.phd Pre-Register Domain - .phd Domain Information

18 A: THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED GTLD


The applicant, Your Dot PhD, Inc., values higher education and believes that those who have spent a great deal of time and effort to obtain an advanced degree should be recognized for their achievement. PHD is a new Top Level Domain ("TLD") to recognize, promote and provide a unique identity online to: (a) individuals that have earned a Doctorate Degree and current and enrolled Doctoral candidates (together a "PhD") and (b) institutions and organizations that award and/or employ PhDs.

A typical PhD program in the United States requires a commitment between 6 and 8 years and only the most persistent candidates may earn a PhD. Currently, there is no designation online that provides a unique identity to those that have obtained a PhD degree.

FACTS ABOUT PHDS

Throughout the world a Doctorate Degree, which is commonly referred to as a PhD, is a label reserved for only the most intelligent, most academically achieved, and the most intellectually accomplished individuals. Although most commonly used in English speaking countries, Doctorate Degrees are awarded in countries all around the world. A Doctorate Degree is awarded in multiple academic departments including philosophy, mathematics, engineering, education, health and humanities to name a few. Based on the information published by the United States Census Bureau, there are more than 3 million individuals in the United States that have earned their PhD and according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, it is estimated that there are more than 100,000 PhD awarded worldwide on an annual basis. The number of PhDs awarded each year continues to increase, with the largest percentage increase in degrees awarded to individuals located outside the United States.

18b.

(i) THE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED GTLD

The applicant, Your Dot PhD, Inc., values higher education and believes that those who have spent a great deal of time and effort to obtain an advanced degree should be recognized for their achievement.

The goal of the .PHD Top Level Domain ("TLD") to recognize, promote and provide a unique identity online to: (a) individuals that have earned a Doctorate Degree (as defined below) and current and enrolled Doctorate Degree candidates (together a "PhD") and (b) institutions and organizations that award and/or employ PhDs.

Through this TLD Your Dot PhD, Inc. will provide its registrant with a unique identity and instant recognition online which relates to their years of effort in obtaining an advanced degree. In addition, based on the Eligibility Requirements discussed below and in detail in Question 29, Your Dot PhD, Inc. will encourage business entities to seek out and employ PhDs and maintain the exclusivity of the PhD "club".

With the expected attention surrounding this TLD, Your Dot PhD, Inc., will help promote and encourage students to pursue a PhD and then ultimately provide a common ground among PhDs around the world which will in turn stimulate and facilitate learning, collaboration and research among PhDs.

(ii) ADDITIONS TO THE CURRENT SPACE

This TLD aims to provide PhDs with an alternative to other gTLDs and an opportunity to develop a unique online identity. Further this TLD will provide PhDs with another outlet for self expression and the potential ability to connect and share information among similarly situated individuals through the world. .PHD's goal is provide another option and to support ICANN's mission to increase consumer choice and allow for free competition.

Because a typical PhD program in the United States requires a commitment between 6 and 8 years and only the most persistent candidates may earn a PhD, Your Dot PhD, Inc., believes that PhDs should have a unique designation online. Based on Your Dot PhD, Inc.'s market research, this TLD fills a void online that PhDs want and desire.

(iii) USER EXPERIENCE

At this time there are no plans to create a user experience different and distinct from other gTLDs. However, with the expected attention surrounding this TLD, Your Dot PhD, Inc., intends to help promote and encourage students to pursue a PhD and ultimately provide a common ground among PhDs around the world which will in turn stimulate and facilitate learning, collaboration and research among PhDs.

(iv) INTENDED REGISTRATION POLICY

Generally speaking, this TLD is open to any individual that has obtained a Doctorate Degree and any individual enrolled a Doctorate Degree program as well as any organization or institution of higher learning that either awards Doctorate Degrees or employs at least one individual that has obtained a Doctorate Degree or is enrolled in a Doctorate Degree program.

