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

Prototypical answer:

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

A DotRIP domain name provides an enduring online presence that outlives the traditional media based obituary announcements that are severely limited in content types as well as being cost prohibitive for any kind of lengthy (i.e., more than a few days) publication. While providing a unique web presence for each domain owner, DotRIP allows for the creation of true memorials that are devoid of traditional online advertising or any material that may detract from the memorial itself.

As an internet property, a DotRIP address allows registrants to create a more robust and longer lasting commemoration to their passed loved ones than is possible through traditional media. Dedicated specifically to the notion of “memorialization,” the DotRIP platform is uniquely identified with “Rest in Peace” (or in latin: requiescat in pace).

There will be no confusion among registrants as to the purpose of a DotRIP web presence.

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

A recent Internet search for the term RIP produced 696 million results and on each page there were results akin to memorialization demonstrating the obvious common link between RIP and the notion of creating lasting memories.

As noted above, a DotRIP domain name provides an enduring online presence that outlives the traditional media based obituary announcements that are severely limited in content types as well as being cost prohibitive for any kind of lengthy (i.e., more than a few days) publication. While providing a unique web presence for each domain owner, DotRIP allows for the creation of true memorials that are devoid of traditional online advertising or any material that may detract from the memorial itself.

While many Internet properties exist today providing online access to obituary announcements, they are simply just that, an announcement. And their identity can be confused with any number of different meanings. More distasteful is the fact that many if not all of these web sites include advertising as a means to monetize the web property.

Clearly not the kind of visit a grieving relative likes to experience. Current product offerings are also modeled directly off the “paper oriented” obituary type notices and therefore do not take advantage of the availability of multi-media in a web environment. A listing service in particular would, for example, allow customers to upload videos, create online photo albums or provide a variety of dynamic online content capability (blogs, visitor logs etc).

Similarly, software product discontinuance announcements would also be served well by a DotRIP site. The demise of Google Buzz, for example (Ref: http:⁄⁄mashable.com⁄2011⁄10⁄14⁄rip-google-buzz⁄) reflects the common usage of RIP as a term to denote a product has been shut down.

Corporations could also use DotRIP venues as the authoritative site for information on discontinued products.

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

DotRIP is targeted to two primary uses.

First, there are domain names that lend themselves to be used to provide a directory listing service for all similar names. For example, the name “michaelsmith.rip” could be deployed as a web site to dynamically deliver all memorial announcements for anyone named “Michael Smith”. Michael Smith is the most common name in the U.S., for example. There are 23 million there now and thus the domain “michaelsmith.rip” in itself present a premium opportunity for any business interested in hosting a directory type business in this context.

The users, in this context and as opposed to traditional registrants, would create a listing service that would be hosted on that specific domain name. Advanced searching and filtering functions provided by the landing platform will allow visitors to quickly find the “Michael Smith” they are interested in. In time, DotRIP hopes to provide advanced tools to such registrants to make the directory type service both appealing and more pervasive across all DotRIP properties.

Second, the Dot RIP Registry will reflect a dedicated usage model where the registrant falls into the traditional model, is outside of the registry and is the single owner of the domain. For example, an individual may choose to register celebrities.rip and use that as a platform to memorialize celebrities. We expect that generic dictionary terms are more likely to fall into this latter category reflecting the more standard domain registration model. The name “car.rip” for example is well suited as a memorial site that would commemorate classic cars of the past. This category also includes the traditional individual registration where “mikejones.rip” would simply be a dedicated website that commemorated “mike jones” life.

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

In introducing the registry, there will be a number of restrictions on the names that can be registered. Some of these are contractual requirements from ICANN, but others are a matter of registry policy. In addition, reserved are the names of territories, distinct economies, and other geographic and geopolitical names, as required by ICANN.
The registry also has a small list of names that it has reserved for itself. Some will be offered via an RFP process aimed at generating important services in support of the registry, some will be retained by the registry (this is a confidential list) and others will be offered to strategic partners.

As our mission is to create the singular definitive venue for memorializing, certain policies will be implemented to guard against registrants that diffuse this mission. To that end, we will have a rapid takedown procedure to deal, at least, with these three (3) potential scenarios:

Cyberbullying
If a complaint is made that any DotRIP site engages in cyberbullying (as defined by http:⁄⁄www.stopcyberbullying.org), and that complaint is proved, the site will be the subject of rapid takedown policies.

Pornography
Registrants who host pornographic content will similarly be subject to rapid takedown should a complaint be filed and upheld.

Parked pages
It will be the policy of the registry to limit parked pages. If such a complaint is filed about a DotRIP page is made and proved, the site will be the subject of the registry’s rapid takedown policies.
In support of the registry’s commitment to transparency, we intend to host a thick and verified WhoIs data base of registrants.

The tactical approach to releasing names will reinforce these values and follow this path:

An RFP process will begin immediately to help establish the market for the registry’s strategic names and services in support of it.

A Sunrise period will ensure the protection of rights holders. Each will have the opportunity to register protected names in advance of the general availability. These names will be subject to annual renewal.

Then a Landrush will open for all. Competition for the same names in both the Sunrise and Landrush periods will be sent to an auction.

Finally, general availability will open.

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.

By nature, a memorial listing is in fact extremely personal and the amount of information revealed will be entirely at the discretion of the DotRIP customer.
The registry does not intend to impose any specific measures for protecting privacy other than to ensure registrants and listing providers are aware that the information they provide will be included in a very public listing. The registry may consider creating a separate type of private listing, the details of which would only be available to visitors with a special key or password. This feature will only be implemented after careful market analysis in the early stages of deployment. And of course, all of these requirements are notwithstanding the mandated requirements to collect, verify, maintain and publish whois data.

All registrants will be encouraged to balance the privacy needs of individuals and the naturally public nature of any website. From the point-of-view of the registry, the sites created ought to be focused on facilitating the mission of the registry.
The diversity of potential uses in meeting that goal will likely be as wide as the range of sites created in the registry’s name space. It is our plan, by our marketing and our operating principles, to encourage registrants to make a similar commitment.
Additionally, the registry’s decision to host a thick and verified WhoIs database is one instance where it will seek to lead by example. Privacy and transparency are not mutually exclusive values; each is totally appropriate. So, too is accountability

Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.

The history of remembering the dead is rooted in religious tradition. The desire to hold on to places and things is a more recent urge. But together we believe they will create intense interest in the registry. It is our plan to partner with groups of longstanding already committed to these matters. In this way we can accelerate public awareness of this new name space. These would include, for example, funeral homes, monument providers, and newspapers and so on.

Our market analysis for the purposes of launch has considered the potential market in North America (Canada and the United States) and the United Kingdom. We have focused on these areas of the world as being primarily English speaking. This allows DotRIP to conduct a very focused outbound marketing campaign primarily based in online and printed media. As demand requires (after the initial 3 years), our plan will allow for marketing to foreign language users along with the offering of IDN names at the second level.

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