.irish Pre-Register Domain - .irish Domain Information

Dot-Irish LLC
Question 18A

Dot-Irish (.Irish) is a new top-level domain for the global Irish Diaspora. Our mission is to provide a meaningful domain name alternative and to develop, promote and support valuable services and initiatives for Irish businesses, organizations and people all over the world. While approximately 6 million people reside on the island of Ireland, nearly 80 million people worldwide identify themselves with Irish heritage. Annual trade exports on the Island of Ireland now exceed €100 Billion and imports exceed €50 Billion. Therefore, a social and business marketplace exists for the .Irish top-level domain. We envision a niche yet valuable place on the Internet where businesses, organizations and people that wish to be categorized as Irish may readily do so.

The Company has made several presentations and taken numerous consultations to date in an effort to build support and solidify the direction of .Irish. Parties to these meetings include political organizations from every end of the spectrum in Ireland, members of European Parliament, other government officials and regulators, major international charity and cultural organizations, ICANN meeting presentations and more. These efforts have helped us confirm that there is a demand for the domain, and the concept is well received.

The partners of Dot-Irish LLC represent a consortium of diverse and talented men and women from Ireland and the United States. Brief descriptions on our core team can be found below. Additional information on our partners, consultants and service providers can be found in Question 18B. It is in the spirit of new cultural connections and communications made possible through the development of the Internet and the DNS that we present .Irish as a top-level domain for the greater Irish Diaspora.

.IRISH TEAM

John Toland is the Founder and CEO of Dot-Irish LLC. A native of Belfast, Mr. Toland has developed and supported businesses in real estate and technology for over 20 years. His efforts include the provision of housing and support services to statutory agencies, property development, web development, media production and research. He supports approximately 50 staff across these businesses. Mr. Toland has conducted research and development on new gTLDs for over 5 years.

Shane Naughton is the COO of Dot-Irish LLC. Shane is a seasoned technology entrepreneur, has founded a number of technology companies and advises various technology start-ups. He co-founded and became CTO of TaxStream LLC, which became the #1 software provider in its space and was sold to Thomson Reuters in 2008. In 2010, he was elected to the Wall Street 50 list, for the top 50 Irish working on Wall Street. Shane is also very active in the Irish American community in New York and is a benefactor to many Irish charities. Shane earned his B.A. and M.A. in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin, and was awarded a gold medal for academic excellence.

Edward A. White is the CMO of Dot-Irish LLC. Mr. White is a co-founder of TLD Assets LLC and has participated in the domain industry for three years. He has priorly engaged in a range of professional experiences spanning media, technology, finance, and energy. Mr. White formerly played professional basketball in Ireland and participated in cross-community programs in Belfast. His mother, Mary Margaret McCarthy, traces her heritage to Counties Cork and Tyrone. Mr. White is a graduate of Yale University in Political Science and currently resides in New York City.

Edward L. White is the CFO of Dot-Irish LLC. Mr. White is the founding and Senior Partner of Edward White & Co., LLP, Certified Public Accountants. He is a certified public accountant in the state of California, member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, has a Certification in Financial Forensics and a MBA from the University of Southern California. Edward White & Co., LLP was founded in Los Angeles in 1976, and provides a full range of services to a multinational client base.

Dr. Dennis Jennings is a board member of Dot-Irish LLC. Dr. Jennings is the former Vice-Chairman of the ICANN Board of Directors, where he also has contributed to board governance and the IDN Variant Issues Project. He has served on the boards of numerous startup and venture capital companies. In the 1990s, Dr. Jennings oversaw the creation and management of .IE while at University College Dublin, where he earlier received Ph.D. and B.Sc degrees. He was an integral part of pioneering the Internet through his work on the NSFnet with the National Science Foundation in the 1980s. Dr. Jennings currently resides with his family in Dublin.

