.abudhabi Pre-Register Domain - .abudhabi Domain Information

MISSION/PURPOSE OF THE .ABUDHABI TLD

The mission/purpose of the .abudhabi TLD is to promote the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi), including its residents, culture, events, commerce, institutions and landmarks, through the establishment of a dedicated, authoritative online space for the exclusive use of organizations registered in Abu Dhabi and entities affiliated with the government of Abu Dhabi. The .abudhabi TLD will therefore reinforce Abu Dhabi's position as a leading international knowledge and economic hub.

The .abudhabi TLD will establish a distinct, easily-identifiable online brand which reflects the religious and cultural philosophy informing Abu Dhabi and its people. It will supplement existing means of communication for government-affiliated entities and organizations registered in Abu Dhabi, promoting Abu Dhabi through creating official and authoritative channels for online communication and exchange. This function of the TLD is consistent with Abu Dhabi's standing as a global leader in innovation and development, ensuring Abu Dhabi's online presence is capable of fulfilling the future needs of a growing population within the Internet landscape.

The applicant, the Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ADSIC), employs information and communication technologies to make services available using multiple channels for those who live and do business in Abu Dhabi, in line with its vision of making the Abu Dhabi Government more effective and efficient in delivering modern services. ADSIC is considered as the governmental party that owns the IT agenda of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and has the authority to practice the following competences:
- Supervise the implementation of the e-Government program in Abu Dhabi Government entities (ADGEs).
- Sponsor initiatives and mature assets and competencies that it deems of critical importance for the e-Government project.
- Propose policies and technology standards for government and relevant entities to achieve a comprehensive quality in reaching the highest levels of efficiency, confidentiality, and safety in the e-Government project.
- Issue rules and guidelines regarding the implementation of IT policies and the technical specifications, and communicate them to all the Government entities.
- Submit the guidelines to the Council regarding the IT sector and the e-Government.

The mandate translates into the mission of government modernisation at large:
- Performance improvement
- Process simplification
- Use of IT

ADSIC works in collaboration with all government departments and entities under the government umbrella in Abu Dhabi. The strategic importance of representing the ADSIC vision stems from its ultimate goal to reinforce Abu Dhabi's position as a leading intelligence and economic hub. As such, the operation of the .abudhabi TLD as the authoritative online space for promoting and marketing Abu Dhabi is within the scope of ADSIC's functions.

The registration of .abudhabi domain names will be restricted to entities affiliated with the government of Abu Dhabi and organizations registered in Abu Dhabi. This restriction is in recognition of the role that these entities fulfil as chief advocates for promoting Abu Dhabi for the benefit of all residents of Abu Dhabi, and further facilitates the establishment of official and authoritative channels of online communication.

BENEFITS OF THE .abudhabi TLD

The six main beneficiaries who will gain from the establishment of the .abudhabi TLD are:

1. Entities and public sector affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Government: including government departments, authorities and foundations of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These entities will be entitled to register .abudhabi domain names related to their executive functions. Through the creation of the .abudhabi TLD, greater accessibility to desired domain names will provide government-affiliated entities with the prospect of marketing their services and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi having suitable, concise domain names which will result in more direct, intuitive navigation.

The .abudhabi TLD will benefit government-affiliated entities by through allowing them to make use of the TLD's unique online identity and effectively aligning themselves with Abu Dhabi brand and conveying their vision, values and services, while emphasising their partnership with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This benefit will promote the online provision of government services and decrease the number of people visiting government offices, thereby increasing the productivity and efficiency of government-affiliated entities. In addition, it is expected that the greater availability of information regarding the services provided by government-affiliated entities will improve provision and accessibility to these services.

The delivery of more effective public services to those who live and work in Abu Dhabi will promote Abu Dhabi as an ideal location to work, live, and invest. These benefits will further progress the .abudhabi TLD's core function as the key marketing tool for all government-affiliated entities and support the entities' online activities, thereby ensuring a uniform approach.

2. Organisations (public and private sector) registered in Abu Dhabi: including all businesses, non-profit organisations, NGO's and associations registered in Abu Dhabi or any of the Abu Dhabi Free Zones. These organisations will be entitled to register a .abudhabi domain name that matches or is close to and substantially related to their name or service rendered. The creation of this authoritative online space will provide organisations with an unambiguous and trusted channel in which to communicate information and operate e-commerce, as well as allowing businesses to be easily identified as official organisations registered in Abu Dhabi.

