.bzh Pre-Register Domain - .bzh Domain Information

Table of Contents

1 - Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD


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1 - Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD

The mission of the proposed gTLD is to serve the Breton community, to represent, characterize and display all of its cultural, economic and social productions on the

internet. The Breton community is defined by all the people who feel attached to Brittany, its culture and its languages and who wish to display this attachment by

using a domain name.

Brittany is a western region of France with a specific culture and history, including two local languages (Breton and Gallo), and a strong identity. The members of the

community are, first and foremost, the inhabitants of the cultural and linguistic Breton area (4,441,000 people in 2009) and its diaspora (between 4 and 6 million

people), established across the globe, and in particular in France.

The Breton language (brezhoneg in Breton) is one of the six Celtic languages still spoken in Europe alongside Welsh and Cornish, with which it forms the Brittonic

branch of Celtic languages, and Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Manx. Today it is the Celtic language with the third largest number of speakers.
It is recognized as a regional and minority language in France, one of the languages of the Brittany area as well as the Gallo and the French. It is deemed severely

endangered by the UNESCO. A cultural language, the Breton has an extensive written literature. Its revival essentially occurred in the 1970s, when the population

showed a renewed interest. It started being taught at that time, with the creation of the Diwan associative schools in 1977, then the network of bilingual schools in

the national educational system and private schools around the parents' associations Div Yezh (two languages) and Dihun (awakening). The Breton language also gained in

visibility by appearing in public life (bilingual signs, communication…), leading to the creation of the Office for the Breton Language in 1999, a public institution

for cultural cooperation since 2010. The Breton is practiced in the west of Brittany as well as in the large Breton cities (Nantes, Rennes…). Today, according to

sources, since no official census has been made, the total number of Breton speakers could be 500,000 (including occasional speakers and those who understand without

speaking). The number of active speakers is estimated to be close to 200,000.

The Gallo is part of the langues d'oil languages - as is French -, a group that includes for instance the Picard, the Norman and the Walloon. In 2004, the Regional

Council of Brittany has recognized the Breton and the Gallo as ‘languages of Brittany alongside the French language'. It is also recognized by governmental

institutions (1998, 1999, 2001), such as the Department of the French language and languages of France, in charge of linguistic policy. The Gallo is spoken in Upper

Brittany in the East. It is very difficult to determine the number of regular speakers. The National Institute for Statistics (INSEE, 1999) estimated this figure at

28,300, whereas other studies evaluated the number at 200,000 (including passive speakers). The Gallo is very close to other roman dialects such as Mayennais or

Angevin.

Brittany offers a rich and original cultural production (1st French region for the number of festivals, for its associative system, 2nd region for the production of

music records), while a significant part of its economy relies on a strong regional and cultural identity. Brittany is the second French region in Information

Technologies: it hosts 35% of French public research, 44,000 jobs are in this sector within 650 dedicated companies and 65 laboratories from 4 universities and higher

education establishments (more than 3,500 high level researchers). Brittany ranks second for telecommunication engineering degrees and third for electronics, IT and

communication degrees.

Brittany is widely referenced on the internet both directly (144,000,000 search results for Bretagne, 134,000,000 for Brittany) and through domain names: 14,000 names

are directly related to Brittany in the main registries (com, net, org, info and biz) with community keywords (Bretagne, Breton, breizh, bzh).

The purpose of the proposed gTLD is to provide the community of Brittany with a specific Internet tool that will better reflect the specificity of its cultural,

linguistic, economic and social activities and thus to :
* Serve the needs and interests of the Breton community and promote its culture, its languages and its economy by highlighting its products and productions
* Provide the online recognition expected by the community just as it benefits from this recognition offline
* Develop Information Technologies in Brittany while reinforcing the local innovation ecosystem, increase the value of the know-how and regional capacities in IT
* Work against the digital divide that separates high tech savvy users from the others.

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1 - Introduction

The goal of the .BZH registry to develop a close relationship with the Breton community, mainly based in Brittany, by developing the use of domain names and related
websites. This will happen through close collaboration with local private and public players in order to promote uses and provide services related to the new registry
(creation of websites, web hosting…).

The level of service aims both to meet international standards and to build a close relationship with the final user who favors the development of a regional, cultural
and linguistic registry. Indeed, the level of service aimed at is that of an international registry: the technical service to registrars will be provided by the AFNIC,
registry in charge of the .fr geographical domain and therefore fully able to guarantee, through its proven track record, the level of service expected by
international operators. The close relationship with the community will be managed with the help of networks supporting the gTLD project, informative meetings in the
whole cultural and linguistic area and by the installation of the registry in Quimper, one of the most vibrant Breton cities in terms of language and culture.

A particular effort will be made to improve the quality of the gTLD in terms of technology and innovation in relation with the IT players in the area. The example of
the Catalan .CAT registry shows how innovative services (IDN, DNSSEC) can be developed in a niche market. This approach has resulted in an 80% annual renewal rate for
.cat names, i.e. 10 % more than the average rate.

Since the proposed gTLD directly addresses the community attached to Brittany, in particular in cultural and economic areas, its reputation is extremely important.

This reputation will be guaranteed by compliance with a fair use that will assure that uses are harmless to the image of the community and the consistency of the gTLD.
The registry will be extremely mindful of the implementation of standards and best practices in terms of trademark protection and users security, including personal
data protection. These topics will be developed in questions 28 and 29.


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2 - What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?

