gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.art	Merchant Law Group LLP	merchantlaw.com	View

Question No. 18(b)

18(b).1 Goal

The goal of the .ART TLD is to provide a distinct online presence for all individuals, groups, businesses, organizations, and entities that engage in the provision of services, products, or information related to art.


18(b).2 Innovation, Competition, and Differentiation

An ample supply of relevant .ART domains will be made available for interested persons and organizations to claim within the .ART domain space. Currently, there is no generic TLD specifically devoted to art. Instead, relevant online content related to art is dispersed among a variety of existing generic and country-code TLDs without the benefit of a unifying string.

The market for products, services, and information is changing. The Internet is now the foremost vehicle for marketing and communication worldwide. A .ART TLD will further help entities desiring to communicate about or provide products, services, or information about art to realize greater benefits and capitalize on more opportunities provided by the Internet. A .ART TLD presents an opportunity for all individuals, groups, businesses, organizations, and related entities that engage in communicating about or providing products, services, or information about art to garner a more effective and differentiated online presence.

The .ART TLD will be a domain space which will be developed into the online standard for ideas, services, products, and information related to art.

The .ART TLD is a distinctive, succinct, and memorable TLD. MLG’s vision is to make .ART domain names prevalent among people, entities, and organizations that seek to communicate about or provide products, services, or information about art.

Many entities providing products and services related to art already have an established Internet presence. The .ART TLD allows for greater differentiation on the Internet, simplifies users’ choice when interacting and consuming art related online services, and offers new benefits and opportunities to anyone that engages in activities related to communicating about or providing products, services, or information about art. Any individual could be a prospective registrant and will be accorded all the opportunities and benefits of the .ART TLD.

A .ART TLD will provide a new, distinct channel for the consumption of art related Internet content by consumers. A .ART domain name will provide an enhanced platform for individuals and groups to broadcast and communicate about art related products, services, and information to an online population which now numbers over two billion.

The opportunity to carry out our mission and deliver our value proposition will always be contingent upon providing benefits that matter to our registrants, Internet users, and the online population. To that end, MLG will strive to ensure that the .ART TLD provides the best value for creating and developing an art related online presence. MLG’s long term strategy is to ensure that .ART domains become a “must-have” for all individuals, groups, businesses, organizations, and other related entities that engage in activities related to communicating about or providing products, services, or information about art.

A .ART domain will be the “best bang for the buck” registration by providing the best value for creating and developing a distinct, clear, and credible art related online presence. MLG will ensure that .ART domains provide the best quality-to-price ratios by offering competitive registration pricing and leveraging the core competencies of MLG and CentralNic.

MLG believes that .ART registrants will offer a variety services and content related to art. .ART’s target markets are broad enough to maintain a financially viable TLD and distinct enough that the .ART TLD will not become ‘just another .info’. A .ART TLD will provide a unique space on the Internet for art information and services. It will allow anyone to register a domain name and post information about products and services related to art. MLG’s vision for the .ART TLD mirrors the Internet’s growth as a transformative technology that enables the free and unfettered flow of information.

The introduction of the .ART TLD to the Internet will increase competition, provide opportunities for differentiation, and promote innovation.

The .ART TLD will provide an alternative to the current TLDs by focusing on art related content and catering specifically to all individuals, groups, businesses, organizations, and related entities that engage in communicating about or providing products, services, or information about art. .ART will serve as a force for differentiation as a distinctive namespace that simplifies users’ choice to interact and communicate about art. MLG expects that users will be able to navigate to .ART domains and subdomains intuitively, saving them time and resources.

The .ART TLD will introduce more relevant domain names into the Internet domain space. This will increase competition which should compel other TLDs to increase the quality-to-price ratios of their online presence offerings.