Matthew Keenan is the CTO of Dot-Irish LLC. Mr. Keenan has over 20 years experience in Internet consulting, working with numerous startup companies as well as financial institutions. He is an Irish native of Australia, where he began programming as early as 11 years old and later studied at the University of New South Wales. For the past six years, Mr. Keenan has worked as an independent technical consultant in Ireland, where he resides with his wife and four children.

Patrick Tully is the Director of Outreach for Dot-Irish LLC. Mr. Tully is the National Director of the American Ireland Fund's Young Leaders society. He has been involved in two technology start-up firms including Forman Interactive (now Register.com) and Citystuff.com. Mr. Tully is very active in the nonprofit sector, serving as a board member, auctioneer or fundraiser with organizations such as the Kate Shea Foundation, Russell Simmons' Art For Life, Petra Nemcovaʹs Happy Hearts Fund and The Jorge Posada Foundation.

Keith Charlton and Louise Corken are members of Dot-Irish LLC. The couple own and run Bunk Campers, an innovative and internationally recognized tourism business in Ireland, with trade partners in 25 countries bringing inbound tourists. Louise is an award winning Marketing Director and has served in product development for prominent companies including Rank Hovis McDougal, Sainsbury's and Safeway. Keith has over 15 years experience in the FMCG sector, serving in senior sales, marketing and management consulting roles for companies including Gillette and PepsiCo.

Kathleen Kelley is a member of Dot-Irish LLC. Ms. Kelley has over 21 years of investment experience including roles at Vantis Capital Management, Tudor Investment Corporation, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and most recently as Macro Portfolio manager at Kingdon Capital Management. Ms. Kelley received a BA in Economics from Smith College and studied econometrics at the London School of Economics. She serves on several charity boards including High Water Women, Happy Hearts Fund and ReServe. Ms. Kelley currently lives in London with her three children.

Four Shamrocks LLC is based in Tampa, Florida and owned by Tom Shannon, his son Tommy Shannon and two son in-laws, Ryan McDonald and Jack Deal. Mr. Shannon has an extensive and accomplished career in real estate development. He has successfully developed and run the Outback Steakhouse franchise in California for 18 years and has received numerous awards including the Stars of the South Irish American award in 2007 and the Horatio Alger Award in 2009. His sons have diverse professional credentials in marketing, sales and development spanning real estate, technology and finance industries.

Paul Drumm is a member of Dot-Irish LLC. Mr. Drumm is a trader and portfolio manager at UBS O'Connor LLC in Chicago. He has worked in finance for over 15 years in various roles, primarily with UBS and Morgan Stanley. Mr. Drumm is a member of the American Ireland Fund Young Leaders and a Board Member of the Lasalle Street for St. Jude's Children Research Hospital. Mr. Drumm traces his heritage to County Cork through grandparents on both sides of the fami

Dot-Irish LLC
Question 18B

The Irish Diaspora is a community widespread in number, but strong in identity and cultural history. Our research has shown that while there are approximately 6 million people on the island of Ireland, there are nearly 80 million people worldwide that identify themselves as Irish.

With respect to the country-code Dot-Ie (.Ie), we believe it will continue to serve a valuable purpose as the top-level domain specifically for registered businesses and people located in the Republic of Ireland. However, we believe that people will find value in .Irish, both in the Republic of Ireland and throughout the Irish Diaspora.

Our consultations with Irish businesses, political and regulatory officials, charitable and cultural organizations, members of the ICANN community and more have confirmed the demand and appreciation for the concept of .Irish.

"I am excited for the creation of .Irish. I believe there is a widespread demand in Ireland and elsewhere for a TLD that communicates Irishness to the world. I know many of my customers will want one."

-Michele Neylon,
Managing Director of Blacknight
ICANN Accredited Registrar, Ireland

The .Irish top-level domain will have several benefits to Internet users at its outset and will develop additional uses as time moves forward. As with many new top-level domains, the ability for Irish organizations and companies to register shorter and more meaningful domain names under .Irish will create positive implications for search and simple, easy tools for marketing. Businesses, groups and individuals that associate with being Irish will have the opportunity to clearly identify themselves as such.

