gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.mcdonalds	McDonald’s Corporation	us.mcd.com	View

18(B)I. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR PROPOSED gTLD IN TERMS OF AREAS OF SPECIALTY, SERVICE LEVELS OR REPUTATION?

The key goals of the proposed new .mcdonalds gTLD are in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. McDonald’s also seeks to foster its online reputation and provide an authoritative internet space through which McDonald’s can communicate with its customers directly and effectively. The ability to create second level domain names on demand related to specific marketing and specialty product development supports these goals.


18(B)II. WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE YOUR PROPOSED gTLD WILL ADD TO THE CURRENT SPACE, IN TERMS OF COMPETITION, DIFFERENTIATION, OR INNOVATION?

It is anticipated that the .mcdonalds gTLD will make positive contributions to the internet community through:

DIFFERENTIATION:
The .mcdonalds gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with McDonald’s by providing a distinctive domain space with simple navigation and easy access to information. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to the .mcdonalds gTLD site, saving time searching for an official site. By maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .mcdonalds domain space, Internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .mcdonalds.

COMPETITION:
The differentiation of .mcdonalds gTLD as a trusted site for McDonald’s will drive TLD registry operators to improve consumer trust of their TLDs. Internet users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under .mcdonalds domain space. As a result, .mcdonalds will have a beneficial effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .mcdonalds will be distributed not only to its direct customers, but to the community at large encouraging improved services in the market place.

INNOVATION:
With the global expansion of the internet community, the existing TLD structure presents limitations to businesses establishing a coherent global online brand presence to meet their business needs. It is often difficult to register a domain name in the existing domain space due to unavailability of the desired name. This problem is amplified for organisations such as McDonald’s who work across many different geographical markets. Even when the desired domain name is available, it may come with a high price tag associated with a purchase of the desired name from a third party. Through the .mcdonalds registry, McDonald’s will have the ability to create domain names including the use of geographic names and potentially IDNs on demand which are locally relevant to its customer base and innovative new products. McDonald’s will be able to combine its use of the domain space with innovative user focused marketing and services to address the currently unmet needs in the existing domain name system.


18(B)III. WHAT GOALS DOES YOUR PROPOSED gTLD HAVE IN TERMS OF USER EXPERIENCE?

The .mcdonalds gTLD will provide a positive user experience, which meets the needs of the global internet community. McDonald’s will maintain control over the registration and use of second level domain names and will ensure that the new gTLD will only be used for purposes authorised by McDonald’s. Therefore .mcdonalds will:

- provide an easy and intuitive reference and access point for internet users;
- represent authenticity thus promoting user confidence;
- direct internet users to locally relevant information and products;
- use appropriate geographic names to connect with internet users in the relevant regions ;
- potentially use IDNs to enable customers to interact in their native language;
- enhance security and minimise security risks by implementing necessary technical and policy measures;
- strengthen brand reputation and user confidence by eliminating user confusion; and
- prevent potential abuses in the registration process reducing overall costs to businesses and users.


18(B)IV. PROVIDE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICANTʹS INTENDED REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE GOALS LISTED ABOVE

The proposed registration policy is attached in response to Question 28.

Only the McDonald’s system will be eligible to register domain names in .mcdonalds. The domain name registration processes will address the requirements mandated by ICANN and will comply with all policy, operational and technical requirements and will adhere to applicable measures to protect customer trust and the stability of the internet.


18(B)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.

McDonald’s is committed to protection of personally identifiable and confidential information in accordance with its objective of increasing consumer trust and providing a safe and legitimate internet space for internet users. Personally identifiable and confidential information will be protected in accordance with all applicable US State and Federal laws and regulations relating to internet security, privacy and user’s confidential information, as interpreted and applied, including the Privacy Act 1974 (US). McDonald’s also complies with all applicable data protection laws and regulations in each individual country in which it operates.

As the .mcdonalds gTLD will only be available to the McDonald’s system, the amount of personal data that will be collected for the purposes of operating the gTLD and made publicly available in the WHOIS database will be very limited. McDonald’s will provide a publicly available and searchable WHOIS look up facility in accordance with Specification 4 of the Registry Agreement. To prevent misuse of the WHOIS functionality, McDonald’s will utilise measures including a requirement where any person submitting a WHOIS database query is required to read and agree to the terms and conditions. This will include the terms of use that the WHOIS database is provided for information purposes only and that the user agrees not to use the information for any other purposes such as allowing or enabling the transmission of unsolicited commercial advertising.


