.film Pre-Register Domain - .film Domain Information

MISSION/PURPOSE


The mission/purpose of the .film TLD is to provide a new, unique and dedicated online space for the global film industry. The .film TLD will have great advantages over existing TLDs: it will provide the global film industry with a clear and intuitive identifier within the online environment; it will introduce increased domain name availability for the film industry via the introduction of a TLD string that is completely dedicated to its primary product segment; and it will reduce consumer vulnerabilities associated with accessing film-related online content.

Eligibility restrictions will be imposed to maintain the integrity of the space. Second level domain name registrations will only be available to film producers and major film studios, providing the TLD with a defined audience, purpose and value proposition. Registrants will be required to provide a Motion Picture Association of America number (or equivalent) to protect against fraudulent registrations secured for the purposes of domain name monetisation. These restrictions serve to support the TLD's value proposition as the definitive space for the film industry.

The introduction of the .film TLD will address the key issue of domain name availability for films that are that being actively marketed by the world's film producers, studios and industry bodies. The .film TLD will provide a new space, free of the clutter associated with the current gTLD environment, allowing for the registration of optimal domain name strings that are tied directly to a film title, series or promotional marketing message. Increased domain name availability will allow in particular for the registration of names that exactly mirror a film's title. This will ensure that marketing messages are delivered to the intended audience with more impact, resulting in a higher chance of message recall.

The .film TLD will utilise the expansion of the DNS to ensure the intuitive and delivery of film-related online content to consumers across the world. .film will create a new online space specifically for the benefit of film producers and their target audiences.

BENEFITS TO REGISTRANTS AND INTERNET USERS

The following four goals have been identified as goals of the .film TLD:

1. WIDER CHOICE OF STRING

The .film TLD will provide film producers and studios with a wider choice of domain name availability. The increased volume and clutter within existing TLDs has resulted in many strings becoming unavailable due to multiple competing interests seeking the same or similar strings. The result has been a dilution of choice and a necessity to settle for less-than-optimal domain name registrations. As film titles are constructed with marketing potential in mind, the lack of domain name availability within the current gTLD environment has significantly limited options for the representation of film titles and franchised film brands within the online environment.

Such problems are addressed by the new gTLD program, and the .film new gTLD will benefit the film industry through an increased availability of domain names.

2. IMPROVED RECALL OF MESSAGE

Film titles are designed to be delivered to the intended consumer audience with maximum impact. However, the current TLD environment often dilutes the ability to represent film titles intuitively via second level domain names. The introduction of the .film TLD will increase the availability of domain names, which will in turn benefit film producers in their attempts to streamline marketing messages for film titles or back catalogues. Domain names that mirror film titles exactly will not only improve the efficiency of marketing messages and recall of advertising activity, but increase the potential for a film's website to be found via direct navigation within the online environment. A namespace such as .film will be of great benefit to internet users and registrants, given that the purpose of most film related websites is to promote the film itself. As more internet users navigate to domains within the .film TLD, the registrant's opportunities to communicate with users improve and increase.

3. IDENTIFIABLE ONLINE DESTINATION

The .film TLD will create a valuable online location for content related to films and the film industry. The registrant eligibility criterion supports this value proposition: by limiting eligibility to entities that are able to provide a Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) number (or equivalent), the .film TLD will quickly become the definitive online location of film-related material presented and marketed by film producers. This maintains a standard of purpose for the TLD and serves to build trust in the content that is presented under the .film TLD.

Currently, film producers are competing for URLs in crowded TLDs such as .com. Even if a representative URL is secured, it would not be identified as a film without adding some reference in the URL. Take for example the recent film The Hunger Games. The obvious URL within the current TLD environment is www.thehungergames.com. However, this takes the user to a site dedicated to the original book by Suzanne Collins. If the producer attempts to identify the URL as representative of the newly released film, using www.thehungergames-film.com, or www.hungergamesthefilm.com, it is unlikely to aid in navigation or end user confidence in the content they will find, as neither option is an established protocol. Under the .film TLD, the URL could be www.thehungergames.film, which is clearly representative of the product segment, is easier to recall and builds trust in the content that is presented underneath the TLD.

4. REPUTATION AS A RELIABLE ONLINE DESTINATION

The .film TLD will appeal to film producers through the provision of a dedicated namespace that increases the likelihood of domain name registrations that reflect a particular film title or series. Internet users will be easily able to find relevant content under the domain. These attributes combine to create a reputation for .film as a trusted, reliable and user friendly online space.