There is currently only one gTLD related to a pre-existing cultural and linguistic community, the Catalan .CAT. The .bzh gTLD addresses a specific need by allowing
individuals, associations, businesses, etc., to display their attachment to Brittany, its culture and its languages.

The success of the online petition (more than 20,000 signatories) published on the candidate's website (http://www.pointbzh.com) testifies to this potential demand
that will complement the current offer of gTLDs. In collaboration with the public and private players involved in the development of digital uses (Regional Council of
Brittany, Images et Réseaux cluster,...), the promotion of this grassroots registry and the information released in the field will reach new audiences, less accustomed
to IT but willing to display a particular identity online, thus expanding the global market for domain names. This principle is a reality for .cat: a third of
registrants for the .cat registry did not previously own a domain name. The gTLD will therefore stimulate competition by allowing targeted segmentation and
communication.

The concept of differentiation is directly applicable to the project since the gTLD is designed to reflect the existence of a particular cultural and linguistic
identity, to reflect the diversity and expand the choices of registrants and users. It will allow particular contents to be marked and enable communication through
affinities with people related to or interested in the Breton community.

The gTLD will therefore be a tool for the promotion of the territory for players who wish to gear their communication towards audiences related to the Breton
community. The gTLD can thus be used by existing networks that encourage local production and identity such as or Produit en Bretagne the Marque Bretagne.

One of the goals of the proposed gTLD being to highlight the know-how and abilities of Brittany in IT, the registry will rely on the resources of the Breton community
to invent or support the implementation of new services (portals, commercial offers, etc.) in areas where the Breton identity matters. It will also highlight local
innovations through dedicated websites.

Brittany indeed relies on a widely recognized know-how in IT, with the creation of or contribution to technologies and standards such as JPG2, MP3 or ATM (Asynchronous
Transfer Mode). It is also in Brittany that the HD Wireless was produced and broadcast in 2006.

The wealth of networks and the extent of Breton Research & Development will also benefit projects related to the future gTLD. Today, 35 % of the French public research
is located in Brittany and 44,000 jobs are related to this sector. The world-class Images & Networks competitiveness cluster brings together more than 220 regional
players in industry and research, who work on new digital image technologies and new networks for content distribution.

The gTLD will also be keen to develop innovative services for users of cultural and linguistic registries in relation with the gTLDs of the ECLID network.


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3 - What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

Many benefits are expected from the .bzh gTLD :
* Improved online representation. Thanks to the registry, Internet will better reflect offline reality. The gTLD will better represent the community of Brittany on
the internet, notably by helping to display online its cultural and linguistic vitality. Indeed, Brittany is the second French region for its listed heritage or for
music record production. It is the first region for the number of festivals, for its associative system or for the reading of daily newspapers. Part of its internet
contents are displayed in one of its two regional languages, Breton or Gallo (for instance the Breton language is the 51st language used on Wikipedia and the first
Celtic language).

* An answer to the community's expectations. The number and variety of the support received are indicators of high expectations from the community for the creation of
this new gTLD. Users of the Breton community can currently choose only between geographic or generic TLDs that do not reflect their Breton identity. However, in
addition to its linguistic and cultural expression, this identity appears to be fundamental in various aspects of the community's life

* From an economic standpoint : the tourism sector is very large (about 10% of regional GDP) and relies to a great extent on the heritage and cultural identity of
Brittany. The food & agricultural sector (close to 40 % of the regional industry) also heavily relies on the Breton image and culture for marketing purposes.

* From a social standpoint : a sizeable and ancient Breton diaspora has been identified (estimated between 4 and 6 million people), partly due to poverty-related
emigration, partly to the maritime character of Brittany. Close to a million Bretons live in Paris and its surroundings. There is also dozens of thousands of them in
the French largest harbor cities as well as in the European Union, Canada or the United States. The members of the diaspora have expressed the wish to keep strong
cultural and identity ties with Brittany and regularly arrange events (music, dance…).

The proximity of the registry to its community (involvement of the community in management, meetings, awareness of requests from the Breton community…) will ensure it
addresses existing expectations :
* Highlighting of the websites related to the Breton community. The gTLD aims to federate websites related to Brittany, its culture, its languages, and to structure
the Breton internet community. The .bzh gTLD will provide additional information, helping the user to immediately understand the purpose of a website and the targeted
affinity audience. The registrants will therefore benefit from a specific marker to better label their products and contents, just like they do offline with symbols
representative of the Breton identity (flag, Celtic symbols…). Access to contents, especially linked to culture and language, will become more user-friendly.

* Adequate naming. While the registrants today display their identity by using various words in their domain names (Breton, breizh, Bretagne, bzh), with the new gTLD
they will be able to offer added value through adequate and available naming.

* A trusted interaction-friendly area. The use of an identity symbol, in the case .bzh, will de facto establish preferential communication and trust between the
registrant and the user in terms of significance and values shared by a single community. This trust will be reinforced by the regulations implemented by the registry,
which will guarantee compliance with registration rules, prior intellectual property rights and compliance with a fair use by the registrants (fight against
typosquatting, parking sites…).

* Development of uses. Further development of uses and practices is expected through the creation of a community gTLD, that will encourage first-time name ownership
through attachment to the community, and then subsequently develop into wider on-line practices. The link between the creation of a gTLD and the development of uses
has been demonstrated by the .cat registry whereby a third of registrants did not previously own a domain name.

* The image of an innovative regional territory. By highlighting Brittany on the internet, the gTLD will reinforce its image of an innovative territory, already
related to the strong presence of IT players and the programs implemented by public institutions (ultra high speed internet, public access points, open data,…).


