.banque Pre-Register Domain - .banque Domain Information

THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW .APP gTLD IS TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY OF INDEPENDENT SOFTWARE APPLICATION (APP) DEVELOPERS AND PUBLISHERS, AND INTERNET USERS, BY CREATING AN INNOVATIVE DOMAIN SPACE WHICH PROVIDES FAIR AND OPEN ACCESS TO DESIRED DOMAIN NAMES FOR APPS.

The .app gTLD will create a new generation gTLD serving the interests of the community of independent app developers and publishers, consumers and internet users. TRI Ventures, Inc. (TRI Ventures) intends to create an innovative, fair and open .app domain space under which app developers and publishers can register their desired domain names and provide information and services regarding a wide range of published apps to internet users. TRI Ventures intends to offer domain names to the community of independent app developers and publishers to allow them to gain access to appropriate domain names for their published apps. The new user-friendly .app gTLD will provide an intuitive, easy to use, central location for internet users and consumers to discover new apps and find information about a large library of published apps.

Registrations for domain names under the .app gTLD will be available to the community of independent app developers and publishers. This will ensure that the .app gTLD provides a relevant domain space where the app development and publishing industry can develop websites that provide reliable information related to their app. App publishers that register .app domain names will enjoy the benefit of being part of a global online app community to connect with app users and other developers. Internet users will be able to easily access memorable second level domain names under the .app gTLD to find desired information about a wide range of apps.

TRI Ventures is a diverse private company that operates in a variety of markets, including marketing and design staffing solutions under the Aquent brand name. Since its formation in 1986, Aquent has grown to become a multinational talent agency with offices around the world. TRI Ventures was an early investor in Angie's List, Inc. and remains a large shareholder after its IPO. In addition, TRI Ventures owns litl, a start-up company that focuses on creating hardware, software and apps. Litl has a number of apps in Apple and Android app stores. In this regard, continuous innovation and providing a high quality of service are of greatest importance for all of our business endeavours. The new .app gTLD will provide a valuable service to the community of independent app developers and publishers to easily acquire and expand naming options for their apps. The .app gTLD will provide open and fair access to app developers to register appropriate domain names under .app and provide a central, intuitive online location for consumers and internet users to find information about, search for and discover exciting new apps.

Since the inception of the current domain name system, business activities conducted on the internet are constantly changing and evolving with increased complexity. The volume of commercial transactions over the internet is constantly growing and bringing benefits of simplicity and lowered transaction costs to businesses and consumers. However, at the same time, criminal activities over the internet including data breach, hacking and phishing activities have also become more sophisticated resulting in loss of consumer confidence beyond mere monetary harm. The .app gTLD will foster greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with app publishers online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction.

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

- CONSUMER TRUST: .app will only allow entities and persons with an interest in software applications (apps), who meet the eligibility requirements, to register domain names under the .app gTLD, as specified in the registration policy. The .app gTLD will create a globally recognisable, central location for app publishers, which will result in consumer trust and confidence in information and services provided under the .app domain space. As .app domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under TRI Ventures' control, this limits the possibility of malicious conduct within .app;

- COMPETITION: the .app gTLD is intended to promote competition and consumer choice among prospective registrants in the app development and publishing industry, who will have a choice of gTLDs with which to register. The .app gTLD provides a competitive alternative to current TLDs by offering fair, open and easily accessible registrations under the .app domain space; and

- CONSUMER CHOICE: the new gTLD will enable user-driven improvements and innovations, with specific relevance to the app development industry and related services, with second and third level domains to be registered by app developers and publishers. This will allow consumers more choice for interacting with the app development industry, as well as encouraging competition between app developers to interact with consumers in a user-friendly manner. As TRI Ventures will put in place an appropriate policy for the registration and use of domain names under .app, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet.


The projected number of registrations in the .app gTLD is likely to be around 26,000 domain names in the first year. However, over the next three years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to about 44,000 domain names as global recognition of the .app gTLD increases and as TRI Ventures implements new services and marketing campaigns.

As the new .app gTLD expands and evolves, TRI Ventures will continue to comply with all operational, technical and policy requirements, as well as maintaining consumer trust and the stability of the internet. TRI Ventures will keep ICANN reasonably informed of any material developments relating to .app gTLD including compliance with the continued operations instrument obligations as set out in Specification 8 of the Registry Agreement.