"As a director of a major charity organization that operates between the United States and Ireland, I come across business owners, professionals and individuals every day that identify with the brand. I am very excited to be a part of this, and I know a lot of my contacts will want to get involved."

-Patrick Tully
National Director, American Ireland Fund Young Leaders Society

"In the Irish tourism business, we thrive on promoting heritage, family history and the unique tradition and culture of the Irish people. My company will certainly benefit from the ability to register a domain name with .Irish."

Keith Charlton
Co- Founder, Bunk Campers

Dot-Irish LLC has identified several compelling initiatives that could become valuable services or technologies in years to come. These opportunities include, but are not limited to social and business networking, genealogy and heritage programs, travel and tourism, charitable initiatives, economic or business services and much more.

Dot-Irish LLC intends to develop, promote and encourage programs that could enhance the connectivity and experiences of Irish peoples. A few of these services may be developed internally or in partnership with other organizations, and we expect many to be created and developed by other people or organizations that recognize the value potential.

Dot-Irish LLC is committed to establishing the .Irish domain space in a way that promotes innovative technologies, services and programs that benefit Irish culture, heritage and people. We intend to continue networking and taking consultations with appropriate people and organizations before and after launch in order to ensure the development of a quality TLD.

REGISTRATION POLICY

Dot-Irish LLC intends to operate the .Irish top-level domain under a coherent, transparent and sustainable process to minimize social costs and maximize the value for its audience and Internet users. The registry will correspond and comply with ICANN to incorporate the best practices and policies available. We will also coordinate with appropriate Irish bodies and organizations to ensure and maintain a quality domain in keeping with Irish culture and heritage. Wherever possible, we will contribute our thoughts, ideas and initiatives in a constructive manner to improve these processes.

ICANN has indicated over time a series of consensus policies for new gTLD applicants to incorporate into their registration policies. It is our intention to monitor and comply with policies set by ICANN, and to contribute to the formation of a fair, professional and transparent process.

It is also our understanding that many of these policies are subject to modifications, particularly as a result of issues that may be generated from the new gTLD application process in 2012. As a potential registry operator, we have reviewed the current public information, and taken numerous professional consultations to ensure that we will be able to comply with these policies in a timely manner at the appropriate stages.

We will also remain open and responsive to prospective registrants and intend to develop initiatives to encourage participation at the appropriate stages. In this regard, our applications have already been compiled or reviewed to varying extents by Loeb and Loeb LLP, attorneys at law, Edward White & Co., LLP, certified public accountants, our registry services provider Afilias and TLD Assets LLC. A number of other former ICANN staff, registries and registrars, companies and consultants in a number of fields have also informally contributed to our understanding of the New gTLD Program and the appropriate policies. Please review below a compilation of policies intended to address the issues referred to in this question.

Below is a preliminary description of policies for Dot-Irish LLC. Dot-Irish LLC plans to take additional consultations and interact with the appropriate governing bodies or service providers as necessary to update registration policies in relation to any potential changes by ICANN.

Trademarks & Dispute Resolution

The launch of .Irish will include the operation of a trademark claims service according to the defined ICANN processes for checking a registration request and alerting trademark holders of potential rights infringement.

Dot-Irish LLC will make a formal announcement to notify the public of an upcoming Sunrise period at least 30 days prior to the opening of Sunrise. Exact dates and parameters will be released prior to the beginning of Sunrise. Dot-Irish LLC intends to work with the Trademark Clearinghouse to check and verify registered marks. Dot-Irish LLC also intends to fully comply with Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS), Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Policy (PDDRP), any other rights protection mechanisms (RPMs) and WHOIS requirements throughout the Sunrise and Landrush periods, and after standard registrations begin. Further detail and descriptions of RPMs are given in our response to Question 29.