MLG hopes that the use of .ART domains will increase differentiation on the Internet. It is expected that the .ART TLD will substantially meet the online needs of its registrants. One of MLG’s goals with the introduction of the .ART TLD is to ensure that our target market registrants do not have to engage in unnecessary defensive registrations with other generic TLDs and country code TLDs. MLG will be marketing and branding the .ART TLD using strategies that continuously support and enhance the .ART TLD value proposition. MLG will continually invest in the .ART TLD brand to ensure that .ART registrants have a strong incentive to maintain their websites with substantive, regularly updated content that will lead to unique and sustained web traffic.

Currently, it is difficult to find relevant and easily recognizable domain names from existing TLDs. Even if one is found, pricing is often prohibitive because the domain name is often only available on the secondary market. The .ART TLD will allow people, businesses, organizations, and entities with an interest in communicating about art to register a relevant domain name immediately and the freedom to develop as many uses for their .ART online presence as they can imagine. An ample supply of relevant, generic .ART domain names will be available immediately and the innovative uses for these domain names will pay dividends for the online community in ways that are not currently quantifiable.


18(b).3 User Experience

The .ART TLD will enhance users’ Internet experience.

MLG intends for users to perceive the .ART TLD as a trustworthy platform of online information about art. MLG will adopt industry leading standards and policies to provide a safe and legitimate Internet space, enhance user experience by mitigating security-associated risks. These risks and policies are further described in our responses to Questions 26, 27, 28 and 29.

MLG will adopt policies that develop the .ART TLD in a manner that provides an easily navigable and predictable domain name space--for example, ‘geographicalname.art’ for localized websites, and ‘product.art’ for websites related to specific products or services. All of this will enhance users’ experience online by lessening confusion when browsing and interacting online.


18(b).4 Registration Policies

The .ART TLD will adopt contemporary registration policies.

The .ART TLD will be open and unrestricted, allowing anyone to select an appropriate .ART domain name for their own legitimate purposes. Illegal uses of .ART domain names will not be tolerated. MLG will implement an Acceptable Use Policy as further described in response to Question 28, and will implement the UDRP, URS, and all other ICANN-required rights protection mechanisms. Further, MLG will implement additional rights protection mechanisms as described in response to Questions 28 and 29. The price point of .ART will help ensure that .ART domains are not abused but are competitive against other TLDs.


18(b).5 Privacy Policies

The .ART TLD will adopt contemporary privacy policies.

We recognize and affirm the need for security of private and personal information on the Internet. We also recognize that the operation of a TLD necessarily involves the collection of personal information. MLG intends for users to perceive the TLD as a trustworthy indicator of the source of online information and services. User trust is enhanced when users are confident that their private or confidential information is securely protected. We intend to minimize any risks to our registrants by maintaining industry standard protocols for the protection of the personal and confidential information of registrants. With respect to Whois data, MLG will comply with ICANN policies and otherwise to ensure that complete and accurate Whois information is readily accessible for every .ART domain name. Moreover, MLG will offer additional Whois verification of each registrant’s email address as discussed in response to Questions 26, 28 and 29. Still further, MLG and its partners will scan the websites in the .ART TLD periodically for malware infusion, and take appropriate action for the benefit of Internet users.

MLG will deploy DNSSEC and will comply with all of the other policies and practices required by ICANN in the Registry Agreement and⁄or via any Consensus Policy. And of course, MLG will comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to Internet security and the privacy of users’ confidential information. Furthermore, CentralNic already employs commercially reasonable practices with respect to the security of online transactions and users’ private or confidential information.

Our approach to privacy on the Whois service is two-fold:
1. Our Whois service is rate limited to prevent ʺdictionaryʺ attacks where attackers try to obtain large volumes of Whois records by making repeated queries.
2. Contact objects associated with natural (as opposed to legal) persons can ʺopt outʺ of display in the Whois service, though their information is still made available via the secure Searchable Whois Service (SWS). Additional details can be found in our response to Question 26.