"App" is a generic term used to describe software applications, and as such, Tri Ventures believes that it should not be trademarked or controlled by a self-interested corporation or entity. TRI Ventures believes that a neutral third party should create and operate the .app domain space for the benefit of the app development and publishing community by offering fair, open and easy access to newly available and appropriate domain names related to their apps.

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 .app gTLD are in line with ICANN's Affirmation of Commitments: to promote consumer trust, competition and consumer choice. TRI Ventures also seeks to foster the online reputation of the community of app developers and publishers and provide an internet space through which TRI Ventures is able to offer appropriate domain names to app developers that relate to their apps. The .app gTLD will create a user-friendly, recognisable central location for internet users to search for and discover new apps. The ability to create domain names on demand related to specific app products, related services and marketing 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 .app gTLD will make positive contributions to the wider internet community by providing:


DIFFERENTIATION (INCREASED TRUST):

The .app gTLD will simplify how internet users interact with the community of app developers and service providers by offering a distinctive domain space. Internet users will be able to directly navigate to the .app gTLD site, saving time and resources searching for individual app sites. 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. TRI Ventures can address some of these vulnerabilities by maintaining eligibility criteria associated with the registration of domain names under the .app domain space. The new .app gTLD will become an immediately recognisable, reliable location where app developers can provide authoritative information about their apps and internet users and consumers can easily search for and discover new apps with trust and confidence. Together with consumer trust, internet users will be able to rely on the authoritativeness of the domain names under .app domain space, which will differentiate interaction between internet users and TRI Ventures.


COMPETITION:

The differentiation of .app gTLD as a trusted site for the app development community will drive existing and new Top Level Domain (TLD) registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs. The .app gTLD will drive competition with other gTLDs by providing the community of app developers and publishers with a memorable and valuable alternative domain space to register appropriate domain names relating to their apps. Internet users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under .app domain space when searching for information about new apps. As a result, the benefits of the proposed .app will be distributed not only to app developers and publishers and their direct customers, but to the internet community at large by promoting improved services and competitive pricing in the market place. Furthermore the .app gTLD will through offering fair, open and easily accessible registrations provide a competitive alternative to current app platforms.


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 the existing domain space due to unavailability of the desired name. 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. App developers and publishers, such as TRI Ventures, are currently faced with a severe lack of appropriate domain names for their apps. Under the new .app gTLD, TRI Ventures intends to offer the community of independent app developers and publishers fair and open access to previously unavailable second level domain names that relate to their apps. TRI Ventures 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 .app will provide a positive user experience, which meets the changing and growing needs of the app development community as well as the global internet audience. TRI Ventures will put in place an appropriate policy for the registration and use of domain names and will ensure that the new gTLD will only be used for purposes in line with the .app registration policy. Therefore, the .app gTLD will:

- provide the community of app developers and publishers with open, fair and easy access to previously unavailable domain names that relate to their apps;

- provide consumers and internet users with a trusted, accessible and memorable central location to easily search for and discover new apps;

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

- represent relevance both in domain name registrations and in content thus promoting user confidence;

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

- use geographic names to localise websites to connect with app developers and internet users in the relevant regions and to comply with local laws;

- potentially use IDNs to enable customer to interact directly in their native language;

- 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.


TRI Ventures does not intend to utilise Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level initially. However, as the use of the .app gTLD evolves, it is anticipated that TRI Ventures will utilise IDNs to allow app developers and publishers and internet users to engage with .app in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity.

The .app gTLD should address some of 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, through its eligibility requirements the .app gTLD may 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.

Registrations under the .app gTLD will be open to entities and persons with an interest in software applications (apps). Domains names within .app will need to comply with the usage policies prohibiting use of the domain names for phishing, spamming and other abusive practices defined in the registration policy, and will the names will also need to be used consistently with the mission and purpose of the gTLD - i.e. that the domain names must be used to provide information and services regarding a wide range of published software apps to internet users.

In addition, the domain name registration processes will address the requirements mandated by ICANN, including, but not limited to, minimum rights abuse prevention measures such as the use of the Trademark Clearinghouse.

If registrants are found in breach of the terms and conditions in the registration policy, the registry will be able to exercise the right to suspend or cancel the registration of the domain name.


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.

TRI Ventures 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 local, state and federal privacy laws in the US and other countries in which TRI Ventures operates. TRI Ventures, through Aquent, is Safe Harbour Certified and has a dedicated privacy team that meets on a weekly basis.