Sunrise will consist of a period of at least 30 days. Trademark and service mark holders will be able to reserve marks that are an identical match in the .Irish domain. Recurring annual fees will be standardized in accordance with fees set at preregistration levels. Those wishing to reserve marks in the .Irish domain during the Sunrise Period must own a current trademark or service mark listed in the Trademark Clearinghouse.

Notice will be provided to all trademark holders in the Clearinghouse if someone is seeking a Sunrise registration. This notice will be provided to holders of marks in the Clearinghouse that are an Identical Match (as defined in the Trademark Clearinghouse) to the name to be registered during Sunrise.

Each Sunrise registration will require a minimum term of five years.

Dot-Irish LLC will establish the following Sunrise eligibility requirements (SERs) as minimum requirements, verified by Clearinghouse data, and incorporate a Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP). The SERs include: (i) ownership of a mark that satisfies the criteria set forth in section 7.2 of the Trademark Clearinghouse specifications, (ii) description of international class of goods or services covered by registration; (iii) representation that all provided information is true and correct; and (iv) provision of data sufficient to document rights in the trademark.

The SDRP will allow challenges based on the following four grounds: (i) at the time the challenged domain name was registered, the registrant did not hold a trademark registration of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty; (ii) the domain name is not identical to the mark on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration; (iii) the trademark registration on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration is not of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty; or (iv) the trademark registration on which the domain name registrant based its Sunrise registration did not issue on or before the effective date of the Registry Agreement and was not applied for on or before ICANN announced the applications received.

A Landrush period will be held following the Sunrise period. The Landrush period will last at least 30 days. Registration will be open to the general public. However, Dot-Irish LLC will make efforts to publicize the Landrush period, particularly to the Irish Diaspora. Landrush will not consist of a first-come, first-serve basis, and is created primarily to allow the greater Irish community adequate opportunity to register a domain. On a case-by-case basis, multiple applications for the same domain name may be subject to dispute resolution mechanisms or an auction. The Landrush period may be extended beyond 30 days. Terms and conditions will be set by Dot-Irish LLC prior to the launch of Landrush.

Abusive conduct will not be tolerated during preregistration or at any time, and an abuse point of contact will be maintained at all times. Additional information on abusive conduct and terms of use can be found in response 18C.

After the completion of Sunrise and Landrush periods, standard registrations will begin, and domains will be awarded to registrants on a first-come first-serve basis.

Reserved Names

Dot-Irish LLC will also maintain a reserved list. Some of these names will be reserved for regulatory or informational purposes. ICANN has already determined several of these on behalf of registry operators. Examples can be found in Specification 5 of the sample New gTLD Registry Agreement provided by ICANN in the Applicant Guidebook. Dot-Irish LLC intends to fully comply with this list and any additions that may be made in the future.

Dot-Irish LLC will continue to take consultations in an effort to maintain this list and the .Irish domain in a sensitive and respectful manner to the global Irish community. Dot-Irish LLC will reserve the right to disqualify registrants or their agents from making or maintaining any registrations or reservations in the .Irish TLD if these registrants are found to have repeatedly engaged in abusive registrations, in its sole discretion.

Some premium names will also be put on a reserved list and will be reserved for auction. Some premium names may be awarded to individuals or companies through a transparent process in the interest of developing key services or initiatives under the .Irish domain. For example, Dot-Irish LLC may host a "Founders Program," whereby people may apply for a premium name and demonstrate a valuable use. This will be done within reason and on a limited basis.

Dot-Irish LLC will not intentionally attempt to put trademarked names on the premium section of the reserved list, and will cooperate with any appropriate rights protection mechanisms. Premium domains will be established prior to launch.

Trademark "frontrunning," the process of registering trademarks for valuable domain names that have not been released to the general public for the sole purpose of securing the domain at a lower price, is deemed to be abusive to the registry and will not be recognized.

Finally, certain geographic names will be reserved and handled in accordance with procedures delegated by ICANN. For more detail on this section, please refer to Question 22.

