18(b) How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

Prototypical answer:

The goal of .THEHARTFORD is to enhance The Hartford’s services and relationships with Hartford Users by providing trustworthy access to account information, service transactions, and intranet access and minimizing the associated risks, such as malware, phishing, cyberpiracy and counterfeit products, by assuring users that they are interacting with a legitimate company and an authentic website. The goal is to further enhance the brand recognition and reach of The Hartford. Further, the .THEHARTFORD gTLD will provide ease of navigation and decrease operating costs to Hartford Users by providing a memorable, distinctive Internet address, and by connecting all of the The Hartford’s subsidiary companies and agents through a single online portal. The Hartford’s internal costs will also be substantially reduced by, for instance, eliminating the costs associated with engaging in dispute resolution and registering domain names defensively.

The .THEHARTFORD gTLD will increase competition by drawing new customers to The Hartford, enhancing certain search engine results and offering greater control over second-level domains, which will provide additional means to promote individual products and services. The new gTLD will also strengthen alignment between The Hartford’s Internet presence and its overall messaging and product portfolio, supporting brand makeovers, extending branding to channel partners (e.g., “channel.thehartford”), and enabling The Hartford to quickly create a greater online presence for new products, offers, and services (e.g., auto.thehartford, life.thehartford).

As a .BRAND gTLD, .THEHARTFORD will increase the overall trustworthiness of transactions online and make navigation more intuitive for people seeking information or transactions by improving direct navigation traffic. The .THEHARTFORD gTLD could be the foundation on which second-generation social media and new online communities are built. This would allow The Hartford to provide benefits to its users in how the company interacts, shares information and connects with other people, organizations and causes around the globe. In addition, highly targeted domain names and the ability to create domain names and URLs rich with keywords may drive user interaction by aiding certain search engine optimization (SEO) and making it easier to browse web content and applications via mobile devices. By issuing second-level domain names to valued partners and resellers, The Hartford may be able to extend the prestige and trust associated with its brands, potentially strengthening relationships, creating new joint marketing opportunities, and reaching new audiences. The Hartford could offer affinity email addresses to enable consumers to associate and communicate with their favorite brands in an entirely new way, potentially expanding marketing opportunities and creating new revenue streams. Additionally, the .THEHARTFORD gTLD will provide Hartford Users with confidence that they are interacting with The Hartford and not an unauthorized third party.

.THEHARTFORD will be an internal use TLD compliant with section 6 of the Code of Conduct in that all domain name registrations in the TLD will be registered to and maintained by The Hartford for its own exclusive use, and The Hartford will not sell, distribute or transfer control of any domain name registrations in .THEHARTFORD to any third party that is not an affiliate of The Hartford. Additionally, The Hartford’s DNS Admin, accessible at dnsadmin@thehartford.com, will serve as the sole registrant of .THEHARTFORD domain names and will control any changes to the domain name such as WhoIs information or domain name servers.

The websites posted at domain names are for the sole use of Hartford Users. The Hartford may set up portals through which Hartford Users can log in and access information, but such individuals will have no control over the domain names or have the ability to alter the information posted on the websites, including name servers. Should a Hartford User wish to change any information presented on a .THEHARTFORD website, such Hartford User will be required to send a request to the DNS Admin. The request will then be reviewed by the Intellectual Property Unite (“IP Unit”), Information⁄Technology Department (“IT Dept.”) and Information Security Department (“Security Dept.”), as appropriate, and will either be granted or denied. If the request is granted, the IT Dept. will make the requested change.

If, in the future, The Hartford allows domain names to be registered using the name of a Hartford User (i.e., JOHNSMITH.THEHARTFORD or EXAMPLEAGENCY.THEHARTFORD), The Hartford will still serve as the registrant of all domain names. Such Hartford User will not have access to the administration of the domain name and would need to request administrative changes through the procedure defined in the paragraph above.

After a Hartford User requests the registration of a domain name, The Hartford will verify and authenticate that it is a bona fide Hartford User and will verify the Hartford User’s identity and other pertinent information (such as identifying information, including birth date and address, etc., as applicable) to determine whether to issue the domain name per the Hartford User’s request. If Hartford Users with the same name request a domain name registration, The Hartford will provide differing nomenclature.

The Hartford’s IP Unit will check all requested domain names for any trademark issues, including confirming that the requested domain name does not incorporate any trademarks listed in the Trademark Clearinghouse. Further, only Hartford Users will be able to submit a request for the registration of a domain name, and only those with a verified relationship with The Hartford will be granted requests. If a domain name registration request is granted, The Hartford’s IT Dept. will work with .THEHARTFORD’s registrar to complete the domain name registration.

The Hartford will incorporate all ICANN policies and requirements into its domain name registration agreements. At this time, The Hartford does not plan to allow use of International Domain Names at any level. All domain name registrations will comprise the letters A-Z, numbers 0-9, and hyphens. Additionally, as set forth in question 22, The Hartford will reserve the following from .THEHARTFORD domain names:
1. All two character paths are reserved and may only be used as country and language codes. The country codes follow IANA domain naming conventions.
2. All country and region names are reserved.
3. Country and language codes cannot be used as part of a domain name at the second level or any other level domain name within .THEHARTFORD. For example:
a. us.thehartford is not allowed;
b. life.thehartford⁄us⁄ is allowed.
4. If The Hartford desires to use a country code in its second or third level domain names in the future, it will seek agreement from that country’s government and approval from ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee.

Because .THEHARTFORD will be a closed registry, only vetted parties can obtain domain name registrations and those who fall out of good standing will be canceled immediately. The Hartford will undertake all privacy protection measures that are required by all applicable laws and as taken in accordance with The Hartford’s own confidential information. Additionally, all .THEHARTFORD domain names will be subject to The Hartford’s Online Privacy Policy as affiliate sites of thehartford.com. A copy of this policy is attached in response to question 30(B).

By reaching and communicating with our current and potential customers and intermediaries that The Hartford has enhanced the security and usability of our online properties by acquiring its own gTLD, the goal of achieving our projected benefits will be easily obtainable. Users of .THEHARTFORD will have increased security, control, and trust in The Hartford. As a result of The Hartford engaging users, it will experience increased revenues, enhanced branding marketing and brand management.

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