Your Dot PhD, Inc., has adopted the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System's definition of the term Doctorate Degree and the equivalent as defined by the International Standard of Classification. Excluded from the definition of a Doctorate Degree is a first professional degree as defined by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (e.g., a M.D., D.D.S. or J.D. degree).

Each registrant, whether an individual or business entity, must affirmatively consent to the .PHD User Agreement before purchasing a .PHD domain name. In the .PHD User Agreement the registrant must represent that they meet the Eligibility Requirements briefly discussed below at the time of purchase and at any time thereafter or risk losing the rights to their .PHD domain name(s).

(a) For individuals:

Any individual registrant of a .PHD domain name is required to represent and warrant that he or she either: (a) obtained a Doctorate Degree; or (b) is currently accepted in or enrolled in a Doctorate Degree program.

Then that individual can purchase a .PHD domain name that contains their legal name and/or a derivation thereof and an unrelated additional 10 .PHD domain names so long as each domain name complies with the Rights Protection Mechanisms discussed in Question 29 and the Acceptable Use Policy discussed in Question 28.

(b) For business entities:

Any business entity registrant of a .PHD domain name is required to represent and warrant that it is either: (a) an institution of higher learning that awards Doctorate Degrees; or (b) a legal business entity that currently employs at least one individual that has obtained a Doctorate Degree or is enrolled in a Doctorate Degree.

Then that business can purchase a .PHD domain name that contains their company name and/or any derivation thereof and an additional unrelated 10 .PHD domain names so long as each domain names complies with the Rights Protection Mechanisms discussed in Question 29 and the Acceptable Use Policy discussed in Question 28.

At the time of purchase, Your Dot PhD, Inc. will not require third party verifiable proof that a registrant's representations and warranties are truthful. However, Your Dot PhD, Inc., will retain one full time employee to monitor the truthfulness of its registrant's representations and warranties. In addition, in the event there is a third party dispute and/or Your Dot PhD, Inc., has any reason to question the truthfulness of a registrant's representations and warranties, Your Dot PhD, Inc., will investigate and it maintains the right to demand that any registrant provide verifiable proof that their representations and warranties are truthful upon 30 days written notice or risk forfeiture of the domain name(s).

In addition, Your Dot Phd, Inc. has developed a procedure to enforce the terms of the .PHD User Agreement and the eligibility requirements discussed above in the event a .PHD domain name is transferred or sold. This procedure is discussed in Question 29.

(v) MEASURE FOR PROTECTING THE PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Your Dot PhD, Inc. values the privacy of its registrants and is committed to protecting their privacy online. Your Dot PhD, Inc. is committed to adopting a Privacy Policy which spells out, in plain English, the information it collects from its users and how it uses that information. The Privacy Policy will comply with industry best practices regarding privacy principles, including the European Commission's Directive on Data Protection and California Civil Code Section 1798.83 known as the Shine the Light Law. Your Dot PhD, Inc. will provide a clearly visible link to its Privacy Policy on its homepage and the Privacy Policy will be incorporated into the .PHD User Agreement.

18c

OPERATING RULES

In addition to the Eligibility Requirements and User Agreement briefly discussed in Question 18(b), Your Dot PhD, Inc., along with its registry back-end provider, Neustar, Inc., have developed various rules to ensure a smooth launch and operation of the registry.

For example, aside from certain domain names which will be set aside per ICANN's request and other specific domain names identified by Your Dot PhD, Inc., all applications for a particular domain name will be on a first come first serve basis. Further, Your Dot PhD, Inc., has decided not to offer any advantageous or introductory pricing but has not ruled out the necessity to do in the future nor has Your Dot PhD, Inc., decided to implement any planned price increases at this time.

Your Dot PhD, Inc., a California S-corporation was formed in February of 2011 for the purpose of applying for and operating the .PHD and the .MBA TLDs. Your Dot PhD, Inc., is managed by Jonathan Waterman and Eli Pearlman. Messrs. Waterman and Pearlman combined have more than 20 years of experience operating, managing and advising technology companies and truly are believe in the mission of Your Dot PhD, Inc.