Data Collection and Use Policy

So that registrants can understand how their personal data might be used, Dot-Irish LLC will notify registrars of the purposes for which personally identifiable data is collected and used, and Dot-Irish LLC will not use that data in ways that are incompatible with the notice provided to registrars. (See Article 2.17.) Dot-Irish LLC will create a data collection and use policy that anticipates all the data that the registry can collect, and the ways it may want to use it.

Publication of Registrant Data; Measures for Protecting the Privacy or Confidential Information of Users

Dot-Irish LLC will have several measures for protecting the privacy of confidential information of registrants or users.

As per the New gTLD Registry Agreement, Dot-Irish LLC will make domain contact data (and other fields) freely and publicly available via a Web-based WHOIS and a port 43 server. (See Specification 4 for details.) This default set of fields includes the mandatory publication of registrant data. The Registry-Registrar Agreement will require that registrants consent to this publication.

As per the requirements of the new gTLD Registry Agreement (Article 2.17), Dot-Irish LLC shall notify registrars regarding the purposes for which data about any identified or identifiable natural person ("Personal Data") submitted to the Registry Operator by such registrar is collected and used, and the intended recipients (or categories of recipients) of such Personal Data. (This data is basically the registrant and contact data required to be published in the WHOIS.) Dot-Irish LLC will require each registrar to obtain the consent of each registrant in the TLD for such collection and use of Personal Data. The policies will be posted publicly on the registry operator's web site. As the registry operator, Dot-Irish LLC shall not use or authorize the use of Personal Data in a way that is incompatible with the notice provided to registrars.

Specifically, those policies will include the following:
• As registry operator, Dot-Irish LLC does not plan on selling bulk WHOIS data. Dot-Irish LLC will not sell contact data in any way. Dot-Irish LLC will not allow, enable, or otherwise support the transmission by e-mail, telephone, or facsimile of mass unsolicited, commercial advertising or solicitations.
• Dot-Irish LLC may use registration data in the aggregate for marketing purposes.
• DNS query data will never be sold in a way that is personally identifiable.
• Dot-Irish LLC may from time to time use the demographic data collected for statistical analysis, provided that this analysis will not disclose individual Personal Data and provided that such use is compatible with the notice provided to registrars regarding the purpose and procedures for such use.
As the registry operator, Dot-Irish LLC shall take significant steps to protect Personal Data collected from registrars from loss, misuse, unauthorized disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Question 30 ("Security Policy") and Question 38 ("Escrow") contain further information regarding security policies and procedures used to protect the registry system and the data contained there from unauthorized access and loss.

Please see Question 26 ("WHOIS") regarding "searchable WHOIS" and rate-limiting. That section contains details about how Dot-Irish LLC will limit the mining of WHOIS data by spammers and other parties who abuse access to the WHOIS.

Dot-Irish LLC plans to impose certain operational standards for registrars. In order to gain and maintain accreditation for .Irish, we will require registrars to adhere to certain information technology policies designed to help protect registrant data. These will include standards for access to the registry system, and password management protocols. Please see Question 30 ("Security Policy") for details.

Dot-Irish LLC will allow the use of proxy and privacy services, which can protect the personal data of registrants from spammers and other parties that mine zone files and WHOIS data. Dot-Irish LLC is aware that there are parties who may use privacy services to protect their free speech rights, or to avoid religious or political persecution.

Dot-Irish LLC
Question 18C

Dot-Irish LLC intends to operate the .Irish top-level domain under a coherent, transparent and sustainable process to minimize social costs and maximize the value for its audience and Internet users. The registry will correspond and comply with ICANN to incorporate the best practices and policies available. We will also coordinate with appropriate Irish bodies and organizations to ensure and maintain a quality domain in keeping with Irish culture and heritage. Wherever possible, we will contribute our thoughts, ideas and initiatives in a constructive manner to improve these processes.

ICANN has indicated over time a series of consensus policies for new gTLD applicants to incorporate into their registration policies. It is our intention to monitor and comply with policies set by ICANN, and to contribute to the formation of a fair, professional and transparent process.