18(B)VI. DESCRIBE WHETHER AND IN WHAT WAYS OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS WILL HELP TO ACHIEVE YOUR PROJECTED BENEFITS.

McDonald’s currently intends to include the proposed new gTLD in certain advertising communications to drive consumers to the new branded URLs as appropriate for each country or campaign. This may also result in recognition of the new gTLD within the internet community to be a trusted site and as a sign of authenticity.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.cba	COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA	cba.com.au	View

18(B)I. WHAT IS THE GOAL OF YOUR PROPOSED gTLD IN TERMS OF AREAS OF SPECIALTY, SERVICE LEVELS OR REPUTATION?

The key goals of the proposed new .cba gTLD are in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. CBA also seeks to foster its online reputation and provide an authoritative internet space through which CBA is able to communicate with its customers directly and effectively. The .cba domain space will strengthen CBA’s online brand reputation by enhancing security and providing authentic and memorable domain names that are relevant to customers. The ability to create domain names on demand related to specific marketing campaigns, specialty service and product development supports these goals. Strengthened security measures, service levels and more effective functionality will provide a trusted and positive user experience.


18(B)II. WHAT DO YOU ANTICIPATE YOUR PROPOSED gTLD WILL ADD TO THE CURRENT SPACE, IN TERMS OF COMPETITION, DIFFERENTIATION, OR INNOVATION?

It is anticipated that the proposed .cba gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:


DIFFERENTIATION (INCREASED TRUST):

The .cba gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with CBA by providing a distinctive domain space. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to the .cba gTLD site, saving time and resources searching for an official site. The current domain name system has shown that it is vulnerable to malicious abuses due to registration of domain names which seek to exploit consumer confusion. This is particularly important to a bank such as CBA where consumer trust in its online brand depends on CBA’s ability to provide safe, secure and authentic internet banking websites and applications. CBA can address these vulnerabilities by maintaining complete control over the domain names registered under the .cba domain space. The new .cba gTLD will allow CBA to create domain names that are authentic, unique and clearly identifiable to customers as a CBA website or application. Further, providing shorter and more memorable domain names for customers will reduce the likelihood of customers being deceived by phishing websites. Together with consumer trust and confidence, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .cba domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and CBA.


COMPETITION:

The differentiation of .cba gTLD as a trusted site for CBA will drive existing and new TLD registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs. Internet users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under .cba domain space. As a result, .cba will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .cba will be distributed not only to its direct customers, but to the internet community at large forcing improved services and competitive pricing in the market place.


INNOVATION:

With the expansion of the internet community to all corners of the world, the existing TLD structure presents limitations, not only in the availability of domain names for registrants, but also to businesses and organisations establishing a coherent global online brand presence to meet their evolving business needs. It is often difficult to register a domain name in existing domain space due to unavailability of the desired name, particularly in relation to suitable domains for specific marketing campaigns. Even when the desired domain name is available, it may come with a high price tag associated with a purchase of such desired name from a third party. Online brand coherence is particularly important for banks and financial services providers such as CBA where consumer trust and protection is critical in the era of new technologies. The .cba gTLD will provide more convenient and innovative transaction opportunities for customers accessing CBA online banking on mobile devices. CBA has the ability to create second or third level domain names including the use of online and mobile banking and innovative new products and services on demand which are relevant to its customer base. CBA will be able to combine its use of the domain space with innovative user focused marketing and services to address the currently unmet needs in the existing domain name system providing greater consumer choice.

18(B)III. WHAT GOALS DOES YOUR PROPOSED gTLD HAVE IN TERMS OF USER EXPERIENCE?

The proposed .cba will provide a positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the global internet community. CBA will maintain control in the registration and use of domain names and will ensure that the new gTLD will only be used for purposes authorised by CBA. Therefore, .cba gTLD will:

- strengthen brand reputation and user confidence by enhancing security and eliminating user confusion;

- provide greater online trust and confidence for customers when accessing authentic and secure internet banking websites and applications under the .cba domain space;

- provide an easy and intuitive reference and access point for internet users;

- provide shorter, memorable and relevant domain names for customers, reducing the likelihood of customers being deceived by phishing websites;

- direct internet users to relevant information in a timely manner by creating domain names on demand;

- enhance security and minimise security risks by implementing necessary technical and policy measures; and

- prevent potential abuses in the registration process reducing overall costs to businesses and users.


