| gTLD | Full Legal Name | E-mail suffix | Detail | | .GAP | The Gap, Inc. | fairwindspartners.com | View |
18.2 How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?
Gap Inc. believes that a proposed .GAP gTLD has the potential to offer the following benefits to Internet users and consumers:
-Establish a trusted source of information and an online marketplace for the millions of consumers who purchase goods and services from Gap, for investors and third parties seeking information, and for the general Internet user population;
-Provide Gap Inc., its partners, and affiliates with short and memorable Internet addresses; provide increased navigation to products, services, advertising campaigns, public interest content, public awareness initiatives, etc.;
-Minimize the cost and need for defensive registrations because domain names will only be allocated by Gap Inc. within the .GAP gTLD to Gap Inc. and verified partners⁄affiliates; and
-Develop a potential platform for the secure access to, and purchase and distribution of Gap brand products and information to consumers, in order to minimize the potential for counterfeit or infringing goods and services.
Also, through the adoption of new gTLDs by the wider Internet user community, consumers may benefit from a lower incidence of phishing and malware often associated with mistypes of domain names in the .COM space that are owned by cybersquatters, since consumers will be navigating to domain names in the .GAP gTLD.
Currently, Gap Inc. operates a number of company websites using a combination of second-level and top-level domain names. A representative sampling of Gap Inc. websites that incorporate geographical identifiers into the domain name include:
-GapNewYork.com
-GapNYC.com
-GapSanFrancisco.com
-GapBoston.com
-GapCanada.com
-GapStore.ca
-Gap.cn
-GapStore.eu
-Gap.eu
Gap Inc. believes that a .GAP gTLD can provide an online single-source identifying function for its current and future customers around the world, instead of the mix-and-match approach currently required for expansion into different global markets.
18.2.1 What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?
The primary mission and purpose of the .GAP gTLD is to provide a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive online marketplace to deliver Gap brand retail content, information about business and focus, and other goods and services. As Gap Inc. continues to expand, the company will continue to pursue and develop opportunities to market and distribute its online content and products to consumers, in the U.S. and internationally, and on various platforms, including the Internet and mobile devices. Given that customers increasingly demand access to Gap Inc. brands through a variety of channels, which include domain names and the address bar, Gap Inc. believes that a .GAP gTLD has the potential to provide an innovative, virtual avenue to Gap brand products that will deepen and broaden its relationship with consumers.
Most importantly, Gap Inc. will be able to provide access to its products and online content in a namespace void of piracy, cybersquatting and other malicious activities. Providing consumers with a trusted experience is paramount to Gap Inc., and a .GAP gTLD will be used to further that goal.
While retail companies such as Gap Inc. must constantly fight to protect their valuable intellectual property from piracy on the Internet, a .GAP gTLD potentially offers consumers a safe and intuitive means of accessing authorized content from Gap Inc. and its affiliates.
Gap Inc. is supportive of existing anti-cybersquatting legislation and consumer protection measures, including the U.S. Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) and others. As Gap Inc. invests in expanding the domain name space through the establishment of a .GAP gTLD, it will also actively prevent cybersquatting, fraud, phishing, and other malicious activities within the .GAP gTLD. Maintaining the highest standards within the .GAP gTLD will give Gap Inc. the opportunity to take a proactive approach to protecting intellectual property rights and fostering a safer online experience for all Internet users.
18.2.2 What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
As a branded gTLD, the primary driving factors of a .GAP gTLD are differentiation and innovation. The success of the gTLD will be measured not by the number of domain names registered, but rather by the level of consumer recognition and trust that is placed in the .GAP gTLD. Using this benchmark, Gap Inc. will strive to build consumer recognition and trust through usage of the .GAP gTLD that rise to the level found in the .EDU and .GOV gTLDs.
As noted above, Gap Inc. is a leading global retail company that leverages numerous distribution channels and emerging technologies to deliver its online content and consumer goods to customers internationally. A .GAP gTLD has the potential to serve as a cornerstone of this online strategy.