Jonathan Waterman

In 1998 Mr. Waterman began investing and working in the Internet arena when he started Way Internet, Inc., a domain name and traffic brokering company. In 2001 he founded Findology Interactive Media, an Internet advertising company, focused in the pay-per-click search space. He was responsible for developing and maintaining Findology's corporate and strategic relationships and overseeing its product development pipeline. Under his direction, Findology Interactive Media developed products and services that had positioned it as an innovative and integral part of the evolution of online marketing.

In 2007, Mr. Waterman completed the sale of Findology Interactive Media to the Photon Group Inc, (PGA.AX), and four years later, in 2011, he successfully negotiated to purchase back Findology Interactive Media from the Photon Group, Inc. He has since restructured and recapitalized Findology Interactive Media, and plans a rebrand in June 2012 to Ad.Net.

Mr. Waterman is a seasoned investor and entrepreneur. He is the owner of many domain name assets, including the Investing.com brand. He has presented at industry trade shows and his insight has been featured in online marketing publications. Mr. Waterman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University California, Santa Barbara.

Mr. Waterman will act as Your Dot PhD, Inc.'s Vice President of Marketing and Business Develop after launch.

Eli Pearlman

Mr. Pearlman is an attorney by trade. Since 2008, he has managed and operated a law firm in Los Angeles, California primarily focused on providing advice to large and small Internet companies from around the world. His first foray in the Internet space was working at a boutique intellectual property law firm in Beverly Hills representing Findology Interactive Media, Inc., and the founders of Kazaa and Skype. Shortly thereafter, he became the General Counsel of Findology Interactive Media, Inc., and helped complete the sale of Findology Interactive Media to the Photon Group Inc, (PGA.AX). After opening his own firm, he has invested in and helped manage various Internet start-ups. He has presented at industry trade shows and his insights have been featured in online publications. Mr. Pearlman holds a Bachelors of Science degree with an emphasis in finance from the University of Southern California and a joint JD/MBA from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and Loyola Marymount.

Mr. Pearlman will act as Your Dot PhD, Inc.'s full time President and General Counsel after launch.

As will be discussed further in this Application, Your Dot PHD, Inc. is well capitalized and has substantial liquid assets to honor its commitment to operate the .PHD registry. Your Dot PhD, Inc., has $100,000 of cash on hand in its bank account for the purposes of the .PHD Registry at the time of submitting this Application. In addition, Your Dot PhD, Inc. has obtained a firm commitment for an equity investment in the amount of $500,000 from its current shareholders. The equity investment is segregated, available and committed to this .PHD Application. In addition, Your Dot PhD, Inc. has obtained an unsecured line of credit in the amount of $500,000, which it may draw down upon at any time, and a Standby Letter of Credit which was set up to honor the requirements established by question 50(b). Moreover, Your Dot PhD, Inc. has entered into an agreement to retain Neustar, Inc. as its back-end registry provider and NCC Group, Inc., to provide its data escrow services. As a result, Your Dot PhD, Inc. has the appropriate business plan, financial resources, managerial experience and technical ability to properly manage and operate the .PHD registry.

Your Dot PHD, Inc. will reserve the country and territory names contained in the following internationally recognized lists (ʺReserved Geographic Namesʺ) at the second level, in accord with Specification 5 of the ICANN Registry Agreement: 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; 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, 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.

To the extent that additional reserved geographic names are incorporated into the Registry Agreement or sent to Your Dot PHD, Inc. by the ICANN Board, the registry will add such names to the list of Reserved Geographic Names for protection at the second level. The default for all reserved country and territory names on Your Dot PHD, Inc.ʹs Reserved Geographic Names list will be to prevent the registration of the reserved name as a second-level domain name in .PHD.