TRI Ventures 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, TRI Ventures 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.

TRI Ventures will deploy Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) which is intended to benefit both TRI Ventures and its users interacting with TRI Ventures 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 .app gTLD.

TRI Ventures 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 .app domain space.


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

The proposed new .app gTLD will be publicised by a media plan to promote recognition of the new gTLD within the internet community to be a trusted site and as a sign of authenticity.
Over time it is foreseen that increased recognition of the proposed new .app gTLD amongst the app development community and internet users and encouragement to utilise the trusted site will contribute towards minimising malicious abuses and protecting internet users.

Registrations under the .app gTLD will be open to entities and persons with an interest in software applications (apps). Domains names within .app will need to comply with the usage policies prohibiting use of the domain names for phishing, spamming and other abusive practices defined in the registration policy, and will the names will also need to be used consistently with the mission and purpose of the gTLD - i.e. that the domain names must be used to provide information and services regarding a wide range of published software apps to internet users.
Therefore, it is not anticipated that third parties and/or trademark owners unrelated to the app development industry will incur costs in relation to the .app gTLDTRI Ventures will utilise the services of the proposed Trademark Clearinghouse to ensure that domain names registered and the use of those domain names, do not infringe any registered third party intellectual property rights.

As the .app gTLD intends to create an authentic, central location for app developers and publishers to provide information about their apps to consumers, it is estimated that time and money spent by consumers who have been targeted by malicious abuse in utilising services on the internet will reduce over time as a result of the new, trusted .app gTLD. By encouraging app developers and publishers to communicate and interact with internet users under the .app gTLD, it is anticipated that there will be a reduction in consumer confusion and a concomitant increase in consumer trust, thus contributing towards ICANN's initiatives in promoting the public interest.


18(C)I. HOW WILL MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS FOR A PARTICULAR DOMAIN NAME BE RESOLVED, FOR EXAMPLE, BY AUCTION OR ON A FIRST-COME/FIRST-SERVE BASIS?

The .app policy for multiple registrations of the same name will be handled on a first-come, first served basis.


18(C)II. EXPLAIN ANY COST BENEFITS FOR REGISTRANTS YOU INTEND TO IMPLEMENT (E.G., ADVANTAGEOUS PRICING, INTRODUCTORY DISCOUNTS, BULK REGISTRATION DISCOUNTS).

Price reductions for bulk registration will not be permitted as they do not benefit the purpose of the .app gTLD, which is to create a memorable online location for the community of app developers and publishers and internet users to interact. Furthermore, bulk and discount registrations are not applicable in line with the registry's mission and purpose, as bulk discounts may lead to domain squatting and other non-advantageous practices for app developers and for internet users generally. The .app gTLD will not limit the number of domain names registered to each registrant.

TRI Ventures will offer domain name registrations under the .app gTLD to eligible registrants for a period of one or more years with potential discounts available for longer-term renewals.


18(C)III. NOTE THAT THE REGISTRY AGREEMENT REQUIRES THAT REGISTRARS BE OFFERED THE OPTION TO OBTAIN INITIAL DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATIONS FOR PERIODS OF ONE TO TEN YEARS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE REGISTRAR, BUT NO GREATER THAN TEN YEARS. ADDITIONALLY, THE REGISTRY AGREEMENT REQUIRES ADVANCE WRITTEN NOTICE OF PRICE INCREASES. DO YOU INTEND TO MAKE CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS TO REGISTRANTS REGARDING THE MAGNITUDE OF PRICE ESCALATION? IF SO, PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR PLAN.

There will be no contractual commitments regarding the magnitude of price escalation. However, the registry does not intend on having unwarranted price increases as that is against the purpose of the .app gTLD, which aims to promote fair and open access to appropriate domain names for app developers and publishers, as well as encouraging reliable and efficient interaction with internet users.

TRI Ventures, Inc. generally respects and abides by the GAC's Principles regarding New gTLDs, dated March 28, 2007. In particular, TRI Ventures, Inc. adheres to and/or intends to adhere to the recommendations directed towards new registry operators in Sections 2.1, 2.4, 2.7(b). On the other hand, TRI Ventures, Inc. assumes that several of the recommendations directed towards new registry operators, in general, are less applicable in the case of Single-Registrant operational models such as .app than in an completely open Registry model. These include without limitation Sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.7(a) and 2.9.