18.2.3 What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
Gap Inc. believes that the .GAP gTLD will provide a single trusted ecosystem experience for the millions of consumers worldwide who purchase the company’s products, as well as those who seek information about Gap Inc., including investors and members of the press. Consumers will know that domains and content on .GAP are owned and controlled by Gap Inc. and are thus more likely to be protected from infringing, pirated, or harmful content.
The initial use of the .GAP gTLD will involve a limited number of second-level domain names. This initial use will provide Gap Inc. the ability to ensure seamless and secure access to the Gap website and interoperability with various software and Web⁄mobile-based applications. Once appropriate security and stability issues have been satisfactorily addressed, Gap Inc. expects to begin allocating domain names for internal corporate use and may redirect new .GAP domain names to pre-existing content. This phased rollout will likely take place over a multi-year period, subject to change depending upon a range of external factors.
At the same time, Gap Inc. will evaluate potential strategies to migrate traffic away from the current network of second-level domains registered in various gTLDs, to the .GAP gTLD, which offers the potential to provide customers with a single, trusted online source for Gap brand products and services.
After consideration of the following factors: analysis of Gap Inc.’s existing domain name portfolio; internal analysis of marketing initiatives; and the fact that Gap Inc. will have full control over the number of registrations in the .GAP gTLD namespace, Gap Inc. reasonably assumes that the number of domain name registrations will be less than 10,000 in the first five years of operation.
18.2.4 Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Gap Inc. currently intends for the .GAP gTLD to be used exclusively by Gap Inc. and its partners⁄affiliates. Because of this condition, and because the Gap mark is a valuable brand, the protection of which is paramount to the company, Gap Inc. intends to address registration and use requirements in its partner⁄affiliate agreements, rather than in a domain name registration agreement.
Gap Inc. will, of course, incorporate all required ICANN consensus policies and other legal⁄policy requirements imposed on new gTLD applicants into the terms and conditions of the domain name registration agreement that each partner⁄affiliate will execute.
18.2.5 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 a global retail company, Gap Inc. respects the privacy of its customers and other consumers. The company employs a variety of physical, electronic, contractual, and managerial safeguards to protect personal and confidential information in its stores and on its websites. Gap Inc. will take similar precautions to protect registrant and user data associated with the .GAP gTLD. Furthermore, given that every domain name will be registered to Gap Inc. or a partner⁄affiliate, Gap Inc. has a vested interest in ensuring that accurate and current registrant information is readily available in connection with each .GAP domain name.
Gap Inc. will ensure that the operation of the .GAP will be consistent with Gap Inc.’s Privacy Policy, available on its website at http:⁄⁄www.gap.com⁄.
In addition, Gap Inc. intends to include contractual provisions to protect confidential and personal data in its registrar agreement, including provisions modeled after language in the template Registry Agreement that has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD Registry Operators. The template Registry Agreement states, “Registry Operator shall (i) notify each ICANN-accredited registrar that is a party to the registry-registrar agreement for the TLD of the purposes for which data about any identified or identifiable natural person (‘Personal Data’) submitted to Registry Operator by such registrar is collected and used under this Agreement or otherwise and the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data, and (ii) require such registrar to obtain the consent of each registrant in the TLD for such collection and use of Personal Data. Registry Operator shall take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data collected from such registrar from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction. Registry Operator shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in a way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars.ʺ
18.2.6 Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
Gap Inc. sees the potential for the .GAP gTLD to play a large role in the company’s future online strategy. While the extent of likely benefits is currently uncertain due to questions of consumer recognition, the adoption of new gTLDs, and the response from search engines in the marketplace, all of which will influence the communication and usage strategies for the gTLD, Gap Inc. anticipates a phased-in approach to using and promoting the .GAP gTLD.