The .abudhabi TLD will benefit organisations registered in Abu Dhabi by allowing them to leverage off the TLD's unique online identity and successfully promote their goods and services whilst representing their affiliation with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These benefits will facilitate the .abudhabi TLD's function as the key promotional tool for organisations, supporting these entities to promote the mission/purpose of the .abudhabi TLD.

3. Residents of Abu Dhabi: residents of Abu Dhabi will gain from the publication of all content through .abudhabi domain names by government-affiliated entities and registered organisations. This content will ultimately promote Abu Dhabi and benefit residents. For example, .abudhabi domain names registered by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage will benefit residents of Abu Dhabi through its aim of engaging civil society by providing it with the means to develop cultural expression and knowledge.

Similarly, all .abudhabi domain names registered by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority will benefit the residents of Abu Dhabi by, among other things, allowing them to build the .abudhabi TLD online identity into their overall individual online marketing strategies. The expected boost of Abu Dhabi's international profile through the .abudhabi TLD will boost tourism and local investment initiatives, whilst also continuing the forging of an innovative online market that will ultimately serve to benefit the residents of Abu Dhabi.

4. ADSIC: ADSIC will be the registry operator for the .abudhabi TLD, in addition to its existing function as the government department responsible for promoting the use of information and communication technology in the provision of government services. The .abudhabi TLD will complement ADSIC's vision of being "a high performance government delivering world class services to the benefit of all its customers". The .abudhabi TLD will also benefit ADSIC through functioning as a long-term asset that will respond to the changing Internet landscape and evolve in line with the needs of Abu Dhabi.

5. Visitors to Abu Dhabi: People from around the world either interested to know more about Abu Dhabi and/ or tourists planning to visit Abu Dhabi will also benefit from the .abudhabi TLD as it will be easy for them to search and navigate not only Abu Dhabi Government Departments but all types of organisations offering products and services.

6. Internet Users: the .abudhabi TLD will benefit Internet users by allowing access to authoritative, consistent and dependable content, owing to the registration of .abudhabi domain names being restricted to government-affiliated entities and registered organisations - the definitive authorities on legitimate information on Abu Dhabi. The creation of a single dedicated space to access all information relating to Abu Dhabi will also provide Internet users with increased ease of navigation.

GOALS OF THE .abudhabi TLD

The specific goals of the .abudhabi TLD are described below, along with the methods of their measurement and benefits associated with each goal.

Reputation of the .abudhabi TLD

Amongst government-affiliated entities and organisations, the first goal of the .abudhabi TLD is its recognition and standing as the official, authoritative online space for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is anticipated that this reputation will encourage the registration of .abudhabi domain names by these entities and facilitate the desired function of the .abudhabi TLD as the key marketing tool for government-affiliated entities and organisations in Abu Dhabi. Among Internet users, the goal is that the .abudhabi TLD will be recognised as the official online platform for accessing authoritative content relating to Abu Dhabi - the virtual location of Abu Dhabi which is accessible to Internet users globally.

The demand to register will be the key indicator of whether the .abudhabi TLD has achieved its intended reputation as the official, authoritative online space for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. As a key measure, ADSIC considers that meeting the projected registration volume will demonstrate its success in attaining the intended reputation. In addition, ADSIC will conduct social media surveys and market studies to measure the .abudhabi TLD's reputation amongst Internet users; these will be conducted annually during the first five years of the TLD's launch to closely track awareness, reputation and usage.

Development of legitimate content online

The second goal of the .abudhabi TLD is that it will move forward the development of legitimate, accurate and up-to-date content which promotes the Emirate of Abu Dhabi online. It is anticipated that restricting domain names registration to government-affiliated entities and organisations will encourage these entities to publish their content online. ADSIC's outreach and communications activities relating to the .abudhabi TLD will focus on encouraging these entities to embrace the benefits of the proposed TLD by publishing legitimate online content.