User experience under .film will reflect the TLD's reputation as a valued source of film-related content. The eligibility criterion has been established to ensure the support of this value proposition. The hurdle of an eligibility requirement will serve to maintain the integrity of those producers applying for domain names under the .film TLD, ultimately increasing the commercial value of domain names registered in comparison to unrestricted gTLD namespaces.

Amongst Internet users, the industry-focused nature of the TLD is likely to further increase direct navigation to .film domains. Users will be able to navigate to content under the TLD knowing that material presented on a web site is related to the subject matter in question.

ANTICIPATED CONTRIBUTION TO THE CURRENT SPACE

IMPROVED COMPETITION

The .film TLD will add a significant level of competition to the market for domain name registrations, given that film producers and studios currently gravitate to the crowded .com TLD as the default domain name for online identification and marketing. The introduction of the .film TLD will improve competition within the domain space through the provision of a relevant, intuitive TLD option that addresses the challenge of availability for those charged with bringing a film to the marketplace.

DIFFERENTIATION

The .film TLD is differentiated from market-dominant existing TLDs through its specified and targeted alignment with the film industry. Through the introduction of restricted eligibility criteria, the .film TLD will deliver industry-specific, relevant content in a clearer and more efficient way than is currently experienced in the gTLD space.

The .film TLD will dedicate a space within the internet to the film industry. This unique focus sets it apart from existing TLDs and delivers a clear and succinct value proposition to the intended audience.

Over time, the eligibility criteria will enhance public acceptance of the .film TLD as the only validated namespace for the film industry.

REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE .film TLD

Only eligible registrants will be able to register second level domain names in the .film TLD. Registrations will be provided under .film only upon the provision of an MPAA number or equivalent form of identification. Registrants will be required to warrant their satisfaction of the eligibility criteria. Ineligible registrations will be considered abusive and thus fall within the scope of the Anti-Abuse Policy, which is set out in the response to Question 28. Additional, non-sensitive registrant information pertinent to the registration, such as film title, country of origin, premier date and genre, will also be provided to reduce the risk of fraudulent registration.

As set out in the registration policy and described in more detail in Question 18(c), the .film TLD will launch with a sunrise round that will provide an opportunity for trademark holders meeting the eligibility restrictions of the TLD to register domain names. Upon the close of the sunrise round, the .film TLD will be open for registrations from all eligible registrants, first during a landrush period with competing applications resolved by auction, and then in general availability on a first-come/first-served basis. Launch and ongoing rights protection mechanism implementation is described in detail in the response to Question 29.

PROTECTION OF PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

In support of and consistent with the mission and purpose of the .film TLD, the protection of privacy and confidential information will be a priority in this TLD. The TLD will be operated in accordance with all relevant Australian State and Commonwealth legislation, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth) and the National Privacy Principles (Commonwealth). In addition, all security measures, policies and practices required by ICANN under the Registry Agreement will be implemented in the .film TLD.

A Privacy Policy will be developed and put into place to protect registrants Internet users' personal data. Registrars will be required to secure in their Registration Agreements registrants' consent to the use of registration information by the registrar in the operation of the registry, disclosure to ICANN or in response to a request from a law enforcement agency. This agreement will be supported by and make reference to the .film Privacy Policy, which will require that measures are in place to prevent disclosure of registrant contact information to third parties other than through WhoIs or to comply with contractual obligations to ICANN and instructions received from validated law enforcement agencies. These disclosure mechanisms, which are intended to prevent and mitigate abuse in the TLD, are described in detail in the response to Question 28.

Consistent with Specification 4 of the Registry Agreement, a publicly available WhoIs will be provided to enable Internet users to query a domain name's registrant, contact details and status. Users will be required to abide by terms and conditions relating to the appropriate use of this facility.

OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES

The .film TLD will be supported by an aggressive marketing strategy that will raise awareness and understanding of the TLD within the broader film production community. The main marketing activity will be outsourced, and will comprise such things as:
- brand development
- strategy planning and development
- target audience segmentation and research
- website development and digital strategy
- sales collateral
- public relations
- advertising
- sponsorship
- Registrar and Registrant awareness and engagement activities
- Registrar co-operative marketing activities
- media exposure

Supplemental to this, sponsorship and public relations will play an important role in building a connection between the .film TLD and the film production industry. The General Manager and Registry Liaison/Business Development Manager of the .film TLD will be responsible for engaging major players in the film industry such as studios, distributors, leading websites, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), as well as working with the domain name industry to develop awareness and promote benefits of the .film TLD.