In order to comply with the requirements of the Registry Agreement, Specification 5, and as with all other domains in the .app TLD, all Two-character labels (§2) and Country and Territory Names (§5) will be initially reserved. However, TRI Ventures, Inc. believes that the use of geographic terms can provide great benefit and simplicity to internet users because these terms are intuitive ways to resolve to TRI Ventures, Inc.'s content that is specifically relevant and targeted to users in the particular geographic region and in line with local customs, laws and regulations. The use of the geographic terms will be valuable to internet users because they can be reassured that the content that they are viewing is relevant to their local situation thus mitigating the risk of unnecessary user confusion.

TRI Ventures, Inc. intends to use any Two-character label and/or Country or Territory Name domains in TRI Ventures, Inc.'s discretion, and to participate in or implement a process by which any Government may reasonably object to that use. TRI Ventures, Inc. envisions a number of possible scenarios for ensuring Government agreement to the use of Country and Territory names. These will be explored in detail with ICANN and the Governmental Advisory Committee to ensure a mutually agreeable solution. Scenarios range from at a minimum; TRI Ventures, Inc. informing the Chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to ICANN in writing of its proposed use of geographic terms and provide Governments who wish to do so with an opportunity to block the use of their relevant name in the .app TLD. Other plausible scenarios would include;


SCENARIO 1 (LETTER TO GAC)

In advance of any use of geographical names TRI Ventures, Inc. will send a letter to the chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) informing the GAC of its intention to use geographical names in the .app TLD. The letter will outline the reasons for using geographical names and provide Governments with the opportunity to contact TRI Ventures, Inc. within 90 days to reserve their respective geographical name from use in the TLD. Should a Government inform TRI Ventures, Inc. that it wishes to reserve the use of their respective geographical name, the name will remain reserved for the duration of TRI Ventures, Inc.'s registry agreement with ICANN. The opportunity to reserve a name will be offered to Governments free of charge.


SCENARIO 2 (LETTER INFORMING INDIVIDUAL GOVERNMENTS)

In advance of any use of geographical names TRI Ventures, Inc. will send a letter to the Government concerned and inform it of TRI Ventures, Inc.'s intention to use geographical names in the .app TLD. The letter will outline the reasons for using geographical names and provide the Government with the opportunity to contact TRI Ventures, Inc. within 90 days to reserve its respective geographical name from use in the TLD. Should the Government inform TRI Ventures, Inc. that it wishes to reserve the use of its respective geographical name, the name will remain reserved for the duration of TRI Ventures, Inc.'s registry agreement with ICANN. The opportunity to reserve a name will be offered to the Government free of charge.


SCENARIO 3 (LETTER REQUESTING PERMISSION FROM INDIVIDUAL GOVERNMENT)

In advance of any use of geographical names TRI Ventures, Inc. will send a letter to the Government concerned and inform it of TRI Ventures, Inc.'s intention to use geographical names in the .app TLD. The letter will outline the reasons for using geographical names and request the Government's approval or non-objection to the proposed use of the geographical name. Should the Government not respond to the TRI Ventures, Inc. within 90 days, TRI Ventures, Inc. will understand this to mean that the Government does not object to TRI Ventures, Inc.'s proposed use of the geographical name. However should the Government at a later stage contact TRI Ventures, Inc. and request that the geographical name no longer be used, TRI Ventures, Inc. will work in good faith with the Government to try to find a mutually agreeable solution.

Alternatively: However should the Government at a later stage contact TRI Ventures, Inc. and request that the geographical name no longer be used, TRI Ventures, Inc. will work in good faith with the Government to try to find a mutually agreeable solution. If such a solution cannot be found TRI Ventures, Inc. will respect the Government's wishes and reserve the name from use without cost to the Government concerned.

Generally, it is extremely unlikely that TRI Ventures, Inc.'s tightly controlled use of any cc.app or countryname.app domain name could be confusing or detrimental to users, or otherwise offensive to any country. Nor is it likely to be detrimental to the operator of a country code top level domain. To the extent that use of any .app domain was ever deemed confusing or offensive, TRI Ventures, Inc. has a strong desire to resolve the situation quickly and respectfully to any affected Government's sovereign interests. TRI Ventures, Inc. will ensure that its designated abuse contact is aware of the additional sensitivities that may potentially arise with respect to use of cc.app or countryname.app domains, such that any complaints of this nature are prioritized accordingly. TRI Ventures, Inc. will not use geographic names until ICANN has approved such use.