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4 - Provide a complete description of the applicant's intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above

The registration policies have been prepared based on the track record of existing TLDs operation and launches so as to facilitate registrant's activities, guarantee
fair treatment, take prior rights into account, limit costs and manage the procedures.

Registration will take place in several phases, so as to progressively build up momentum for registration and manage the collective learning curve of the community.

= Phase 1 =

First of all a pre-launch phase will be implemented, upstream of the next steps. Pioneer names will be launched in relation with representative partners in the
community (public institutions, cultural organizations, companies…), carefully selected for the value they add to the gTLD.

Meanwhile an open call for projects will be launched on generic terms, with priority given to the value added for the community by the services proposed by the
candidates.

These registrants will be involved far upstream so that their communication on a .bzh website is planned in advance and the website activated as soon as the launch
phase of the registry starts.

This pre-launch phase will be limited to a few dozen domain names. The registrants will thus benefit from the scarcity of the names and maximum exposure to the
community during the sunrise / landrush phase, with temporary exclusivity on .bzh websites. In return, the registry will benefit from communication efforts from the

registrants, arousing public interest for the next phase, open to all community members :
* The first flagships will show the many possible uses of .bzh
* The impact of this communication will be strong since the pre-launch phase will coordinate the communication strategies of the registry and the registrants

= Phase 2 =

The sunrise and landrush phases will take place simultaneously during a 3-month period.

The first-come, first-served method will therefore not be the only rule for name allocation.

The sunrise phase will take prior rights into account. A priority order will be given in case of multiple requests, taking into account the interests of the community:
* Institutions that are representative of the linguistic and cultural community
* Public institutions
* Cultural and linguistic associations
* Prior rights related to intellectual property
* Trademarks with legal value in Brittany
* Other registred distinctive signs with legal value in Brittany
* Individual members of the cultural and linguistic community (booking of family name) and members of the association www.bzh.

These registrants will be allowed to apply for domain names directly related to their prior rights.

The application procedure will be automated to ensure a secure and transparent procedure. A WHOIS will be set up during the sunrise phase to allow participants to keep
track of applications and enforce their prior rights in the event.

Each application will be individually validated against both the general requirements of .BZH registration policies and the specific requirements of each Category or
Sub-Category. Priority will be differentiated by Category (and Sub-category) each one having absolute priority over the next one.
Within each Category (and Sub-category) all validated applications will be deemed to carry the same rights.

Priorities should solve most of multiple applications. In case priorities cannot provide a resolution, the following procedures will be applied (in that order):
agreement between registrants, random selection, mediation, arbitration, auction.

An agreement between registrants means that one registrant will keep the domain name while the other or others will withdraw their application (and get a refund
accordingly).

Random selection is optional : the contenders must unanimously accept to use the procedure.

In case of disagreement, mediation then arbitration would then be implemented at the expense of registrants. The registry will charge any cost borne by the procedure.
Mediation will be directly handled by the Registry. Arbitration will be carried out by an independent and experienced Mediation and Arbitration Authority. In that
case, no application for the same name from the same or lower rank in Sunrise priority will be approved, pending the decision.

An auction will be made if all others means of resolution have failed.

The landrush phase will be running in parallel during the Sunrise and will be open to all eligible applicants (see question 20) for domain names not subject to prior
rights, on a first-come, first-served basis. The domain names registered during this period will be activated at the end of the 3-month phase.

= Phase 3 =

The subsequent phase will be general availability. The domain names will be sold to eligible applicants (see question 20) on a first-come, first-served basis with
immediate activation. The price will be adjusted to ensure adequate operation of the registry while allowing the largest number of community members to register a
domain name.

Advertising and communication campaigns will be implemented before each phase so that community members fully understand the changes made, with clear rules and
detailed process explanations.


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5 - Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such
measures

The gTLD will thoroughly enforce measures to protect registrants and users privacy and confidential information, a key aspect of its reputation. All available
technologies will be used to ensure this, in compliance with European and French regulations. Anti data-mining procedures may include rate limitation, authenticated
access, black / white listing, prevention of unauthorized repetitive access. Such procedures will be detailed in question 28.

Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.
The registry will intially rely on the communication work already carried out to promote the new gTLD: awareness of the .bzh project has been recognized for several
years and the project is clearly identified by the community and the media, both regional and national, that broadcast news about the project.

The idea of a .bzh gTLD was launched in 2004 by a member of the French parliament Christian Ménard. An online petition, initiated by Mikael Bodlore-Penlaez, has
rallied internet users for the first time in 2006. Several Breton communities in 2006 expressed unanimous votes in favor of the project, giving the project
institutional visibility: General Council of Ille-et-Vilaine, Regional Council of Brittany,, General Council of Finistère, General Council of Loire Atlantique.

The project was then structured in 2008 around an association, www.bzh, bringing together the various players involved in the .bzh project, previously involved in a
study commissionned by the Regional Council of Brittany to the think tank Bretagne Prospective. The purpose of the association www.bzh is to prepare the application,
collect the funds required for it to be filed and ensure the promotion of the .bzh project within the Breton community. It will subsequently manage the gTLD.

Within the bounds of this mission, the association www.bzh has developed actions of communication and promotion actions on the gTLD geared towards the Breton community
(website, social networks, meetings…) but also the ICANN, notably within the ECLID network (European Cultural and Linguistic Internet Domains), which brings together
various associations managing similar projects in Europe.

