gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.discover	Discover Financial Services	mayerbrown.com	View

18(b) Benefits

18(b).1 Consumer Benefits and User Experience

The intended mission and purpose of the .discover gTLD is to serve as a trusted and intuitive namespace for consumers and Internet users seeking to review information relating to, and purchase authentic products and services from, Discover and its affiliates.

The .discover gTLD will also benefit from the fame and predictability of Applicant’s DISCOVER and related brands that have developed through years of prestigious use in the marketplace. Indeed, unlike most generic gTLDs that ICANN has approved over the last decade, Discover is an established international financial services company with the ability to leverage its existing network of businesses and customers to increase the profile of the .discover gTLD. While most registries have primarily been dependent upon ICANN-accredited registrars to market and promote their gTLDs and fund their operations, Discover provides the ability to leverage its large market share, strong reputation, and existing relationships with various consumers and businesses in the financial services and related industries.

In the end, Discover believes that the proposed .discover gTLD has the potential to offer at least the following benefits to Internet users and consumers:

1) Establish a trusted source of information and online marketplace for the millions of consumers that purchase Discover’s authentic products and services on the Internet;

2) Provide Discover with short and memorable domain names that will facilitate the ease by which consumers can locate critical information or services online;

3) Minimize the social costs and harm to Internet users by ensuring fewer incidents of phishing and malware often associated with typographical errors existing in the top-level domain name space;

4) Minimize the social costs and harm to consumers by giving them access to authoritative information and authentic products and services via a trusted and reputable namespace in .discover;

5) Minimize the social costs and harm to consumers by providing heightened security for online financial transactions; and

6) Minimize the harm to third party rights holders within the .discover space, if any, by implementing all of ICANN’s consensus policies and other Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs).

18(b).2 Consumer Protection Mechanisms

As a closed single-registrant registry, Discover will be able to ensure that it, or its affiliates, are the sole source of product information and services within the .discover space. Moreover, based upon Discover’s commitment and established track record in providing a safe ecosystem for consumers and Internet users through its existing e-business efforts, Discover intends to provide best in class consumer protection mechanisms that will evolve over time (such as its Security Policy attached to this application in response to Question 30). While these are the initial policies that Discover will adopt for the operation of the .discover gTLD, it recognizes that protecting the safety of consumers in the .discover namespace will require diligence and a continued evolution of the policies, and Discover is committed to continuously monitoring and adapting its policies in order to create the highest level of consumer and user safety within the namespace.

While some of ICANN’s new gTLDs have previously been the subject of claims regarding increased spam and phishing activities, .discover from its launch will be a closed single-registrant registry and trusted source of Discover’s authentic products and services for consumers. Discover looks to follow its already-established good business practices—such as the Security Policy attached to this application in response to Question 30—and to work with government agencies to create a marketplace with safeguards designed to minimize fraud and other illegal activity.

In the end, as discussed above, the .discover gTLD will provide further enhanced protection against the security risks that are inherently heightened within the online financial services community. Indeed, the .discover gTLD will provide consumers with a known, trusted, and secure platform for online financial services.

18(b).3 User Data

Because every second-level domain name will be registered by Discover or its affiliates, no third party user data will be associated with the TLD, and will Discover have a vested interest in ensuring that accurate and current domain name information is readily available in connection with each .discover second-level domain name. Notwithstanding the above, as a global leader in the financial services and related industries, with operations in many legal jurisdictions and on the Internet, Discover will employ a variety of physical, electronic, contractual, and managerial safeguards, which will be no less restrictive than the precautions currently taken on Discover’s current e-business websites.

To further protect its own data, Discover intends to incorporate contractual language in its registrar agreements modeled after language which has been included in the template Registry Agreement and which has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD registry operators. In addition, Discover shall take reasonable steps to protect its data from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Discover shall not use or authorize the use of its data in any way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrants.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.loft	Annco, Inc.	mayerbrown.com	View

18(b) Benefits

18(b).1 Consumer Benefits and User Experience

The intended mission and purpose of the .loft gTLD is to serve as a trusted and intuitive namespace for consumers and Internet users seeking to purchase authentic, specialty products from Ann and its affiliates, and obtain information regarding the LOFT brand and the Ann companies.

The .loft gTLD will also benefit from the fame and predictability of Ann’s LOFT and related brands that have developed through years of prestigious use in the marketplace. Indeed, unlike most generic gTLDs that ICANN has approved over the last decade, Ann is an established international company with the ability to leverage its existing network of clients and businesses in the retail space to increase the profile of the .loft gTLD. While most registries have primarily been dependent upon ICANN-accredited registrars to market and promote their gTLDs and fund their operations, Ann provides the ability to leverage its large market share, strong reputation and existing relationships with various consumers and businesses in the specialty apparel and accessories industry.

In the end, Ann believes that the proposed .loft gTLD has the potential to offer at least the following benefits to Internet users and consumers:
1) Establish a trusted online marketplace and source of authorized information for the millions of consumers that purchase authentic LOFT products on the Internet;

2) Provide Ann with short and memorable domain names that will facilitate the ease by which consumers can locate products or critical information online;

3) Minimize the social costs and harm to Internet users by ensuring fewer incidents of phishing and malware often associated with typographical errors existing in the top-level domain name space;

4) Minimize the social costs and harm to consumers by giving them access to authorized and authentic products and information via a trusted and reputable namespace in .loft; and

5) Minimize the harm to third party rights holders within the .loft space by implementing all of ICANN’s consensus policies and other Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs).

18(b).2 Consumer Protection Mechanisms

As a closed single-registrant registry, Ann will be able to ensure that it, or its affiliates, are the sole source of product information and services within the .loft space. Moreover, based upon Ann’s commitment and established track record in providing a safe ecosystem for consumers and Internet users through its existing e-commerce efforts, Ann intends to provide best in class consumer protection mechanisms that will evolve over time (such as its Security Policies attached to this application in response to Question 30). While these are the initial policies that Ann will adopt for the operation of the .loft gTLD, it recognizes that protecting the safety of consumers in the .loft namespace will require diligence and a continued evolution of the policies, and Ann is committed to continuously monitoring and adapting its policies in order to create the highest level of consumer and user safety within the namespace.

While some of ICANN’s new gTLDs have previously been the subject of claims regarding increased spam and phishing activities, .loft from its launch will be a closed single-registrant registry and trusted source of Ann’s authentic goods and services for consumers. Ann looks to follow the established good business practices of its parent companies—such as the Security Policies attached to this application in response to Question 30—and to work with government agencies to create a marketplace with safeguards designed to minimize fraud and other illegal activity.

18(b).3 User Data

Because every second-level domain name will be registered by Ann or its affiliates, no third party user data will be associated with the TLD, and Ann will have a vested interest in ensuring that accurate and current domain name information is readily available in connection with each .loft second-level domain name. Notwithstanding the above, as a global leader in the women’s retail industry, with operations in many legal jurisdictions and on the Internet, Ann will employ a variety of physical, electronic, contractual, and managerial safeguards, which will be no less restrictive than the precautions currently taken in Ann’s stores and websites.

To further protect its own data, Ann intends to incorporate contractual language in its registrar agreements modeled after language which has been included in the template Registry Agreement and which has been successfully utilized by existing ICANN gTLD registry operators. In addition, Ann shall take reasonable steps to protect its data from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Ann shall not use or authorize the use of its data in any way that is incompatible with ICANN policies or applicable law.