gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.yellowpages	Telstra Corporation Limited	sensis.com.au	View

THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTED .YELLOWPAGES gTLD IS TO BENEFIT INTERNET USERS BY ENSURING INCREASED TRUST, CONVENIENCE AND UTILITY.

The .yellowpages gTLD will create a new generation gTLD serving the interests of end users by providing an authoritative Internet space where information, services and resources of the Yellow Pages brand and its affiliates and partners that are associated with the brand will be closely controlled by Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Sensis Pty Ltd (Sensis). The majority of the anticipated domain name registrations in the .yellowpages gTLD will be used in the promotion and communication of the Yellow Pages brand and its advertising and directory services. A subset of domain names has the potential to be created and used for communication and marketing purposes, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.

The first Yellow Pages directory using yellow paper was launched in 1975. The Yellow Pages directory was initially published and distributed by Telstra and is currently under the management of Sensis. Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services company, with some of the best known brands in the country including the Yellow™ and Yellow Pages® brand. Telstra offers a full range of services and competes in all telecommunications markets throughout Australia, providing over 8 million Australian fixed line and 12 million mobile services. Telstra is also listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and generated a sales revenue of AUD25 billion for FY2011. Telstra and its international businesses employ over 39,000 people across Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. Its main activities include the provision of:

- basic access services to most homes and businesses in Australia;

- management of business customers’ IT and telecommunications services; and

- advertising, search and information services (through Sensis).


Arguably Australia’s leading information resource, Sensis helps Australians find, buy and sell by providing an integrated network of local search and digital marketing solutions such as the Yellow Pages®, White Pages® and CitySearch services. Over 12 million Australians use a Sensis service every month. Sensis currently manages the Yellow Pages® print, online and mobile directories and applications and voice services. Sensis seeks to maintain and build its position as Australia’s top provider of directories and local search services through the Yellow Pages® directory by focusing on building on its range of digital marketing services and its growth in new markets.

Every year, Yellow Pages® print directories are delivered to millions of homes and businesses across 6 metropolitan areas in Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in Australia. With an extensive suite of digital products, about 4.5 million searches were made across Australia each week with yellowpages.com.au in 2010. When people need to find a business, they turn to the Yellow Pages® brand. The Yellow Pages® brand offers great opportunities to connect with people who are ready to buy and helps its users choose an advertising solution appropriate for their business. The Yellow Pages® products are all about connecting businesses with customers. In this regard, brand promotion and customer engagement are paramount considerations in Telstra’s application for .yellowpages.

These days, business activities are increasingly conducted over the internet, allowing for greater levels of interaction between businesses and customers. As a result, both businesses and end users benefit from ease of interaction and a wider range of choices with lower transaction costs. However, the development in this arena in the current domain name system has exposed both businesses and consumers to increased criminal activities over the internet, including data breaches, hacking and phishing. These sophisticated criminal activities cause reputational damage to businesses as internet users lose consumer confidence and trust with the businesses targeted by such criminal activities. The .yellowpages gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with Telstra and Sensis online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction.

Telstra’s mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest. Telstra is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:

- consumer trust: the .yellowpages gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to Telstra and Sensis, at this stage, which will provide added consumer trust that .yellowpages domain names are trustworthy. As .yellowpages domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under Telstra’s control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .yellowpages domain space;

- competition: the proposed new gTLD is anticipated to contribute to ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust. Increased trust in the .yellowpages gTLD will drive existing and new top level domain (TLD) registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs; and

- consumer choice: the proposed new gTLD will enable user-driven improvements and innovations assisting Sensis and Telstra’s marketing efforts through its ability to create new second and third level domain names on demand. These names will provide consumers with more choices for interacting with Sensis and Telstra. As Telstra has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under the .yellowpages domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.


Given the restricted nature of the .yellowpages gTLD, the projected number of registrations is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that approximately 500 domain names will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to about 1000 domain names as Telstra and⁄or Sensis on its behalf develop and implement domain names in the second or third level of the .yellowpages gTLD into its suite of products and services and marketing campaigns.


Telstra believes that the .yellowpages gTLD is unlikely to cause confusion with either a generic term or any existing TLDs. Telstra is a leading global brand with a significant reputation in Australia as its leading telecommunications and information services company. Telstra has an extensive portfolio of Australian Yellow™ and Yellow Pages® trademarks including registrations for “Yellow Pages” and images including “Yellow Pages” in Australia for classes such as Computer software, publications in electronic form including those supplied online (9); Paper goods and printed matter (16); Advertising and business including over the internet (35); Telecommunications (38); Electronic publication of information (41); Website design and computer software design services and directory goods in electronic and non-electronic form (42) and Registration of domain names (45).

Further, Telstra has 3 domain names with an exact match to the applied-for .yellowpages string and its “Yellow Pages” trademark in yellowpages.com.au, yellowpages.asia and yellowpages.net.au and 25 domain names containing .yellowpages in spaces such as yellowpages-victoria.com.au, yellowpagesdeals.com and yellowpagesaustralia.com.au.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.melbourne	The Crown in right of the State of Victoria, represented by its Department of Business and Innovation	dbi.vic.gov.au	View

The mission and purpose of the new .melbourne gTLD is to benefit internet users by ensuring increased trust, convenience and utility as well as extending and strengthening the City of Melbourne’s brand in the online environment.