This communication work has resulted in many public events organized or joined by the association, constant online animation (website, Facebook and Twitter accounts…),
numerous mentions in national or regional media… All these efforts have raised the community's awareness of the project. Evidence of genuine popular support, the
petition to support the gTLD on the association's website (http://www.pointbzh.com) has collected more than 20,000 signatures to date.

Likewise, the effort made from the start to inform the Breton community representatives has resulted in formal support for the gTLD application (see question 20) and
financial support (Regional Council of Brittany, General Council of Loire-Atlantique, Quimper Community, French Government,..).

To further these actions, the gTLD will rely on the many networks that structure the Breton community, which are already mobilized for the application : cultural and
linguistic networks, political networks, business networks, media, higher education establishments (see question 20f for further information).

This involvement, in addition to creating valuable communication channels in their various domains, will build interdependence of the community members around the .bzh project, which will reinforce consistency and good use of the registry.

Communication actions toward the community are planned during the various phases of commercial development of the gTLD and can be amplified by the associated networks that structure the Breton community :
* Pre-launch with pioneer names representative of the community and calls for projects to propose innovative services to the Breton community
* Sunrise phase to highlight the institutions representative of the cultural and linguistic community
* General availability, intended to allow the largest number of community members to register while guaranteeing sound development of the registry

Table of Contents

1 - What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs (e.g., time or financial resource costs, as well as various types of consumer

vulnerabilities)? What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences/costs imposed upon consumers?
1.1 - How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come/first serve basis?
1.2 - Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
1.3 - Note that the Registry Agreement requires that registrars be offered the option to obtain initial domain name registrations for periods of one to ten years

at the discretion of the registrar, but no greater than ten years. Additionally, the Registry Agreement requires advance written notice of price increases. Do you

intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation? If so, please describe your plans.


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1 - What operating rules will you adopt to eliminate or minimize social costs (e.g., time or financial resource costs, as well as various types of consumer

vulnerabilities)? What other steps will you take to minimize negative consequences/costs imposed upon consumers?

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1.1 - How will multiple applications for a particular domain name be resolved, for example, by auction or on a first-come/first serve basis?

The first-come, first-served principle will not be applied during the phases of pre-launch or launch phases. Any possible dispute will be resolved by an agreement

between registrants involved during the pre-launch phase.

During the sunrise phase, the priorities defined should solve most of multiple applications. Where priorities cannot provide a resolution, the following procedures

will be applied (in this order): agreement between registrants, random selection, mediation, arbitration, auction.

An agreement between registrants means that one registrant will keep the domain name while the other or others will withdraw their application (and get a refund

accordingly).

Random selection is optional: the contenders must unanimously accept to use the procedure.

In case of disagreement, mediation then arbitrage would then be implemented at the expense of registrants. The registry will charge any cost borne by the procedure. In

the event, arbitrage will be carried out by an experienced third party.

An auction will be made if all others means of resolution have failed.

During the landrush phase subject to third parties rights and during the general availability phase, domain names will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

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1.2 - Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).

The goal of the proposed gTLD being to serve the Breton community, the objective of minimizing costs is a priority for the non-profit association that applies for the

gTLD. While ensuring high quality operation of the gTLD, transaction costs (i.e. social costs) will be kept as low as possible to allow optimum accessibility for

community members wishing to register a domain name.

The registry will carry out a posteriori checks on registrations. Procedures to ensure compliance will include thorough processing of complaints and random or semi-

random checks. Cases will be processed expediently and given publicity so as to deter abuse or unwanted behavior. The purpose of these checks is to curb bad behavior

cases that generate costs for the users.

The registry aims to implement a decreasing sales price policy so as to share part of the gTLD's success with the consumer.

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1.3 - Note that the Registry Agreement requires that registrars be offered the option to obtain initial domain name registrations for periods of one to ten years

at the discretion of the registrar, but no greater than ten years. Additionally, the Registry Agreement requires advance written notice of price increases. Do you

intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation? If so, please describe your plans.

The proposed gTLD will allow registration from 1 to 10 years so as to comply with the Registry Agreement.

The Dot BZH business plan is designed to prevent any future necessity to increase registry price in real terms. The fundamental principle is caution: starting from

conservative price levels and gradually lowering them. This method ensures sufficient financial reserves, favors optimal allocation of domain names, helps prevent

misuse and supports an orderly registration process.