As a first step, Gap Inc. plans to start using .GAP domains initially as redirects to existing .COM domains. Subsequently, Gap Inc. expects to initiate a targeted rollout using select gTLD domains as primary addresses and, after careful analysis and study of this rollout, Gap Inc. may engage in a broader initiative, should the results be satisfactory and in accordance with the company’s overall strategic goals. The actual usage of .GAP domain names will dictate what public communications and consumer outreach is conducted to encourage navigation to the .GAP gTLD, including advertising, media outreach, in-store communications, email campaigns, etc.
| gTLD | Full Legal Name | E-mail suffix | Detail | | .EXTRASPACE | Extra Space Storage LLC | msn.com | View |
Extra Space believes that a proposed .EXTRASPACE gTLD has the potential to offer the following benefits to Internet users and consumers:
- Establish a trusted source of information and an online marketplace for the consumers researching self storage options through Extra Space’s online website, for investors and third parties seeking information, and for the general Internet user population; and
- Provide Extra Space and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates with short and memorable Internet addresses; provide increased navigation to self storage locations, services, advertising campaigns, etc;
- Through the adoption of new gTLDs by the wider Internet user community, consumers may benefit from a lower incidence of phishing and malware often associated with mistypes of domain names in the .COM space that are owned by cybersquatters, since consumers will be navigating to domain names in the .EXTRASPACE gTLD; and
- Minimize the cost and need for defensive registrations because domain names will only be allocated by Extra Space within the .EXTRASPACE gTLD to Extra Space and qualified subsidiaries and affiliates.
Extra Space believes that an .EXTRASPACE gTLD can provide an online single-source identifying function for its current and future customers around the world, instead of the mix-and-match approach currently required for expansion into different global markets.
18.2.1 What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?
The primary mission and purpose of the .EXTRASPACE gTLD is to provide a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive online marketplace for consumers looking for information about Extra Space self storage facilities. As Extra Space continues to expand, the company will continue to pursue and develop opportunities to market and reach consumers through the US, and on various platforms, including the Internet and mobile devices.
Most importantly, Extra Space will be able to provide consumers access to Extra Space’s network of self storage facilities void of piracy, cybersquatting and other malicious activities. Providing consumers with a trusted experience is paramount to Extra Space, and an .EXTRASPACE gTLD will be used to further that goal.
Extra Space’s mission is sustainable growth, based around six basic company goals:
• Maximize customer satisfaction
• Provide an excellent product and service
• Develop and maintain mutually beneficial business relationships
• Increase shareholder value
• Grow the business
• Make Extra Space Storage a great place to work
18.2.2 What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?
As a branded gTLD, the primary driving factors of an .EXTRASPACE gTLD are differentiation and innovation. The success of the gTLD will be measured not by the number of domain names registered, but rather by the level of consumer recognition and trust that is placed in the .EXTRASPACE gTLD. Using this benchmark, Extra Space will strive to build consumer recognition and trust through usage of the .EXTRASPACE gTLD that rise to the level found in the .EDU and .GOV gTLDs.
As noted above, Extra Space is a leader in the self-storage sector. This dominance is in large part because of Extra Space’s ability to reap the benefits of its online marketing strategy. Years ago Extra Space had the foresight to recognize that self-storage marketing was making a dramatic shift online. The Internet has now become Extra Space’s leading awareness channel. In 2010, more customers first became aware of Extra Space online than by driving by one if its properties – once the dominant way our industry built brand recognition.
Extra Space leverages numerous distribution channels and emerging technologies such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to market its services to consumers online. An increasing portion of consumer are researching and reserving storage online, nearly half of customers use the Internet during the buying process, compared to the once-predominant Yellow Pages. From 2009 to 2010, Extra Space’s website optimization increased traffic on the Extraspace.com by 43% and customer conversion by a remarkable 144%. An .EXTRASPACE gTLD has the potential to serve as a cornerstone of this online strategy.