It is also our understanding that many of these policies are subject to modifications, particularly as a result of issues that may be generated from the new gTLD application process in 2012. As a potential registry operator, we have reviewed the current public information, and taken numerous professional consultations to ensure that we will be able to comply with these policies in a timely manner at the appropriate stages.

We will also remain open and responsive to prospective registrants and intend to develop initiatives to encourage participation at the appropriate stages. In this regard, our applications have already been compiled or reviewed to varying extents by Loeb and Loeb LLP, attorneys at law, Edward White & Co., LLP, certified public accountants, our registry services provider Afilias and TLD Assets LLC. A number of other former ICANN staff, registries and registrars, companies and consultants in a number of fields have also informally contributed to our understanding of the New gTLD Program and the appropriate policies. Please review below a compilation of policies intended to address the issues referred to in this question.

Below is a preliminary description of policies for Dot-Irish LLC, which may be applied to issues of social cost and consumer vulnerabilities. Dot-Irish LLC plans to take additional consultations and interact with the appropriate governing bodies or service providers as necessary to update registration policies in relation to any potential changes by ICANN.

Trademarks & Dispute Resolution

The launch of .Irish will include the operation of a trademark claims service according to the defined ICANN processes for checking a registration request and alerting trademark holders of potential rights infringement.

Dot-Irish LLC will make a formal announcement to notify the public of an upcoming Sunrise period at least 30 days prior to the opening of Sunrise. Exact dates and parameters will be released prior to the beginning of Sunrise. Dot-Irish LLC intends to work the Trademark Clearinghouse to check and verify registered marks. Dot-Irish LLC also intends to fully comply with Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS), Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Policy (PDDRP), any other rights protection mechanisms (RPMs) and WHOIS requirements throughout the Sunrise and Landrush periods, and after standard registrations begin. Further detail and descriptions of RPMs are given in our response to Question 29.

Sunrise will consist of a period of at least 30 days. Trademark and service mark holders will be able to reserve marks that are an identical match in the .Irish domain. Recurring annual fees will be standardized in accordance with fees set at preregistration levels. Those wishing to reserve marks in the .Irish domain during the Sunrise Period must own a current trademark or service mark listed in the Trademark Clearinghouse.

Notice will be provided to all trademark holders in the Clearinghouse if someone is seeking a Sunrise registration. This notice will be provided to holders of marks in the Clearinghouse that are an Identical Match (as defined in the Trademark Clearinghouse) to the name to be registered during Sunrise.

Each Sunrise registration will require a minimum term of five years.

Dot-Irish LLC will establish the following Sunrise eligibility requirements (SERs) as minimum requirements, verified by Clearinghouse data, and incorporate a Sunrise Dispute Resolution Policy (SDRP). The SERs include: (i) ownership of a mark that satisfies the criteria set forth in section 7.2 of the Trademark Clearinghouse specifications, (ii) description of international class of goods or services covered by registration; (iii) representation that all provided information is true and correct; and (iv) provision of data sufficient to document rights in the trademark.

The SDRP will allow challenges based on the following four grounds: (i) at the time the challenged domain name was registered, the registrant did not hold a trademark registration of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty; (ii) the domain name is not identical to the mark on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration; (iii) the trademark registration on which the registrant based its Sunrise registration is not of national effect (or regional effect) or the trademark had not been court-validated or protected by statute or treaty; or (iv) the trademark registration on which the domain name registrant based its Sunrise registration did not issue on or before the effective date of the Registry Agreement and was not applied for on or before ICANN announced the applications received.

A Landrush period will be held following the Sunrise period. The Landrush period will last at least 30 days. Registration will be open to the general public. However, Dot-Irish LLC will make efforts to publicize the Landrush period, particularly to the Irish Diaspora. Landrush will not consist of on a first-come, first-serve basis, and is created primarily to allow the greater Irish community adequate opportunity to register a domain. On a case-by-case basis, multiple applications for the same domain name may be subject to dispute resolution mechanisms or an auction. The Landrush period may be extended beyond 30 days. Terms and conditions will be set by Dot-Irish LLC prior to the launch of Landrush.