= Provide the name and full description of the community that the applicant is committing to serve. = The proposed gTLD .bzh refers to the Breton community defined as all the people who feel attached to Brittany, its culture and its languages and who wish to display this attachment by using a specific domain name. Indeed, the BZH string refers primarily to a geographical area, Brittany, its culture and its languages since BZH derives from the Breton word Breizh which means Brittany. All those present in this reference territory are legitimate members of the community, for instance individuals with a residence in Brittany, organization with either its headquarters or an office in Brittany. The abbreviation BZH is also a marker of a cultural and linguistic identity. People who refer to this culture (based on UNESCO's definition: ʹculture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of society or a social group, and it encompasses, in addition to art and literature, lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs') or to the languages of Brittany (Breton, Gallo) are members of the community. Attachment to Brittany, its culture and its languages (i.e. community membership) can then result from * A geographical residence (physical address, headquarters or office) in Brittany * Any expression or reference to the Breton culture according to UNESCO culture's definition * Any practice of or reference to the languages of Brittany Furthermore, registration implies compliance with a fair use that only allows a use harmless to the image of Brittany and the community. Non-compliance will result in suspension or termination of the domain name. This fair use will be based among other things on notions such as legitimate interest and bona fide for registration (and renewal) of domain names, that the registrant must be able to justify in case of a challenge related to the domain name use. = How the community is delineated from Internet users generally. = The Breton community refers to a specific territory, culture and languages (A) that are reflected in particular on the internet (B). A) The Breton community refers to the territory of Brittany which is historically spread over five French ‘départements': Côtes d'Armor, Finistère, Loire-Atlantique, Morbihan and Ille-et-Vilaine. The Breton community has a strong and specific cultural and linguistic identity. The Breton language (brezhoneg in Breton) is one of the six Celtic languages still spoken in Europe. It is the Celtic language with the third largest number of speakers. The number of active speakers is estimated to be close to 200,000 in Brittany and close to 16,000 in Paris region. The total number of Breton speakers, including occasional speakers and those who understand without speaking, could be around 500,000. Gallo, the second language of Brittany, is part of the langues d'oil languages - as is French. The French National Institute for Statistics estimated this figure the number of regular speakers at 28,300, whereas other studies (UNESCO) evaluated the number at 200,000. Brittany develops also a rich and original culture in terms of : * music. Brittany is the 1st French region for the number of festivals, 2nd region for the production of music records. There is a lively practice of traditional music with bands known as bagadoù and traditional song (kan ha diskan, gwerz, …). * dance. Traditional fetes called ʺFest-nozʺ involving various folk dances in line or pairs. Amateur dancing in Brittany is structured through confederations (13,000 members of 160 Celtic dance circles). * architectural heritage. With over 2900 protected monuments, Brittany classes as the French region with the second richest architectural heritage. * gastronomy. The traditional pancakes ʺcrêpesʺ and ʺgalettesʺ or pastries such as the ‘far Breton', the ‘kouign amann' (butter pastry) are part of Brittany's culinary heritage. B) The importance of this attachment to Brittany, its culture and its language is reflected in the media, particularly on the Internet. Breton diaspora was largely organized on the web through websites and social networks. Events (Cyber Fest Noz) are held around the world to gather the Breton community online. Members of the community using internet refer to Brittany in different ways on their website either using terms referring to Brittany in the domain name, using Breton or gallo, using images (landscapes, architecture,...) or specific symbols (Breton flag, ermine ...). Second largest region in France in IT, Brittany aims to create a gTLD which reflects its culture, its identity and its relationship with the internet. = How the community is structured and organized. = The Breton community is defined as all the people who feel attached to Brittany, its culture and its languages and wish to display this attachment by using a domain name. Britanny area i.e. the Breton language and culture area extends over the region of Brittany and the ‘département' of Loire Atlantique. These communities are run by elected councils which are related to all the Breton community networks, including Bretons established across the globe. Breton culture is notably represented by the Cultural Council of Brittany. It is made of representatives of associations and institutions, as well as people working for Breton culture. The Council is in support of suggestions and advice on public cultural policies in Brittany. The Breton language is notably represented by the Public Office of the Breton language (Ofis Publik ar Brezhoneg). Its general task is to ensure the advancement of the Breton language in public life. All of those institutions support the .BZH project (see question 20 f). = When the community was established. = The Breton community refers first to Brittany which is a territory known since antiquity and politically organized since the Middle-Ages in kingdom (9th century), duchy (10th century) and province (1532). Since the creation of French administrative regions in the 20th century, Brittany extends over the administrative French region of Brittany (80% of historical Brittany) and the ‘département' of Loire-Atlantique. Breton community is considering a .BZH gTLD for several years. The idea was launched in 2004 by French deputy Christian Ménard. The project was structured in 2008 around an association, www.bzh, merging all people involved in the .bzh project. This association has developed actions of communication and promotion on the gTLD geared towards the Breton community. All these efforts have raised the community's awareness of the project. Evidence of genuine popular support, the petition to support online the gTLD has collected more than 20,000 signatures to date. = The current estimated size of the community. = The community is comprised of: * Individuals and organizations located in Brittany, a western region of France (13,136 sq. miles) : the cultural and linguistic area hosts 4,481,000 inhabitants and more than 213,000 companies. * Individuals and organizations around the world that wish to display their attachment to Brittany, its culture and languages. Figures are high and include in addition to the residents and the 500,000 speakers of the Breton languages: * The diaspora, i.e. people of Breton descent around the world, estimated at between 4 and 6 million people. * Tourists. Regular stays in Brittany are also a sign of attachment: Brittany is the 4th French region for tourism (97 million nights a year).