18.2.3 What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
Extra Space believes that the .EXTRASPACE gTLD will provide a single trusted ecosystem experience for the millions of consumers worldwide who purchase the company’s products, as well as those who seek information about Extra Space, including investors and members of the press. Consumers will know that domains and content on .EXTRASPACE are owned and controlled by Extra Space and are thus more likely to be protected from infringing, pirated, or harmful content.
The initial use of the .EXTRASPACE gTLD will involve a limited number of second-level domain names. This initial use will provide Extra Space the ability to ensure seamless and secure access to the Extra Space website and interoperability with various software and Web⁄mobile-based applications. Once appropriate security and stability issues have been satisfactorily addressed, Extra Space will likely begin allocating domain names for internal corporate use and may redirect new .EXTRASPACE domain names to pre-existing content. This phased rollout will likely take place over a multi-year period, subject to change depending upon a range of external factors.
At the same time, Extra Space will evaluate potential strategies to migrate traffic away from the current network of second-level domains registered in various gTLDs, to the .EXTRASPACE gTLD, which offers the potential to provide customers with a single, trusted online source for Extra Space products and services.
18.2.4 Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.
Extra Space currently intends for the .EXTRASPACE gTLD to be used exclusively by Extra Space and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. Because of this condition, and because the Extra Space mark is a valuable brand, the protection of which is paramount to the company, Extra Space intends to address registration and use requirements in its qualified subsidiary and affiliate agreements, rather than in a domain name registration agreement.
Extra Space will, of course, incorporate all required ICANN consensus policies and other legal⁄policy requirements imposed on new gTLD applicants into the terms and conditions of the domain name registration agreement that each qualified subsidiary⁄affiliate will execute.
18.2.5 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.
Extra Space respects the privacy of its customers and other consumers. The company employs a variety of physical, electronic, contractual, and managerial safeguards to protect personal and confidential information in its stores and on its websites. Extra Space will take similar precautions to protect registrant and user data associated with the .EXTRASPACE gTLD. Furthermore, given that every domain name will be registered to Extra Space or a qualified subsidiary⁄affiliate, Extra Space has a vested interest in ensuring that accurate and current registrant information is readily available in connection with each .EXTRASPACE domain name.
Extra Space will ensure that the operation of the .EXTRASPACE TLD will be consistent with Extra Space’s Statement of Privacy Principles, available on its website at http:⁄⁄www.extraspace.com⁄Help⁄Privacy.aspx.
In addition, Extra Space intends to incorporate contractual language in its Registry Registrar Agreement (RRA) modeled after language which has been included in the template Registry Agreement and which has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD registry operators. Specifically, Extra Space shall notify Registrar of the purposes for which Personal Data submitted to Registry Operation by Registrar is collected, the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data, and the mechanism for access to and correction of such Personal Data. Extra Space shall take reasonable steps to protect Personal Data from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration or destruction. Extra Space shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in a way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars. Extra Space may from time to time use the demographic data collected for statistical analysis, provided that this analysis will not disclose individual Personal Data and provided that such use is compatible with the notice provided to registrars regarding the purpose and procedures for such use.
18.2.6 Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
Extra Space sees the potential for the .EXTRASPACE gTLD to play a large role in the company’s future online strategy. While the extent of likely benefits is currently uncertain due to questions of consumer recognition, the adoption of new gTLDs, and the response from search engines in the marketplace, all of which will influence the communication and usage strategies for the gTLD, Extra Space anticipates a phased-in approach to using and promoting the .EXTRASPACE gTLD.
As a first step, Extra Space plans to start using .EXTRASPACE domains initially as redirects to existing .COM domains. Subsequently, Extra Space expects to initiate a targeted rollout using select gTLD domains as primary addresses and, after careful analysis and study of this rollout, Extra Space may engage in a broader initiative, should the results be satisfactory and in accordance with the company’s overall strategic goals. The actual usage of .EXTRASPACE domain names will dictate what public communications and consumer outreach is conducted to encourage navigation to the .EXTRASPACE gTLD, including advertising, media outreach, communications, email campaigns, etc.