given that we recognize the expansiveness and diversity of would be relevant to a .gay TLD, we intend to offer .gay domains through ICANN-accredited registrars, using an open registration policy that requires no verification of any quantifiable measure of merit. Through targeted marketing efforts and niche pricing levels, we expect to see that a large majority of the domains registered will be by those with plans to develop sites related to gay cultures and lifestyles. In this way, we are insuring the .gay TLD will be open to all forms of individual expression, as well as to organizations and companies that identify with gay cultures, while still maintaining a strongly delineated space.

We will fully implement the requirements made by the ICANN Board with regards to the Trademark Clearinghouse, URS, Trademark PDDRP, RRDRP, and UDRP. We believe the these measures have been suitably developed to prevent defensive registrations, bad faith registrations, and other malicious registrations.

v.) Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.

As per the current requirements in Section 4 of the Registry Agreement, we will implement all necessary thick WHOIS services. We recognize how imperative it is for each registry and ICANN-accredited registrar to be in full compliance with ICANN’s current WHOIS standards, and we plan to update our policy in accordance with any future measures taken by the ICANN Board in regard to the continuous work by the GNSO’s WHOIS Task Force and other recommendations from the SOs. We have no plans to implement any privacy or confidential measures other than fully implementing any and all such measures as required by ICANN.