Table of contents 1 - Relations to any community organizations 2 - Relations to the community and its constituent parts/groups 3 - Accountability mechanisms of the applicant to the community Explanations should clearly state: ------------------------ 1 - Relations to any community organizations The community has several dimensions that relate to the attachment to the territory of Brittany, its culture and languages: territorial, cultural and linguistic dimensions. The applicant association to the .BZH registry is based on an open (multi-stakeholder) model that allows all (cultural, business, linguistic…) organizations of the community to take part in the life of the register and get involved in the management of .BZH. The applicant is supported by institutions relative to the cultural and linguistic reference area (see question 20 f): French government, Regional Council of Brittany…, that have a relationship with all organizations in the community. The application fees for the ICANN procedure have thus been funded by the Regional Council of Brittany. ------------------------ 2 - Relations to the community and its constituent parts/groups The association www.bzh, applicant for the .bzh registry, was created in 2008 by the merging of converging initiatives from various members of the community (see question 18). Since its creation, the association has worked to bring together all people and organizations representative of the community that support the .bzh registry project. The association www.bzh is thus divided into five electoral colleges that make up the community: * Associations * Businesses * Local communities and public institutions * Individuals * Founding members of the association. This structure is intended to reflect the diversity of players and take into account all the interests of the community. The community has expressed its support through the online petition (more than 20,000 signatures) on the association's website (http://www.pointbzh.com) and through the number of letters of support from various organizations representative of the community in Brittany and around the world (see question 20 f). ------------------------ 3 - Accountability mechanisms of the applicant to the community The association www.bzh is managed by a directory elected for 3 years by the general assembly that represents all the community members that are part of the association. The directory presents each year its moral and financial statement to the general assembly. The directories actions are also monitored by a board that permanently controls the executive on behalf of the community and reports to the general assembly about the directory's management. The board involves all of the components of the community (multi-stakeholder model): each of the five colleges that represent a part of the community elects two representatives to the board. Three elected representatives of the Regional Council of Brittany, elected by universal suffrage, are also members of the board.

Table of contents 1 - Intended registrants in the TLD 2 - Intended end-users of the TLD 3 - Related activities the applicant has carried out or intends to carry out in service of this purpose 4 - Explanation of how the purpose is of a lasting nature ------------------------ 1 - Intended registrants in the TLD The intended registrants of the .BZH TLD include Brittany ‘s residents, firms and organizations aiming to communicate to the Breton community and members of Breton community who want to show their attachment to Brittany, its culture and languages by developing significant and original content devoted to the Breton languages and culture. ------------------------ 2 - Intended end-users of the TLD The intended end-users are the individuals and organizations with an attachment to Brittany, its culture, its languages. These people or organizations are located in the Breton cultural and linguistic area but also throughout the whole world. ------------------------ 3 - Related activities the applicant has carried out or intends to carry out in service of this purpose Since its creation in 2008, the applicant, Association www.bzh, has developed actions of communication and promotion actions for the gTLD aimed towards the Breton community (website, social networks, meetings…) but also towards ICANN, notably within the ECLID network (European Cultural and Linguistic Internet Domains), which brings together various associations managing similar projects in Europe (.gal, .scot, .eus, .cymru). This communication work has resulted in many public events organized or joined by the association, constant online animation (website, Facebook and Twitter accounts…), numerous mentions in national or regional media… All these efforts have raised the community's awareness of the project. The petition to support the gTLD on the association's website (http://www.pointbzh.com) has collected more than 20,000 signatures to date, providing evidence of genuine popular support. The applicant will develop a specific communication towards end-users to launch the new gTLD and will be involved in key events in the life of the community (festivals, Fête de la Bretagne,…). It will also rely on the Breton community networks in order to raise awareness and prepare the implementation of the future registry. The support of many existing networks will ensure proper information of future registrants and end-users. A number of key representatives of the community (political leaders, entrepreneurs, celebrities…) will be involved in these communication actions aimed at the community. ------------------------ 4 - Explanation of how the purpose is of a lasting nature The goal of the TLD is of a lasting nature since the TLD string clearly identifies the linguistic and cultural community it is aimed at and addresses expectations expressed by the representatives of the community by contributing to the visibility and vitality of the Breton culture and languages. The lasting nature of this community attached to Brittany, its culture and languages, is also clearly stated by its size and multi-secular history, with a presence well beyond its original cultural and linguistic area.

Table of contents 1 - Relationship to the established name, if any, of the community 2 - Relationship to the identification of community members 3 - Any connotations the string may have beyond the community ------------------------ 1 - Relationship to the established name, if any, of the community Breizh is the Breton name for Brittany, very frequently abbreviated BZH. Breton people and those fond of Brittany use BZH symbolically, for instance on bumper stickers (in addition to BREIZH already indicated on the car registration plate as French regulation), postcards, T-shirts, of course on the Internet, and in all forms of communication. The word Breizh or its abbreviation BZH is increasingly frequently used in marketing or communication to designate anything related to Brittany. To the Breton community, BZH would immediately identify the TLD as Breton, just as community members unmistakably identify BZH as Brittany today. ------------------------ 2 - Relationship to the identification of community members The identification of community members is linked to the community's delineation and compliance with 2 conditions = 1st membership condition = The community is made up of individuals and organizations that can justify membership by * A geographic place of residence, headquarters or office in Brittany (Côtes d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine, Finistère, Morbihan, Loire-Atlantique) OR * A significant and original content of the website devoted to Brittany and the Breton culture OR * A significant and original part of the website in Breton or Gallo OR * Membership of the association www.bzh that gathers representatives of the linguistic and cultural community. = 2nd membership condition = Furthermore, registration implies compliance with a fair use that only allows a use harmless to the image of Brittany and the community. Non-compliance will result in suspension or termination of the domain name. This fair use will suppose among other things on notions such as legitimate interest and bona fide for registration of domain names, that the registrant must be able to justify in case of a challenge related to the domain name use. ------------------------ 3 - Any connotations the string may have beyond the community None significant connotation beyond the community.

