.radio Pre-Register Domain - .radio Domain Information

The purpose of the .RADIO gTLD is to:

Provide all those interested, worldwide, in disseminating or seeking information, whether non-commercial or commercial, issues, news, culture, lifestyle, entertainment, sports or any other topic with a convenient & recognizable domain name that associates them and/or their information with On Air & Online (net) Radio.

Provide all those interested, worldwide, in selling or purchasing goods or services of any kind, or providing information, with a convenient & recognizable domain name that associates them and/or their goods or services with Radio.

Provide a top-level domain name that provides an identifiable means of communicating with people, organizations & businesses that associate or identify with traditional (on air) & online (net) Radio.

Provide the worldwide Internet-using public with an additional choice of available domain names at competitive prices.

Having over 15 years of experience in managing, marketing & operating Industry specific top-level domains in both the .FM & .AM TLD space, we recognize & have a unique understanding of the direction & leadership necessary to guide .RADIO in accomplishing these objectives.

The mission of .RADIO is:

- The promotion of On Air & Online Radio, its issues, causes, interests, perspectives, positions, policies, supporters & admirers by making domain names ending in .RADIO available to all those who may want to use such .RADIO domain names for their own political, business, personal or other legal purposes in the United States & worldwide.

- The promotion of On Air & Online Radio by having information of any & all types & for any & all legal purposes available & disseminated from websites & email addresses ending in .RADIO for the registrants' & users' own purposes in the United States & worldwide.

- The promotion of On Air & Online Radio by allowing businesses, not-for-profits & individuals to associate their products, services, information & selves with Radio for their own purposes in the United States & worldwide.

- To allow people & organizations to promote their association or identification with Radio on the Internet & in emails.

- To provide an identifiable means for people, organizations & business to communicate with those who associate or identify with On Air & Online Radio.

- To increase the number of people & organizations in the United States & worldwide that publicly identify themselves via the Internet & new media with On Air & Online Radio through their use of Radio domain names & email accounts by making such .RADIO domain names affordable & readily available (subject to compliance with the rules governing .RADIO discussed elsewhere in this Application).

In keeping with our mission, we will continue to develop & market .RADIO in an unbiased & independent manner, which fosters ʺNew Innovationʺ for both traditional & online Radio. Our extensive experience managing .FM & .AM TLDs illustrates that an open & impartial outlook is important & necessary to promote growth & inspire creativity in an Industry specific top-level domain, like .Radio.

18a.1 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS & RESEARCH

SNL Kagan forecasts Net-only (Online) Radio to be a $1 Billion business in 10 years - Expects Internet-only radio operators to grow revenues at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 13.5%, from $293 million in 2011 to more than $1.0 billion by the end of 2021ʺ (Source: SNL Kagan Report - http://www.snl.com/InteractiveX/article.aspx?CDID=A-13509963-10801&KPLT=2)

According to Mediascope Europe: ʺ64% of Europeans across 15 markets surveyed listen to the radio in a typical week. Additionally, a quarter (25%) of all European Internet users surveyed now listen to the radio online.ʺ (Source: Mediascope Europe/IAB Europe http://www.iabeurope.eu/media/53821/european%20media%20landscape%20report%20summary.pdf)

According to Arbitron/Edison Research: ʺThe weekly online Radio audience, which includes AM/FM streams & Internet-only streams, has doubled every five years since 2001, now reaching an estimated 57 million teens & adults each week.ʺ (Source: Arbitron/Edison Research: http://www.edisonresearch.com/Infinite_Dial_2011_ExecSummary.pdf)

Audio Graphics & Borrell Associates latest survey revealed: ʺNearly 40% of respondents age 18-54 said they listen to Internet radio on a mobile device. Thatʹs up from 22% in December 2009.ʺ (Source: Audio Graphics & Borrell Associates http://www.audiographics.com/agd/053111-1.htm)

18a.2 DOMAIN MARKET RESEARCH

Over the past decade, the market for domain name registrations has grown at a tremendous pace. From 2000 to 2011 domain name registrations increased from 40 million to 225 million domain names registered globally. 2011 experienced a growth of approximately 9%, ending fourth quarter 2011 with approximately 225 million domain names registered globally. Approximately 60% of these are gTLDs, while the remaining 40% are comprised of ccTLDs. More specifically, gTLD growth was approximately 10% in 2011. (Source: DOMAIN NAME INDUSTRY BRIEF - VERISIGN http://www.verisigninc.com/assets/domain-name-brief-march2012.pdf)

Our analysis of the legacy gTLDs (.COM, .NET, .ORG, .BIZ, .INFO) & ccTLDs (.DE, .UK, .EU, .NL) zones showed the frequency of "Radio" in existing second-level domain names at 0.11%, with 0.72% frequency of "Radio" related terms (i.e. radio stations names, official call letters, slogans etc.). These "Radio" related terms & our understanding of these names are based on years of Internet-Specific domain registry experience, with .FM & .AM.