Abusive conduct will not be tolerated during preregistration or at any time, and an abuse point of contact will be maintained at all times. Additional information on abusive conduct and terms of use can be found in response 18C.

After the completion of Sunrise and Landrush periods, standard registrations will begin, and domains will be awarded to registrants on a first-come first-serve basis.

Abusive Conduct & Terms of Use

An anti-abuse policy will be enacted and publicly released prior to sunrise and launch of the .Irish TLD.

Dot-Irish LLC will reserve the right to disqualify registrants or their agents from making or maintaining any registrations or reservations in the .Irish TLD if these registrants are found to have repeatedly engaged in abusive registrations, in its sole discretion.

Abusive use(s) of the .Irish domain should not be tolerated.
The nature of such abuses creates security and stability issues for the registry, registrars and registrants, as well as for users of the Internet in general. Dot-Irish LLC defines abusive use as the wrong or excessive use of power, position or ability, and includes, without limitation, the following:
- Illegal or Fraudulent Actions;
- Spam: The use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages. The term applies to e-mail spam and similar abuses such as instant messaging spam, mobile messaging spam, and the spamming of Web sites and Internet forums. An example, for purposes of illustration, would be the use of email in denial-of-service attacks;

- Phishing: The use of counterfeit Web pages that are designed to trick recipients into divulging sensitive data such as usernames, passwords, or financial data;

- Pharming: The redirecting of unknowing users to fraudulent sites or services, typically through DNS hijacking or poisoning;

- Willful distribution of malware: The dissemination of software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the ownerʹs informed consent. Examples include, without limitation, computer viruses, worms, keyloggers, and trojan horses;

- Fast flux hosting: Use of fast-flux techniques to disguise the location of Web sites or other Internet services, or to avoid detection and mitigation efforts, or to host illegal activities. Fast-flux techniques use DNS to frequently change the location on the Internet to which the domain name of an Internet host or name server resolves. Fast flux hosting may be used only with prior permission of Dot-Irish LLC;

- Botnet command and control: Services run on a domain name that are used to control a collection of compromised computers or ʺzombies,ʺ or to direct denial-of-service attacks (DDoS attacks);

- Distribution of child pornography; and

- Illegal Access to Other Computers or Networks: Illegally accessing computers, accounts, or networks belonging to another party, or attempting to penetrate security measures of another individualʹs system (often known as ʺhackingʺ). Also, any activity that might be used as a precursor to an attempted system penetration (e.g., port scan, stealth scan, or other information gathering activity).

Pursuant to Section 3.6.5 of the RRA, Dot-Irish LLC reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any registration or transaction, or place any domain name(s) on registry lock, hold or similar status, that it deems necessary, in its discretion; (1) to protect the integrity and stability of the registry; (2) to comply with any applicable laws, government rules or requirements, requests of law enforcement, or any dispute resolution process; (3) to avoid any liability, civil or criminal, on the part of Dot-Irish LLC, as well as its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, and employees; (4) per the terms of the registration agreement or (5) to correct mistakes made by Dot-Irish LLC or any Registrar in connection with a domain name registration. Dot-Irish LLC also reserves the right to place upon registry lock, hold or similar status a domain name during resolution of a dispute. Abusive uses, as defined above, undertaken with respect to .Irish domain names shall give rise to the right of Dot-Irish LLC to take such actions under Section 3.6.5 of the RRA in its sole discretion.

Dot-Irish LLC will maintain an Abuse Contact at all times from the opening of sunrise and continuing into the standard registration period.

Reserved Names

Dot-Irish LLC will also maintain a reserved list. Some of these names will be reserved for regulatory or informational purposes. ICANN has already determined several of these on behalf of registry operators. Examples can be found in Specification 5 of the sample New gTLD Registry Agreement provided by ICANN in the Applicant Guidebook. Dot-Irish LLC intends to fully comply with this list and any additions that may be made in the future.