Table of contents 1 - Eligibility 2 - Name selection 3 - Content/Use ------------------------ 1 - Eligibility = Who is eligible to register a second-level name in the gTLD, and how will eligibility be determined. = Only the community members will be eligible to register a second-level domain name in the applied-for gTLD. Eligibility will be based on two cumulative criteria: * Membership of the community * Compliance with a fair use. = 1st condition = The .BZH community brings together individuals and organizations that wish to display their attachment to Brittany, its languages and its culture. The community is made up of individuals and organizations that can justify membership by * A geographic place of residence, headquarters or office in Brittany (Côtes d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine, Finistère, Morbihan, Loire-Atlantique) OR * A significant and original content of the website devoted to Brittany and the Breton culture OR * A significant and original part of the website in Breton or Gallo OR * Membership of the association www.bzh that gathers representatives of the linguistic and cultural community. = 2nd condition = Furthermore, registration implies compliance with a fair use that only allows a use harmless to the image of Brittany and the community. Non-compliance will result in suspension or termination of the domain name. This fair use will suppose among other things on notions such as legitimate interest and bona fide for registration of domain names, that the registrant must be able to justify in case of a challenge related to the domain name use. In particular, it is thus forbidden to * Obtain or request registration of a name mainly in order to sell it, rent it or transfer it in any way whatsoever to the owner of a same or similar name upon which a right is established, instead of actually use it * Obtain or request registration of a name mainly in order to harm the reputation of the owner of a legitimate interest or established right on this name or a related name, or to a product or service assimilated with this name by consumers * Obtain or request registration of a name mainly in order to take advantage of the fame of the owner of a legitimate interest or established right on this name or a related name, or of a product or service assimilated with this name by consumers These conditions must always be fulfilled. During the launch phase (Sunrise and Landrush), registrants will have to: * Provide a mail address in the Breton cultural and linguistic area (Côtes dʹArmor, Finistère, Morbihan, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Atlantique). The contact data of the administrative contact person declared will be automatically verified (in particular through the zip code) in a first step, and by the registry staff in a second step. The administrative contact person declared must fulfill the conditions and can be a registrar. OR * Propose an original and significant cultural website content. Registrants are invited to state the use of the registered domain name. This condition must be fulfilled at the latest 6 months after registration of the domain name. The registration staff will complete a prior check about the stated content and a systematic subsequent check after that period. A false statement is against the bona fide condition required for the domain name use and can lead to a suspension. OR * Propose an original and significant linguistic website content. Registrants are invited to state the use of the registered domain name. This condition must be fulfilled at the latest 6 months after registration of the domain name. The registration staff will complete a prior check about the stated content and a systematic subsequent check after that period. A false statement is against the bona fide condition required for the domain name use and can lead to a suspension. OR * Belong to the association www.bzh. The registry staff will check the membership of the domain name registrant and deliver a specific authorization code. After the launch phase (general availability), registration rules will remain the same, automatic checks will be pursued and a random manual check of 50 sites per week will be completed subsequently. These checks will be complemented by follow-ups on complaints made by internet users. ------------------------ 2 - Name selection = What types of second-level names may be registered in the gTLD = Names registered during the phase of pioneer names will be subject to particular attention in order to protect the reputation of the community. A list of words with particular importance or significance will be established. These words will require prior agreement. Registered domain names should not inherently harm the image of Brittany and the community. Non-compliance will lead to suspension or termination of the domain name. ------------------------ 3 - Content/Use = What restrictions, if any, the registry operator will impose on how a registrant may use its registered name = Registrants must continuously comply with eligibility criteria. Registration implies compliance with .BZH registration rules that only allows a use harmless to the image of Brittany and the community. Non-compliance will result in suspension or termination of the domain name. This fair use will suppose among other things on notions such as legitimate interest and bona fide for registration (and renewal) of domain names, that the registrant must be able to justify in case of a challenge related to the domain name use. Compliance with these good practices is assessed by the registry staff within the permanent checks program. Given that the proposed gTLD is directly dealing with the community attached to Brittany, in particular in the cultural and economic areas, its reputation is extremely important. This reputation will be guaranteed by the enforcement of adapted eligibility criteria that allows a use that does not harm the image of the Breton community and the consistency of the gTLD. The applicant will thoroughly work to prevent any misuse or malicious behavior. The program is based on random checks and follow-up of complaints made by Internet users. Possible complaints will be processed by the registry staff, in particular the person in charge of legal issues, supported by members of the board and members of the association if needed. Inquiry practices will be proportionate to violations as defined by registration rules. Other violations of public record (such as UDRP or URS cases) will also be taken into account. An existing registration will be suspended if: * The use of the domain name has been diverted. The registrant does not comply in good faith with the registration rules defined beforehand * The content of the website is no longer compliant with the registration rules. If the use of the domain name is inappropriate or deemed harmful to the image of Brittany and the community, the registration is turned down. A registrar that would repeatedly condone violations to the .BZH registrations rules through carelessness or would not submit to checks implemented by the registry could be penalized for the registration of new domain names and in parallel domain names registered through its services will be submitted to more stringent checks. An appeal process is available for all administrative measures taken within the framework of the enforcement program. The first level of the appeal process will be directly handled by the registry. The second and last level will be dealt with by an independent and experienced Mediation and Arbitration Authority.