At the present Verisign Domain Name Industry Briefing (4th Q 2011) total of 225 millions domain name registrations across all Top Level Domains (TLDs), the estimated market for .RADIO is over 1.7 million. Assuming very conservative registration volumes of 0.03%, the mature market (5 to 10 years out) for .RADIO could be around 50,000 at today's Domain Name Industry Briefing. (see dotRadio Market Analysis attached as "Q 18a DOTRADIO MARKET ANALYSIS")

Taking into account the new opportunities available with new gTLDs, growth is expected to continue in all sections of the domain name industry. It will allow registrants to reach more targeted audiences & increase their web presence.

In ICANN's First Annual Report (2005-2006), Message from the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Vint Cerf referred to ‘Radio' as a once traditional distinct & separate communication modality, that "Today's Internet" supports. "Today's Internet supports all traditional communication modalities once considered distinct & separate - television, RADIO, telephony" Adding, "Its ability to absorb new technologies & to support an increasing variety of applications demonstrates the power of its simple, clear & well-defined technical specifications & openly accessible capabilities." (Source: ICANN Annual Report 2005-2006: Message from the Chairman of the Board of Directors - page 8 http://www.icann.org/annualreport/annual-report-2005-2006.pdf)

At present, no direct & specific .RADIO top-level domain name exists for the people, organizations & businesses that associate themselves with On Air & Online Radio, or people, organizations & business that want to communicate with them. Registrants who want a domain name that effectively & efficiently shows an association with Radio, or registrants that want a domain name that allows them to identifiably communicate with people who associate or identify with Radio face a domain name marketplace that provides them with few, if any, options for their purposes. The .RADIO top-level domain will resolve this problem by providing registrants with an efficient, effective, prominent, instantly understood way of showing their association with the Radio, while at the same time providing competition with the existing TLDs & new gTLDs that will be approved by ICANN, thereby increasing consumer choice.

Our depth of experience and understanding in the market demonstrates our commitment to administer the .RADIO top-level domain in a professional, reliable, secure and all-inclusive way, while at the same time encouraging innovation and openness in the .RADIO domain space. Our current registrant list includes some of the most recognizable and innovative brands in streaming media and social entertainment today. Our comprehensive portfolio of clientele represents both the on-air and online media community.

BRS Media pioneered Industry Specific Domains, launching ‘multimedia' based TLDs .FM & .AM over 15 Years Ago. Since that time, we have maintained a long registry partnership agreement with FSM Telecommunications Corporation, the IANA Sponsoring Organization for the Federated States of Micronesia country-code top-level domain (ccTLD), to manage, market and operate the .FM top-level domain. In addition, we have a partner arrangement with ABC Domains, LLC and registrar to AM Network Information Center .AM ccTLD to offer .AM registrations to registrars outside of Armenia through a unique ʺRegistry Gatewayʺ solution. We provide API connectivity to the .AM SRS for registrars outside of Armenia, and also offer comprehensive customer support, billing and reporting services.

Both the .AM & .FM domain space have offered registrants, Internet users, and others with a professional, reliable, stable and secure online top-level domain registry service, for 15 years. During this timeframe, due to our extended domain registry management experience, WHOIS accuracy issues, Infringement complaints and/or any policy violations have been kept to a minimum. This has helped the .AM & .FM garner some of the highest utilization of domain names registered, with minimal speculative registrations and/or abuse.

The .FM top-level domain provides an EPP registry service that meets the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)'s new generic top-level domain (gTLD) compliance standards. Minds + Machines, who we have selected as our backend registry provider for .RADIO, are also providing backend registry operations for the .FM top-level using the Espresso Registry Service platform ("Espresso"). Espresso receives data from registrars, writes the data to the registry database, and disseminates TLD zone files to DNS provided by Neustar UltraDNS services guaranteeing 100% uptime and history proving 100% reliability. A large numbers of top ICANN Accredited Registrars connect to the .FM EPP Registry Service and .AM API Registry Gateway to offer, support and manage .FM and .AM domains on behalf of their clients. (Source: .FM & .AM Accredited Registrars & Resellers http://get.fm/registrars)

Today, the .FM and .AM TLDs have some of the most recognizable and innovative brands in Innovative Streaming Services, Social Media and Short URL Branding. The .FM and .AM Brand Registry Services continue to evolve to meet the growing demand and creativity of our clientele and markets worldwide.

18b.2 COMPREHENSIVE AND DIVERSE MARKET

The .FM and .AM top-level domains differ from .RADIO in that those TLDs focus on a very distinct and different segment of the broader online media Industry. The .FM targets Streaming Social Media Entertainment (Headliner.fm, Turntable.fm, Last.fm & Douban.fm), where .AM targets Social Name Hacks and Short URL Branding (Instagr.am, Statigr.am & vgn.am {Virgin America}).