Dot-Irish LLC will continue to take consultations in an effort to maintain this list and the .Irish domain in a sensitive and respectful manner to the global Irish community. Dot-Irish LLC will reserve the right to disqualify registrants or their agents from making or maintaining any registrations or reservations in the .Irish TLD if these registrants are found to have repeatedly engaged in abusive registrations, in its sole discretion.

Some premium names will also be put on a reserved list and will be reserved for auction. Some premium names may be awarded to individuals or companies through a transparent process in the interest of developing key services or initiatives under the .Irish domain. For example, Dot-Irish LLC may host a "Founders Program," whereby people may apply for a premium name and demonstrate a valuable use. This will be done within reason and on a limited basis.

Dot-Irish LLC will not intentionally attempt to put trademarked names on the premium section of the reserved list, and will cooperate with any appropriate rights protection mechanisms. Premium domains will be established prior to launch.

Trademark "frontrunning," the process of registering trademarks for valuable domain names that have not been released to the general public for the sole purpose of securing the domain at a lower price, is deemed to be abusive to the registry and will not be recognized.

Finally, certain geographic names will be reserved and handled in accordance with procedures delegated by ICANN. For more detail on this section, please refer to Question 22.

Pricing Controls

Dot-Irish LLC fully intends to comply with the consensus policies outlined in sections 2.9 and 2.10, Article 2, of the sample New gTLD Registry Agreement provided in the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook, and to adapt to any changes made by ICANN in the future.

Summarizing these policies, Dot-Irish LLC intends to sell domains only through accredited ICANN registrars, to give clear and advance notices of prices or changes to prices for both initial sales and the renewal of domain registrations, to allow registrars and customers to purchase names for a period of 1-10 years and to comply with any further pricing control requirements that may be currently listed or later delegated by ICANN.

Dot-Irish LLC
Question 22

Certain geographic names will be reserved and handled in accordance with procedures delegated by ICANN. Dot-Irish LLC will reserve country and territory names, at the second level and at all other levels within the TLD at which the Registry Operator provides for registrations, as per the requirements in the New gTLD Registry Agreement (Specification 5, paragraph 5):

• "5.1 the short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list, as updated from time to time, 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〉;
• 5.2. the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World; and
• 5.3. the list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names".

These domains will be reserved before Sunrise, so that no parties may apply for them. Dot-Irish LLC will publish a list of these names before Sunrise, so our registrars and prospective applicants will be aware that these names are reserved.

Dot-Irish LLC will have a written procedure so that governments can request the above reserved domain(s) if they would like to take possession of them. This procedure will require a written request from the country's GAC representative, or a written request from the country's relevant Ministry or Department. As required by Specification 5, paragraph 5, such domains may be released to the extent that the Registry Operator reaches agreement with the applicable government(s).

If internationalized domains names (IDNs) are introduced in the TLD, Dot-Irish LLC will also reserve the IDN versions of the country names in the relevant script(s) before IDNs become available to the public. The lists referenced in Specification 5 paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 show how country names should be rendered in their native scripts. Dot-Irish LLC will confer with relevant language authorities when advisable or practical so that IDN domains may be properly reserved along with their variants.

Regarding GAC advice on second-level domains not specified via Specification 5: All domains awarded to registrants are subject to the UDRP, and to any properly situated court proceeding. In its registry-registrar agreement, and flowing down to registrar-registrant agreements, the registry operator will have a provision to suspend domains names in the event of a dispute. Dot-Irish LLC may exercise that right in the case of a dispute over a geographic name if the dispute is formally raised by the relevant government's GAC representative.

Alternatively, the GAC and ICANN may approve a widespread formal distribution policy of geographic names as also noted in Specification 5. Dot-Irish LLC will monitor changes or developments in this policy area and respond accordingly.