18(b).6 Outreach and Communications

MLG will engage in extensive outreach initiatives and communications campaigns for the .ART TLD

The use of .ART domains will effectively communicate the availability of the TLD to the intended audience, not only for the specific purpose at hand but also for more general or intuitive purposes. For example, a user who first sees an advertisement for ‘service.art’ may later directly navigate to ‘company.art’ to search for other services of the company. In addition to MLG’s own specific efforts to communicate the new TLD to its intended audience, MLG expects that audience and relevant media to further communicate the TLD as they discover the many domain names, websites and services located at a .ART domain. As the first generic TLD targeted to the provision of services, products and information related to art, MLG expects a substantial degree of publicity and word-of-mouth marketing within its target markets.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.app	Merchant Law Group LLP	merchantlaw.com	View

Question No. 18 (b)

18(b).1 Goal

The goal of the .APP TLD is to provide a distinct online presence for all individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, technology companies, and other related entities that create, distribute, or provide information related to web-based apps, desktop apps, smartphone apps, tablet apps, or any other software application optimized for speed, functionality, and ease of use.


18(b).2 Benefits, Innovation, Competition, and Differentiation

An ample supply of relevant .APP domains will be made available for interested persons and organizations to claim within the .APP domain space. Currently, there is no generic TLD specifically devoted to web-based apps, desktop apps, smartphone apps, tablet apps, or software applications optimized for speed, functionality, and ease of use. Instead, relevant information about apps is dispersed among a variety of existing generic and country-code TLDs without the benefit of a unifying string, while the distribution of apps is monopolized by a few large technology companies.

The marketing and distribution of applications has changed. Languages for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web such as HTML5 now allow for new syntactical features that include video, audio, and the integration of scalable vector graphics. These features make it easy to include and handle multimedia and graphical content on the web without having to resort to proprietary plugins or other application programming interfaces. Websites, smartphones, and tablets now run applications capable of dynamic functionality that was once only available from applications tethered to a desktop computer.

The two largest mobile app platforms and markets now offer over 1 million apps for download and at least a hundred new apps are being added every day. There are over 1 billion mobile Internet users worldwide and upwards of a quarter of those users rarely use a desktop or tablet computer to access the Internet. Over 1 billion mobile app downloads are reported in the major app markets each month, and at a minimum, a similar number of web-based apps are accessed every day. Currently, individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, technology companies, and other related entities only have a few practical options to distribute their mobile apps, including the largest proprietary app marketplaces. A .APP TLD would help individuals, organizations, and businesses stand out in this crowded marketplace and more effectively market the availability of their apps through various distribution channels.

The introduction and availability of a .APP TLD addresses the inherent monopoly or near monopoly in the distribution of apps for particular platforms and particular devices. The .APP TLD will be an alternate mode of mobile app distribution and will provide individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, technology companies, and other related entities with greater opportunities to develop web-based apps. Web-based apps have unique benefits that include, but are not limited to, no software installation, accessibility from multiple platforms and multiple devices, synchronization across multiple computers, and the ability to update instantly to address current and emerging security risks.

Overall, a .APP TLD will help individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, technology companies, and other related entities to better create, distribute, and provide information for web-based apps, desktop apps, smartphone apps, tablet apps, or any other software application optimized for speed, functionality and ease of use. .APP domain registrants will realize greater benefits, capitalize on more opportunities provided by the Internet, and garner a more effective and differentiated online presence with the introduction of this TLD

The .APP TLD has unlimited potential and should not be controlled by any organization that already has a monopoly or near monopoly in the distribution of apps for a particular platform or for particular devices. Doing so would directly conflict with ICANN’s commitment to promote competition, consumer trust, and consumer choice in the DNS market place.

The .APP TLD will be a specialized domain space which will be developed into the online standard for utilizing, creating, and distributing web-based apps, desktop apps, smartphone apps, tablet apps, or any other software application optimized for speed, functionality, and ease of use.

The .APP TLD is a distinctive, succinct, and memorable string that epitomizes the current global app industry, markets, and ecosystems. MLG’s vision is to make .APP domain names prevalent among people, organizations, and businesses interested in the utilization, creation, and distribution web-based apps, desktop apps, smartphone apps, tablet apps, or any other software application optimized for speed, functionality, and ease of use.