Table of Contents

1 - Rules applicable to the protection of geographic names at the second and other levels in the applied-for gTLD
2 - Technical implementation of the protection of geographic names
2.1 - Technical protection of terms
2.2 - Unblocking a reserved term through an authorization code mechanism


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1 - Rules applicable to the protection of geographic names at the second and other levels in the applied-for gTLD :

In accordance with GAC advice on geographic names at the second level, the registry operator will put the following names on the reserved list :

* 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 :
See attached document Q22_ISO - Maintenance Agency for ISO 3166 country codes - ISO 3166-1 decoding table.pdf

* 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. This lists the names of 193 independent States generally recognized by the international community in the language or languages used in an official capacity within each country and is current as of August 2006 :
See attached document Q22_UNGEGN tech ref manual_m87_combined.pdf

* List of UN member states in 6 official UN languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the standardization of Geographical Names :
See attached document Q22_9th_UNCSGN_e-conf-98-89-add1.pdf

However, the registry operator recognises that there may be cases where a request to register and use a geographic name at the second level should be considered valid :

* The Association www.bzh itself may wish to register a "geographic-name.bzh" domain for its own use as part of an official event organised by the Breton community and referencing the geographic region in said domain name. For example, Brittany is often host to celebrations of the culture and language of another country.

* Cultural centers located in Brittany may wish to highlight their links to the geographic region they represent (e.g.: the Chinese cultural center in Rennes, Brittany).

* The geographic regionʹs public authority wishes to register the domain name for its own use.

In all cases, whether it is the registry operator wishing to register a geographical name for official or public service use, or whether it is an individual applicant, the Association www.bzh is committed to obtaining the approval of the relevant authority.

For registration requests from the relevant public authority, the registry operator will put in place the procedure agreed between the GAC and Afilias for the Dot INFO gTLD as referenced in the letter written by Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, GAC Chair, on Sept 9, 2003.

For any other request to register a geographic name, the applicant will need to provide registry operator with proof of non-objection or support from the relevant public authority. Once this has been submitted and verified, requests of this kind will be handled on a case-by-case basis only by registry operator.

Registry operator does plan to monitor use of geographic names below the second level (i.e. subdomain used by a .BZH domain name registrant), as the procedures that would be needed to monitor this are considered too complex and expensive. Traditional dispute resolution procedures or legal procedures exist to address such cases.

During the sunrise phase, priority will be given to institutions that are representative of the linguistic and cultural community i.e. Public institutions and Cultural and linguistic associations.
Municipalities of the 5 "départements" composing the territory of Brittany will then be allowed to register their names as domain names (See attachement Q22_BZH - Liste EPCI Bretagne B5 and Q22_BZH-Liste communes Bretagne B5).


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2 - Technical implementation of the protection of geographic names

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2.1 - Technical protection of terms

The registry uses its own reserved terms database. The purpose of this database, in addition to protect the defined set of terms, is to allow actions (creations, updates, deletions), user rights (consult or edit) and traceability (history of actions) for each terms it contains.

During the registration of a domain name, the checker placed on the Shared Registry System (SRS) uses two types of checks on the requested terms. The first type of checks is based on syntax, the second one, is based on semantics. The reserved terms database is part of the second type of tests, based on semantics.

The reserved terms database is used in the Shared Registry System (SRS) during its semantics checks only if the domain name request has successfully passed the syntax checks.

The database table allows to classify the terms is contains by categories. The categories allow the registry to identify different types of terms (geographic names, religious terms, cultural...). In the case of geographic names the categories in the database allow subclassifications such as country names or city names.

The checker placed on the SRS applies the semantics checks to a domain name request using the registry's policies translated into technical rules. The SRS checker uses the reserved terms database to verify the presence or not of the term in its table and acts accordingly. If the term and its category are present in the database the SRS checker will apply the registry's policy of blocking the registration unless a valid authorization code is presented.

E.g : If "france" is requested by a registrar for registration without a valid authorization code the SRS checker will verify if the term and its category are present in the reserved terms database. The database will indicate that "france" is present in its tables under the "country" category. The SRS checker will then reject the creation request.

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2.2 - Unblocking a reserved term through an authorization code mechanism

In order to create a domain name containing a reserved term for a registrant, registrars must fill out an online form protected by a captcha code. This form requires the registrar to fill out the requested domain name, the registrant information (nic-handle) and the reason or legitimate interest within a maximum of 4000 characters.

The reserved term request will automatically be sent to the registry's back office into a queue for human validation by one of the registry's validation agents. If the legitimate interest of the domain registrant is enough evidence that the domain creation complies with the registry's policies the validation agent will generate an authorization code that will be sent by email to the registrar that made the request.

For security reasons the registrar's email address on which the authorization code is sent to is the one defined as the NOC email address.
For additional security reasons the registry has decided that this authorization code is valid on the SRS for a maximum of 15 days. After 15 days the authorization code will expire and a new request will be necessary to retrieve a new authorization code.
The code generated by the registry's validation agent can only be used for a domain name creation of the requested term for the requested registrant by the requesting registrar. Meaning that an authorization code cannot be used by another registrar or for another holder (identified by its nic-handle).

In case the request does not comply with the registry's policies or if the given information is not sufficient to generate an authorization code, the validation agent will ask the registrar for complementary information. The registrar has 15 days to answer and provide sufficient information and or complementary documentation to the registry's validation agent. After 15 days without sufficient information or documents, the authorization code request is abandoned.

Once the registrar receives an authorization code from the registry's validation agent, the registrar has 15 days to initiate a creation operation on the requested reserved term. This authorization code is fully compatible to the registry's EPP interface and is used during a creation operation as the auth_info code (see question 24 on EPP).

When the domain name creation operation with the valid authorization code is initiated by the registrar the SRS checker will automatically verify the code, the holder and the requesting registrar with the information contained in the registry's back office. If the data is correct the creation operation will be processed like any regular domain name creation.