The .melbourne gTLD will create a new generation gTLD serving the interests of residents of Melbourne and the State of Victoria and other internet users looking for products, services and information relating to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The .melbourne gTLD will be a domain space specifically related to Melbourne, the capital city of the State of Victoria in Australia. The .melbourne gTLD will provide a dedicated internet space for businesses, residents, community groups, organisations and government bodies in Victoria seeking to identify themselves with Melbourne, thus offering these potential registrants new marketing opportunities and an additional channel of communication focused on their geographic location. Internet users will also benefit from the .melbourne gTLD through the increased accuracy and quantity of locality-specific content.

As the applicant for the .melbourne gTLD, the State Government of Victoria through its Department of Business and Innovation, Innovation and Technology Division (DBI) aims to connect individuals, businesses and groups in Victoria to other local, national and international businesses and markets and to promote Melbourne as a great place to live, work, invest, visit and learn. The application for the .melbourne gTLD has the full support of the State Government of Victoria and the Melbourne City Council, the Local Government of the City of Melbourne.

Greater Melbourne consists of the City of Melbourne and a further 30 municipalities, has an approximate population of 4 million people and is often referred to as “the cultural capital of Australia” (as mentioned in the Melbourne Tourist Guide, www.melbournetouristguide.com). Melbourne was ranked the number one city in “The Economist’s top 10 Worldʹs Most Liveable Cities” in 2011 (www.economist.com⁄node⁄21528162).

The registration of second level domain names within the .melbourne domain space will only be available to government bodies in Victoria and businesses and residents with a Victorian address. This restriction is imposed to ensure that the .melbourne gTLD is available to Victorian residents and to facilitate and encourage the availability of information relating to activities, businesses, community groups, organisations and government bodies related to Melbourne in an online space free from use that is illegitimate or inconsistent with the mission and purpose of the .melbourne gTLD. The .melbourne gTLD is intended to encourage innovation and growth by offering economic benefits on a macro scale, increased utilisation of technology resources and an increased opportunity for and facilitation of entrepreneurship by providing an online geo-distinctive presence and new marketing opportunities. This will benefit internet users and promote competition in the marketplace.

The internet has created a means for global communication and interaction, allowing for greater levels of information exchange, as well as facilitating efficient business transactions. Information about Melbourne is widely available on the internet, allowing internet users worldwide to access online information regarding work, play or life in Melbourne. A centralised .melbourne gTLD will, however, provide a clearly identified resource for internet users, including visitors to Melbourne, bringing together and giving easier access to information about events, businesses, communities, government bodies and organisations in Melbourne. The .melbourne gTLD will meet the need for a specific online space that captures the distinctive city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and thus will enhance the strength and value of the Melbourne brand.

The mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN’s initiatives to promote public interest. DBI is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN’s Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
– consumer trust: the .melbourne gTLD registry will operate as a registry where only individuals and businesses with a Victorian address will be able to register domain names at the second level. Consumers will be able to have greater confidence in the information provided under the .melbourne gTLD knowing that the information is provided by businesses, organisations government bodies or residents connected to Melbourne. As domain names within .melbourne will be subject to registration standards, policies and procedures, the incidence of abuse and cybersquatting (through adequate protection of trademark holders) will be significantly lower and internet users will have greater confidence in the information they receive about the city of Melbourne; and
– competition: the .melbourne gTLD will contribute to the initiatives of competition and consumer choice through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust and convenience, as well as providing an alternative domain name space to registrations in other TLDs. The .melbourne gTLD will provide more choice for registrants to clearly distinguish themselves in the online environment by demonstrating their direct connection to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Increased trust in the .melbourne gTLD may drive existing and new top level domain (TLD) registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs; and
– consumer choice: the proposed new gTLD will enable user-driven improvements promoting Melbourne, with second level domains to be registered by eligible registrants. This will allow consumers more choice and options to register domain names and to interact with government bodies, community groups, businesses and organisations, as well as encourage competition between these potential registrant groups to best interact with such consumers. The .melbourne gTLD registration policy will provide clear guidance on the registration and use of domain names in the .melbourne gTLD, which will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.

Registration volume projections in this gTLD are based upon analysis of the target market, including registered trademark holders, businesses registered in Victoria and residents with a Victorian address. Projections have been developed with conservatism, taking into account the experience of existing gTLDs and ccTLDs and local market conditions.

In its endeavour to promote and expand the .melbourne gTLD, DBI will comply with all operational, technical and policy requirements and strive to maintain consumer trust and the stability of the internet. DBI will keep ICANN reasonably informed of any material developments relating to the .melbourne gTLD, including compliance with the continued operations instrument obligations as set out in Specification 8 of the Registry Agreement.

The DBI does not intend to make available Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and geographic names at the second level initially. However, as the use of the .melbourne gTLD evolves, it is anticipated that DBI may decide to make available IDNs and geographic names within the .melbourne domain space to allow internet users to engage with .melbourne in their native language, thus creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity. In accordance with Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement, and as specified in the response to Question 22, geographic names will not be available for registration without prior agreement from the relevant government or review and approval by the GAC.