Virtually every individual within the online community now utilizes apps in some way, shape or form. Most apps already have an informational online presence either through one of the major markets or a designated website. However, a .APP TLD allows for greater differentiation on the Internet, simplifies users’ choice when interacting and utilizing apps, and offers new benefits and opportunities to anyone that engages in activities related to the utilization, creation, and distribution of apps. The .APP TLD will also facilitate a greater distribution of apps for the various competing mobile platforms. Almost any individual could be a prospective registrant and will be accorded all the opportunities and benefits of the .APP TLD.

In North America, it is estimated that four in ten adults own a smartphone and one in five adults own a tablet. However, if a small number of technology companies control mobile platforms, social networking, and corresponding social media channels, then app developers and other stakeholders will likely face overwhelming challenges attempting to innovate and develop apps within such an industry. A .APP TLD will help level the playing field by providing a new, unfettered, distinct channel for the development, distribution, and utilization of apps by developers and consumers. A .APP domain name will provide an enhanced platform for individuals, groups, and businesses to communicate and distribute their apps to an online population which now numbers over two billion.

The opportunity to carry out our mission and deliver our value proposition will always be contingent upon providing benefits that matter to our registrants, to Internet users, and to the online population. To that end, MLG will strive to ensure that the .APP TLD provides the best value for creating and developing an app-related online presence. MLG’s long term strategy is to ensure that .APP domains become a “must-have” for all individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, technology companies, and other related entities that create, distribute, or provide information for apps.

A .APP domain will be the “best bang for the buck” registration by providing the best value for creating and developing a distinct, clear, and credible app-related online presence. MLG will ensure that .APP domains provide the best quality-to-price ratios by offering competitive registration pricing and leveraging the core competencies of MLG and CentralNic.

MLG believes that .APP registrants will offer a variety of services and content related to apps. .APP’s target markets are broad enough to maintain a financially viable TLD and distinct enough that the .APP TLD will not become ‘just another .info’. A .APP TLD will provide a unique space on the Internet for app information and services. It will allow anyone to register a domain name and post, aggregate, or distribute apps. MLG’s vision for the .APP TLD mirrors the Internet’s growth as a transformative technology that enables the free and unfettered flow of information which now includes apps.

The introduction of the .APP TLD to the Internet will increase competition, provide opportunities for differentiation, and promote innovation.

The .APP TLD will provide an alternative to the current TLDs by focusing on apps and catering specifically to individuals, groups, organizations, businesses, technology companies, and other related entities that create, distribute, or provide information relating to apps. .APP will serve as a force for differentiation as a distinctive namespace that simplifies users’ choice to interact with and communicate about apps. MLG expects that users will be able to navigate to .APP domains and subdomains intuitively, saving them time and resources.

The .APP TLD will introduce more relevant domain names into the Internet domain space. This will increase competition which should compel other TLDs to increase the quality-to-price ratios of their online presence offerings.

MLG hopes that the use of .APP domains will increase differentiation on the Internet. It is expected that the .APP TLD will substantially meet the online needs of its registrants. One of MLG’s goals with the introduction of the .APP TLD is to ensure that our target market registrants do not have to engage in unnecessary defensive registrations with other generic TLDs and country code TLDs. MLG will be marketing and branding the .APP TLD using strategies that continuously support and enhance the .APP TLD value proposition. MLG will continually invest in the .APP TLD brand to ensure that .APP registrants have a strong incentive to maintain their websites with substantive, regularly updated app-related content that will lead to unique and sustained web traffic.

Currently, it is difficult to find relevant and easily recognizable domain names within existing TLDs. Even if one is found, pricing can be prohibitive because the domain name is often only available on the secondary market. The .APP TLD will allow people, businesses, organizations, and entities with an interest in communicating about and developing apps to register a relevant domain name immediately, and the freedom to develop as many uses for their .APP online presence as they can imagine. An ample supply of relevant, generic .APP domain names will be available immediately and the innovative uses for these domain names will pay dividends for the online community in ways that are not currently quantifiable.