INTRODUCTION

This question has been interpreted broadly and the response prepared while taking into consideration social costs and other negative consequences facing Internet users who will access content through the .film TLD; these are considered eliminated or minimised by the manner in which the .film TLD will be operated.

METHOD OF RESOLVING MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS

Multiple applications will be resolved by auction during a single sunrise period and landrush (launch implementation plans are described in detail in response to Question 29) and on a first-come, first-serve basis during general availability.

COST BENEFITS TO REGISTRANTS

No discounts or advantageous pricing will be offered for registrations in this TLD.

CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS TO REGISTRANTS

No long term contracts will be offered to registrants in this TLD. Contractual commitments regarding price escalation are also not applicable to this TLD.

OTHER OPERATING RULES WHICH ELIMINATE OR MINIMISE SOCIAL COSTS

No constraints will be placed on parked sites. The imposition of an eligibility restriction (possession of a Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) number or equivalent) is assumed to be sufficient to provide a barrier to non-authentic registrants and thus minimise the risk of parked sites or other uses which may contravene the TLD's overall mission and purpose.

By imposing an eligibility restriction designed to restrict registrations to film industry members, the .film TLD supports its planned mission/purpose and thus supports the film industry. It is anticipated that vulnerabilities to the registrant and Internet users who access content through the .film TLD can be eliminated. This will be safeguarded through policies and procedures which ensure that registrations are made using eligibility criteria. Further, abusive registrations and use of registrations will be prevented through having in place and enforcing a robust anti-abuse policy; this policy is described in detail in the response to Question 28.

We have engaged ARI Registry Services (ARI) to deliver services for this TLD. This response describes protection of geographic names as implemented by ARI.

1 PROTECTION OF GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

In accordance with Specification 5 of the New gTLD Registry Agreement, the registry operator must initially reserve all geographic names at the second level, and at all other levels within the TLD at which the registry operator provides for registrations.
ARI supports this requirement by using the following internationally recognised lists to develop a comprehensive master list of all geographic names that are initially reserved:
- The 2-letter alpha-2 code of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list, including all reserved and unassigned codes [http://www.iso.org/iso/support/country_codes/iso_3166_code_lists/iso-3166-1_decoding_table.htm].
- The short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list, including the European Union, which is exceptionally reserved on the ISO 3166-1 List, and its scope extended in August 1999 to any application needing to represent the name European Union [http://www.iso.org/iso/support/country_codes/iso_3166_code_lists/iso-3166-1_decoding_table.htm#EU].
- The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardisation of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World. This lists the names of 193 independent States generally recognised by the international community in the language or languages used in an official capacity within each country and is current as of August 2006 [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn%20tech%20ref%20manual_M87_combined.pdf].
- The list of UN member states in six official UN languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the standardisation of Geographical Names [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/9th-uncsgn-docs/econf/9th_UNCSGN_e-conf-98-89-add1.pdf].
Names on this reserved list in ARI's registry system are prevented from registration.
A corresponding list of geographic names will also be available to the public via the registry operators website, to inform Registrars and potential registrants of reserved names. The lists noted above, are regularly monitored for revisions, therefore the reserved list (both within the registry and publicly facing) will be continually updated to reflect any changes.
In addition to these requirements, ARI are able to support the wishes of the Governmental Advisory Council (GAC) or any individual Government in regard to the blocking of individual terms on a case by case basis. ARI's registry system allows such additions to be made by appropriately authorised staff, with no further system development changes required.
The following applies to all Domain Names contained within the registry's reserved list:
- Attempts to register listed Domain Names will be rejected.
- WhoIs queries for listed Domain Names will receive responses indicating their reserved status.
- Reserved geographic names will not appear in the TLD zone file.
- DNS queries for reserved domain names will result in an NXDOMAIN response.

2 PROCEDURES FOR RELEASE

We understand that if we wish to release the reserved names at a later date, this will require agreement from the relevant government/s or review by the GAC, and subsequent approval from ICANN.