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

Prototypical answer:

How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, internet users and others?
The key benefits expected to be derived from .HSBC are:

• Increased security and consumer trust for Internet users. Ownership of domains in the .HSBC registry will be restricted to the HSBC Group, providing confidence to users that the content and communications are authentic, secure and reliable.
• For HSBC, it will create a platform for future innovation and provide greater protection of our global brand on the Internet (the #1 brand in banking and financial services, according to the Brand Finance Banking 500 report, 01 Feb 2012)

HSBC will contribute to the ICANN Community by playing its role in the relevant constituencies along with other Dot Brand owners. HSBC is looking forward to providing a fresh perspective on policy issues that may contribute to ICANN’s policy development process, particularly in areas such as the protection of IP rights, the protection of registrant data, and the accuracy of WHOIS information.

What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of speciality, service levels or reputation?
HSBC prides itself on its reputation as a responsible institution and on the integrity of its brand, and this will extend to its new gTLD, .HSBC. We want .HSBC to protect and enhance the reputation of HSBC on the Internet, whilst improving consumer confidence in online interactions with HSBC and encouraging confidence in the Internet itself.
What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space in terms of competition, differentiation or innovation?
We hope that the .HSBC registry will help us stand out from our competitors as an innovative organisation in terms of the importance we give to Internet security, stability and risk reduction. A new gTLD will be a market differentiator by providing a mechanism for development in these areas and keep us in the forefront of this arena.
What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?
Our aim is to provide user support which adheres to the same high service levels with which HSBC carries out its core business functions. The lifecycle management of domains in the .HSBC registry including day to day transactions such as new registration requests, renewals, modifications or lapses will be processed carefully and in accordance to policy: a registrar will be chosen on the basis of rigorous selection criteria and they will have to undergo periodic assessments to ensure they continue to comply with both ICANN and financial services industry requirements (although HSBC will operate a single registrar model, more than one registrar may occasionally be required, for example, during transition if the registry decided to change its designated registrar to a different provider). The experience of users of the .HSBC registry will thus be similar to that of HSBC clients and partners: professional and rewarding.
The .HSBC registry is being designed to be 100% ICANN compliant. This means that enquiries from ICANN representatives or from third parties in regard to domains in the registry or the policies of the registry will be managed in a professional manner and in a timely fashion according to documented procedures. As a regulated company, HSBC understands the importance of assisting law enforcement representatives or providing accurate information on registrants and registration activities to ICANN compliance staff.
Provide a complete description of the applicants intended registration policies in support of the goals above
The HSBC Domain Name Management team is responsible for the development, maintenance and enforcement of the .HSBC Domain Management Policy (HDMP), on behalf of the HSBC Group. This policy defines the rules associated with eligibility and domain name allocation, sets out the terms governing the use of a .HSBC domain name and describes the dispute resolution policies for the .HSBC TLD. This policy is intended to be updated and revised regularly to reflect HSBC’s commercial and strategic interests and the latest financial services industry standards and, where appropriate, ICANN consensus policies. The policy is summarised below. It is subject to change:
Registration of a .HSBC domain name is undertaken in four steps: (i) Eligibility Confirmation, (ii) Naming Convention Check, (iii) Acceptable Use Review, and finally (iv) Registration.
An eligibility check will be undertaken. Domains in the .HSBC registry cannot be assigned to third parties except with the approval of the HSBC Domain Name Management team.
At any time, the HSBC Domain Name Management team may instigate an Eligibility Reconsideration Process which could result in the cancellation of a domain in the .HSBC registry.
All domains in the .HSBC registry will remain the property of the HSBC Group.
Checks will be undertaken to ensure that applied for character strings conform to the .HSBC Naming Conventions. Each applied for A-Label character string must conform to the .HSBC rules of eligibility. Each .HSBC name must:
• be at least 3 characters and no more than 63 characters long
• not contain a hyphen on the 3rd and 4th position (except for IDNs)
• contain only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens or a combination of these
• start and end with an alphanumeric character, not a hyphen
• not match any character strings reserved by ICANN
• not match any protected country names or territory names
Internationalized domain names (IDN) will be supported in the .HSBC registry under certain circumstances at the second level.
Checks will be undertaken to ensure that the intended use of each .HSBC domain conforms to the .HSBC Acceptable Use policy. These terms of use may be updated from time to time like all of this policy:
• Domains must be used solely for purposes that enhance the strategic or commercial interests of HSBC Group.
• .HSBC domains may not be used in a way which knowingly infringes third party intellectual property rights.
• .HSBC domains must not be used for any criminal purposes, including, but not limited to phishing, malware download or fraudulent activities.
• A .HSBC registration must be an acceptable term that will not give rise to any moral or public order questions or in any way damage the strategic interests or reputation of the HSBC Group.
• Domains may not be delegated or assigned to external organisations, institutions, or individuals without the permission of the HSBC Group.
• For any .HSBC domain which points to an IP address, the IP address must be approved by HSBC. All .HSBC domains must be linked to a digital certificate.
• Any .HSBC domain intending to display personal information, financial records, or the transacting of financial activities must be linked to an EV certificate.
• All .HSBC domains will carry accurate and up to date registration records. If there is no special requirement for a WHOIS record to carry unique information, all .HSBC registrations will feature a template registration record to be created by the HSBC Domain Management team in compliance with the financial services panel.
The HSBC Domain Name Management Team may revoke a .HSBC domain name at any time without notice for the reasons outlined below, which may be amended from time to time:
• Eligibility Reconsideration: if there is a change in status of the requestor of a domain, for example if the requestor ceases to be a member of HSBC Group;
• Breach of warranty: if a warranty is breached;
• Incorrect information: if misleading, incomplete or incorrect information is supplied in an application;
• Following a UDRP, URS or court decision: if a UDRP or URS panel decision or court of competent authority determines that a .HSBC domain name should no longer be licensed to the Registrant, it shall be removed from the registry. Domains in the .HSBC registry cannot be transferred to third parties. They can only be cancelled.
• Improper use: if the .HSBC domain name fails to comply with the .HSBC Acceptable Use Policy, or ceases to be in the interests of HSBC Group.
• If instructed by an eligible authorised representative of HSBC Group.

Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy of confidential information of registrants or users?
As a single entity registry, only HSBC details will be shown in the WHOIS, so no personal or confidential information of registrants will available. Nonetheless, data privacy is something which the company takes seriously. HSBC not only deals with a vast amount of sensitive personal information, but is subject to stringent regulation from financial services regulators across a number of jurisdictions. HSBC reviews and enhances measures to protect confidential information every year. The .HSBC registry plans to implement measures building on this experience to protect the privacy of confidential information of registrants or users (such as those querying the registry WHOIS server) of the .HSBC registry.
As the .HSBC registry will be incorporated in the European Union, all data will be processed in conformity with the European Data Protection Directive and those of the relevant financial services regulator. As required, approved personnel will be registered as data handlers.

Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits?
No outreach will be actively undertaken on an external basis due to the fact that domain registration will be closed to third parties. However the HSBC Group will undertake internal outreach and communication to ensure that .HSBC domains are used in accordance with HSBC’s objectives. For example, guidelines will be produced and published on the HSBC intranet, incorporated as part of Domain Governance, defining who can apply for a .HSBC domain to be registered and how it can be used. To assist internet users beyond HSBC to understand that .HSBC domains are genuine and can be trusted as signposts to authentic information or services, HSBC will create a home page for the registry with clear messaging regarding policies and contact information.

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