The .cba gTLD should address the concerns that the current domain name system is open to potential malicious abuse and user confusion in the registration processes. Although the current system allows an eligible party to lodge a claim through existing Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) or other dispute resolution processes, the .cba gTLD will reduce potential abuses in the registration processes and overall costs to internet users. User confidence in the domain name system will be strengthened, which will ultimately contribute towards promoting ICANN’s core values in benefiting the public interest.


18(B)IV. PROVIDE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICANTʹS INTENDED REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE GOALS LISTED ABOVE.

The proposed registration policy is attached in response to Question 28.

Only affiliate entities of CBA will be eligible to register domain names in .cba at this stage. The domain name registration processes will address the requirements mandated by ICANN, including rights abuse prevention measures.


18(B)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.

CBA is committed to protection of privacy and confidential information in accordance with its objective of increasing consumer trust and providing a safe and legitimate internet space for internet users. Privacy and confidential information will be protected in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations relating to internet security, privacy and user’s confidential information, including the Privacy Act 1998 (Australia), which has specific laws governing credit providers such as CBA, and the National Privacy Principles (Australia).

CBA also has implemented its own privacy policy to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of user privacy and confidential information. CBA values customers’ trust highly and aims to manage and build customers’ wealth over a long period of time. The protection of customers’ personal information is a vital part of this relationship. CBA’s privacy policy provides that CBA will protect customers personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and the National Privacy Principles and will only use customers’ personal information to:

- administer relationships with customers;

- provide customers with the products and services they request;

- provide information on products and services offered by CBA, its affiliates or external providers for which CBA acts as an agent;

- assist customers with queries;

- monitor and evaluate products and services;

- gather and aggregate information for statistical, prudential, actuarial and research purposes;

- comply with its legal obligations;

- take measures to detect and prevent fraud and credit loss; and

- predict the borrowing behaviour of its customers generally.


As the .cba gTLD will only be available to affiliate entities of CBA, initially, the amount of personal data that will be collected for the purposes of operating the gTLD and made publicly available in the WHOIS database will be very limited. CBA will provide a publicly available and searchable WHOIS look up facility, where information about the domain name status, registrant information including administrative and technical contact details can be found in accordance with Specification 4 of the Registry Agreement. In order to prevent misuse of the WHOIS look up facility, CBA will utilise measures including a requirement where any person submitting a WHOIS database query is required to read and agree to the terms and conditions in accordance with the registration policy. This will include the terms of use that the WHOIS database is provided for information purposes only and that the user agrees not to use the information for any other purposes such as allowing or enabling the transmission of unsolicited commercial advertising or other communication.

CBA will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both CBA and its users interacting with CBA online. DNSSEC provides additional security by validating information in the transmission, therefore it is intended to benefit those who publish information in the domain name system (DNS) and the users who retrieve information from the new .cba gTLD. CBA already implements measures to protect privacy or confidential information of its users against misuse, loss, alteration and unauthorised access. Such measures include the use of:

- CBA’s internal Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), which co-ordinates early detection and handling of IT security incidents;

- eDiscovery and Digitial Forensic services;

- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM);

- Data Leakage Protection (DLP);

- User Access Verification (UAV);

- Solution Delivery Lifecycle (SDLC);

- Supplier Governance Framework including ISO27001⁄2-based ISMS reviews and site reviews; and

- Security Architecture and Design.


CBA will continue to apply all security measures currently implemented and will comply with all other policies and practices required by ICANN in the Registry Agreement and any relevant Consensus Policy for protecting the privacy and confidential information of registrants and users in the new .cba domain space.


18(B)VI. DESCRIBE WHETHER AND IN WHAT WAYS OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS WILL HELP TO ACHIEVE YOUR PROJECTED BENEFITS.

The proposed new gTLD will be publicised by a media plan at time of implementation to promote recognition of the new gTLD within the internet community to be a trusted site and as a sign of authenticity.

During the initial stage of the operation of the proposed new gTLD, it is anticipated that internet users will be re-directed to current websites. However, over time, it is foreseen that communication to the internet community of the existence of the proposed new gTLD and encouragement to utilise the trusted site will contribute towards minimising malicious abuses and protecting internet users.