ADSIC considers that attaining the intended reputation and achieving this goal to be symbiotic; for this reason, the means described above to measure the intended reputation will also be utilised to measure whether ADSIC's goal of promoting the development of legitimate Abu Dhabi content online is achieved.

Promoting the Transition to the Online Provision of Services

ADSIC anticipates that the introduction of the .abudhabi TLD will promote the online provision of government services and reduce the number of people visiting government offices. One of the primary ADSIC key missions is to modernize government services by providing government entities with a set of value added services to encourage these entities to rollout online services targeting citizens and business in Abu Dhabi. The .abudhabi TLD will provide registrants with an official communication channel that authoritatively emphasises their affiliation with Abu Dhabi and empowers these entities to provide their services online.

The .abudhabi TLD will support other initiatives implemented by ADSIC, which will support and drive online relations between government entities, organisations and the residents of Abu Dhabi. The achievement of this goal will be measured through reference to analysis frequently undertaken by ADSIC to determine the success of various initiatives aimed at reducing the number of people visiting government offices and promoting the overall provision of online government services.

ANTICIPATED CONTRIBUTION TO THE CURRENT SPACE

In line with its Vision 2030, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has experienced exponential growth in population, investment and infrastructure over the last two decades and is considered a global leader in development and innovation. This advancement has translated into a significant expansion of Abu Dhabi's online presence relative to the TLDs used, the identity of the registrant and the subsequent legitimacy of content published.

Whilst the existing .ae ccTLD provides an online space for the United Arab Emirates, it does not address concerns regarding the legitimacy of content, given that the registration of domain names is not restricted to an entity that is the ultimate authority on published content. Furthermore, the .ae ccTLD is not restricted to hosting content that only promotes the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The .abudhabi TLD will provide a high level of differentiation from existing TLDs, primarily in relation to its unique mission/purpose. No other TLD currently exists that is specifically devoted to the promotion and needs of a single city. The TLD will serve to consolidate Abu Dhabi's online presence by being one of the first TLDs added to the root in which a city's image and the values of that image are clearly communicated by and through the TLD via authoritative channels.

The TLD will address the needs of entities wishing to affiliate themselves with the government or Emirate of Abu Dhabi, rather than any other government or Emirate of the United Arab Emirates. In addition, the .abudhabi TLD will address the needs of government-affiliated entities who are concerned with the publication of inaccurate, illegitimate and unauthorised content and those who wish to exclusively promote Abu Dhabi and its residents with authority. The .abudhabi TLD will similarly benefit Internet users through providing an easily identifiable and dedicated TLD that has assurances regarding the legitimacy of content. Those providing unauthoritative information regarding Abu Dhabi will be easily identifiable by the unavailability to them of a .abudhabi domain name. The .abudhabi TLD will focus on maintaining a degree of uniformity in the underlying religious, cultural and moral values of constituents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The features of the .abudhabi TLD, as described above, clearly distinguish it from existing TLDs given the distinct needs that the .abudhabi TLD will address.

The introduction of the .abudhabi TLD will promote consumer choice and competition amongst existing TLDs by offering the opportunity for entities affiliated with the government of Abu Dhabi and organisations registered in Abu Dhabi to register domain names in a unique TLD environment.

The .abudhabi TLD does not purport to replace but will complement the .ae ccTLD which serves a much broader purpose. The .abudhabi TLD will be recognised by Internet users as the official, authoritative online space for Abu Dhabi, supported by marketing and outreach activities.

REGISTRATION POLICIES IN SUPPORT OF THE .abudhabi TLD

Eligibility to register .abudhabi domain names will be restricted to entities affiliated with the government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and organisations registered in Abu Dhabi or any of the Abu Dhabi Free Zones. These organisations include those registered with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Al Ain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Western Region Development Council and any of the Free Zones in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. During the domain name registration process, government affiliated entities will be required to provide the contact information of the entity's legal representative whereas registered organisations will be required to provide their registration number, as found in the database of registered organisations maintained by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is important to note that the collection of this information will not result in any delay in the registration process. ADSIC will perform periodic audits on an ongoing basis to verify the eligibility of registrants based on the provided information. In doing so, ADSIC will utilise established mechanisms and processes currently in place to verify the eligibility of registrants in the gov.ae and co.ae restricted zones.