18(b).3 User Experience

The .APP TLD will enhance users’ Internet experience.

The .APP TLD will function with leading-edge technologies and adopt business practices that ensure a trustworthy and positive user experience. MLG will work with registrants and relevant stakeholders through a voluntary .APP Advisory Board that will continuously garner feedback, advice, and suggestions and when appropriate, suggest practices, technology, and policies that help meet and exceed the expectations of .APP TLD users. One of MLG’s goals for the .APP TLD is to ensure that the .APP online infrastructure and aggregation of websites and services encourages Internet users to interact online more frequently and rely on .APP domains for their apps and app related needs.

MLG intends for users to perceive the .APP TLD as a trustworthy platform of online app-related content. MLG will adopt industry leading standards and policies to provide a safe and legitimate Internet space, and to enhance user experience by mitigating security-associated risks. Those policies and risks are further described in our responses to Questions 26, 27, 28 and 29.

18(b).4 Registration Policies

The .APP TLD will adopt contemporary registration policies.

The .APP TLD will be open and unrestricted, allowing anyone to select an appropriate .APP domain name for their own legitimate purposes. Illegal uses of .APP domain names will not be tolerated. MLG will implement an Acceptable Use Policy as further described in response to Question 28, and will implement the UDRP, URS, and all other ICANN-required rights protection mechanisms. Further, MLG will implement additional rights protection mechanisms as described in response to Questions 28 and 29. Registrants offering services not related to apps will have a lessened interest in the .APP domain because .APP has limited intuitive appeal outside the app realm. The price point of .APP will help ensure that .APP domains are not abused and are competitive against other TLDs.

18(b).5 Privacy Policies

The .APP TLD will adopt contemporary privacy policies.

We recognize and affirm the need for security of private and personal information on the Internet. We also recognize that the operation of a TLD necessarily involves the collection of personal information. MLG intends for users to perceive the TLD as a trustworthy indicator of online information and services. User trust is enhanced when users are confident that their private or confidential information is securely protected. We intend to minimize any risks to our registrants by maintaining industry standard protocols for the protection of the personal and confidential information of registrants. With respect to Whois data, MLG will comply with ICANN policies and other good practices to ensure that complete and accurate Whois information is readily accessible for every .APP domain name. Moreover, MLG will offer additional Whois verification of each registrant’s email address as discussed in response to Questions 26, 28 and 29. Still further, MLG and its partners intend to scan the websites in the .APP TLD periodically for malware infusion, and take appropriate action for the benefit of Internet users.

MLG will deploy DNSSEC and will comply with all of the other policies and practices required by ICANN in the Registry Agreement and⁄or via any Consensus Policy. And of course, MLG will comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to Internet security and the privacy of users’ confidential information. Furthermore, CentralNic already employs commercially reasonable practices with respect to the security of online transactions and users’ private or confidential information.

Our approach to privacy on the Whois service is two-fold:
1. Our Whois service is rate limited to prevent ʺdictionaryʺ attacks where attackers try to obtain large volumes of Whois records by making repeated queries.
2. Contact objects associated with natural (as opposed to legal) persons can ʺopt outʺ of display in the Whois service, though their information is still made available via the secure Searchable Whois Service (SWS).

Additional details can be found in our response to Question 26.

18(b).6 Outreach and Communications

MLG will engage in extensive outreach initiatives and communications campaigns for the .APP TLD

The use of .APP domains will effectively communicate the availability of the TLD to the intended audience, not only for the specific purpose at hand but also for more general or intuitive purposes. For example, a user who first sees an advertisement for ‘service.app’ may later directly navigate to ‘company.app’ to search for other apps or services of the developer or company. In addition to MLG’s own specific efforts to communicate the new TLD to its intended audience, MLG expects that audience and relevant media to further communicate the availability of the TLD as they discover the many domain names, websites, apps, and services located on .APP domains. As the first generic TLD targeted to the app market and community, MLG expects a substantial degree of publicity and word-of-mouth marketing within that market.