The collection of identifying information prior to the allocation of domain names, and the verification of eligibility criteria following registration, ensures that the restrictions described above are adhered to, ultimately serving to maintain the integrity of the .abudhabi TLD. The safeguards that will be implemented against allowing for registrations in violation of this eligibility restriction are discussed in the response to question 28 - Abuse Prevention and Mitigation.

Government-affiliated entities may register .abudhabi domain names related to their executive functions, whilst registered organisations may register a domain name that matches or is close and substantially related to their name or service rendered. In addition, ADSIC will maintain a list of words which may not be registered in the .abudhabi TLD. This list contains words that, among other things, may:
- violate public morality or are contrary to public order
- are against a religion or a religious character
- deceive the public
- be prejudicial to the interest or security of Abu Dhabi or the United Arab Emirates

Restrictions will also be imposed on how domain names may be used. ADSIC will conduct periodic audits to ensure that the content published through .abudhabi domain names:
- does not violate public morality
- is not against a religion or a religious character
- promotes government entities, organisations or services in Abu Dhabi

Restricting eligibility to register domain names to government-affiliated entities and organisations registered in Abu Dhabi ensures that the published content is authoritative and legitimate. Restricting government-affiliated entities and registered organisations to .abudhabi domain names which are related to their executive functions or match their name or service rendered ensures that content is being provided by the entity most capable of providing authoritative content. This helps promote the attainment of the .abudhabi TLD's intended reputation. The maintenance of a list of second level domain names which ADSIC will not allow to be registered ensures that the .abudhabi TLD is operated in a manner consistent with the religious, cultural and moral values of the people of Abu Dhabi. The operation of a globally-recognised but regionally-specific online space representative of the people of Abu Dhabi's values allows for the accurate promotion of the place and people.

PROTECTION OF PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Government-affiliated entities applying for a .abudhabi domain name will not be required to provide information in addition to that which will be published on WhoIs. However, organisations registered in Abu Dhabi will be required to provide their registration number, in addition to standard contact information, in their application for a domain name.

Registration numbers are already made publicly accessible through the various online databases, so ADSIC does not consider it a requirement to keep this information confidential, but will ensure that the various policies implemented by ADSIC will protect against the misrepresentation and misuse of this information. ADSIC's WhoIs Data Collection and Display Policy will preserve the privacy and personal information rights of Registrants, whilst respecting the interests of law enforcement agencies and other national agencies acting in the public interest. Similarly, ADSIC's Privacy Policy will ensure Registrants are made aware of:
- when information about them is being collected
- the purpose for which it is being collected
- whether the information may be passed on to third parties
- the rights of individuals regarding the manner in which their personal information is handled

These policies will ensure personal information will not be provided to third parties other than ICANN or law enforcement agencies.

OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES

The ADSIC Communications Department will undertake a number of outreach and communications activities in relation to the .abudhabi TLD, which will align with existing marketing strategies and initiatives. The objectives of these activities include:
- Generating awareness and demand among government-affiliated entities and registered organisations of .abudhabi domain names.
- Generating awareness and understanding of the unique focus of the .abudhabi TLD among Internet users.

The following activities, targeted at government-affiliated entities, registered organisations and Internet users, will form part of ADSIC's promotion and communications activities:

- The ADSIC Communications Department will directly contact each of its established contacts within government-affiliated entities to educate them on the focus, benefits and differentiation of the .abudhabi TLD. Following this, ADSIC will provide more detailed information regarding eligibility and allocation of .abudhabi domain names to government-affiliated entities during various government forums. These efforts will enable the necessity and utilisation of .abudhabi domain names by these entities.

- The ADSIC Communications Department will issue press releases, publish advertisements in various local and international publications and conduct a press conference highlighting the introduction and the benefits of the .abudhabi TLD to organisations registered in Abu Dhabi and Internet users in general. These efforts are targeted towards local and international Internet users to ensure that the .abudhabi TLD is recognised as the dedicated, authoritative space for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

- ADSIC will host a launch event for the .abudhabi TLD. The event will include speakers from various government-affiliated entities and will focus on generating awareness among all stakeholders.

- ADSIC will recruit high-profile brand advocates to deliver the .abudhabi message with maximum cut-through, effectiveness and impact. The chosen brand advocates will include key leaders in business within major industries in Abu Dhabi.

INTRODUCTION

The introduction of the .abudhabi TLD is anticipated to result in the minimisation and, in some cases, the elimination of social costs and other negative consequences imposed upon consumers by the adoption of the following operating rules:
1. Method of resolving multiple applications for a domain name.
2. Cost benefits for registrants.
3. Contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalations.

These operating rules will be described along with the manner in which they serve to eliminate or minimise social costs and negative consequences imposed upon consumers.

METHOD OF RESOLVING MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS

The method of resolving multiple applications for a domain name varies depending on the particular stage of the launch process - i.e., whether or not the domain name is being registered during the Sunrise, Landrush or General Availability period. The resolution method for each stage is provided below, along with a discussion of the manner in which the selected method serves to eliminate or minimise social costs.

Sunrise Period

A ʹsunrise period' is a period of time for a defined category or categories of prospective domain name registrants to register domain names before registration opens to the general public. ADSIC will implement two Sunrise Periods aimed at different categories of registrants - one aimed at trademark holders and another aimed at government affiliated entities. In accordance with the Registry Agreement, a sunrise period must be implemented in all new gTLDs for a minimum of 30 days during the pre-launch phase to protect the legal rights of trademark holders. Multiple applications for a domain name will be resolved by auction during the Sunrise period aimed at trademark holders.

ADSIC will also implement a Sunrise Period during which government affiliated entities may apply for .abudhabi domain names over a 30 day period. Multiple applications for a particular domain name are not anticipated during this Sunrise Period as government affiliated entities are restricted to registering domain names that are closely related to their executive functions. In the event that multiple applications are received for a domain name during this period, the applicants will be required to participate in mediation to settle the contention. The ADSIC retains ultimate discretion regarding the allocation of .abudhabi domain names to government affiliated entities.

Utilisation of the auction method to resolve multiple applications in the .abudhabi TLD during the sunrise period for trademark holders is anticipated to minimise and possibly eliminate social costs and other negative consequences imposed upon consumers.

Similarly, resolving multiple applications for a .abudhabi domain name received during the sunrise period for government affiliated entities by participation in mediation ensures that the domain name is allocated to the entity that, as determined by ADSIC in its discretion, is in the best position to provide authoritative content and promote the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The subsequent increase in legitimate and accurate content online serves to promote consumer trust and minimises the amount of time and money wasted by consumers on illegitimate sites.

Landrush Period

A ‘landrush' period is a period of time for all prospective registrants to register domain names before registration becomes available on a first-come/first-serve basis. In accordance with the Registry Agreement, a trademark claims service must be implemented during the first 60 days that registration is open for general registration. This will coincide with the landrush period for the .abudhabi TLD.

The auction method will be used to resolve multiple applications for a domain name during landrush, because the benefits of utilising auctions described in the immediately preceding section of this response, apply with equal force to the landrush period. Just as in the sunrise period, auction allocation during the landrush period provides an efficient, transparent and objective method for resolving multiple applications for a domain name.

General Availability

General availability commences when domain names are made available for general registration. Upon commencement of general availability, domain names will be able to be registered and allocated on a first-come/first-serve basis. The lower cost and certainty associated with the first-come/first-serve method renders it a viable and sustainable method of resolving multiple applications on an ongoing basis.

COST BENEFITS TO REGISTRANTS

Although registrations in the .abudhabi TLD will not offer cost benefits when compared to existing TLD offerings, significant benefits will be obtained through the higher level of service, recognition and authority provided by the TLD.

CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS TO REGISTRANTS

Domain names in the .abudhabi TLD will be provided to and renewed by registrants at competitive markets rates. Although registrants will be provided with advance written notice of price increases as required under the Registry Agreement, no further contractual commitments will be made to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation as commitments of that kind may serve to restrict the registry operator's ability to adapt to changes in the market place.

The Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ADSIC) has engaged the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority UAE (TRA) to deliver registry services for this TLD. This response describes protection of geographic names as implemented by TRA.

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.
TRA 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 TRA'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, TRA 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. TRA'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.