The goal of the .RADIO top-level domain is to establish itself as the recognized choice for registrants who want to market and promote themselves and their websites to, and reach, the Internet-using public, for business, political, personal or any other purpose, through an association with On Air & Online Radio; and, as the recognized top level domain name for Internet consumers to look for or to know which people, businesses, information sources or other online resources associate themselves with Radio or are trying to communicate with them.

This applicant, like most organizations, takes its good reputation seriously. We are fully cognizant, for example, that artistic, political, economic and social issues, all of which can be associated with .RADIO, often provoke heated debate and are at times controversial. However, we recognize and support the free speech rights of both registrants and Internet users as fundamental rights, and believe that such free speech rights are important to the success of the .RADIO business plan, and that any plan to stifle free speech would be more harmful to .RADIO's reputation and business success than any attempt by us to govern speech. That being said, to protect .RADIO's reputation and the associational benefits it offers registrants and Internet consumers, we will actively promote and enforce our Acceptable Use and Abuse Prevention policies and procedures, which we believe will effectively combat improper or unlawful unprotected speech and online conduct. We believe that these mechanisms will be effective in assuring the reputation of the .RADIO top level domain, its registrants, and Internet Users, as well as the public.

The .RADIO top-level domain will be marketed to registrants who want to associate themselves, their products, services, thoughts, ideas or anything else in a positive way with the .RADIO, as well as to those who want to communicate with them in an easily identifiable way. Therefore we believe that the great majority of registrants who apply for a .RADIO domain name will do so because of its association with On Air & Online Radio or because they want to reach those who do, and not for other reasons. In these ways, the .RADIO top-level domain will bring a special association with Radio to the top-level domain name space.

18b.3 ADVANTAGES AND OBJECTIVES

We believe that the .RADIO top-level domain will add significantly to competition and differentiation in the top-level domain space, both for registrants and Internet consumers. With respect to competition, registrants are presently extremely limited in their choice of domain names that allow them to efficiently and effectively associate themselves with Radio. The availability of useful, effective, straightforward domain names on existing top-level domains, such as .COM, .NET and .ORG, are few and far between, or may be for sale at prices that are out of reach for most. .RADIO will allow registrants to obtain useful, effective, straightforward domain names rather than be forced to purchase, for example, their fifth, sixth or even later choice .COM or .NET name, which may well barely relate to the registrant's purpose or use of the domain name and/or may be confusingly similar with numerous other .COM or .NET domain names. In addition, some existing generic top-level domain names, though newer, such as .JOBS and .TEL may not be relevant for most registrants associated with On Air or Online Radio, while country-code top-level domains, though numerous, are not useful or appropriate for many registrants for geographical associational reasons. Thus, .RADIO will increase competition for registrants who want a domain name that clearly, effectively and efficiently associates them with Radio for their domain name purposes as well as for those registrants who want to reach Internet users who identify with Radio.

.RADIO will also increase pricing competition in the top-level domain name space by ensuring that .RADIO domain names are priced at levels that are appropriate to the vast majority of potential registrants to whom .RADIO is targeted.

Internet consumers also benefit from this increase in competition, as less confusing and clearly associated .RADIO domain names will make it easier for them to know that the owner of the second-level domain name seeks to associate with Radio.

Likewise, .RADIO will significantly help increase differentiation in the top-level domain space. Existing leading generic top-level domain names, such as .COM, .NET and .ORG no longer require and no longer represent any real differentiation in association, purpose or content. Newer top level domains, such as .XXX, .TRAVEL and .MUSEUM, do represent differentiation, but are either inappropriate or unavailable to most prospective registrants at whom .RADIO is targeted. .RADIO will further increase differentiation by allowing registrants to be associated, and consumers to know that the registrant seeks to associate with On Air & Online Radio.

In terms of user experience, a goal of .RADIO is to provide users with a top-level domain name that easily allows them to recognize that the registrant seeks to have its second-level domain name (and content) associated with On Air & Online Radio. We believe this will be of substantial benefit to the Internet user community, as it will allow them to more easily and more readily understand the purpose or motives of the registrant's website or email, allowing for better, more efficient and more effective use of their time online.

Another goal of .RADIO in terms of user experience is to protect third-party rights as well as to prevent abusive uses of a .RADIO domain name. We intend to achieve this goal by crafting our Naming Policy, Acceptable Use Policy, and other policies to be readily understandable and easily accessible, and by making sure that our mechanisms for enforcing rights and preventing abuse (such as our Complaint Resolution Service) operate effectively, efficiently, and fairly, as well as by ensuring that they work symbiotically with other ICANN-mandated rights protection mechanisms such as the UDRP.

18b.4 AGREEMENTS AND POLICY FRAMEWORK

We have crafted a draft framework for registration of .RADIO domains that fully support the goals, mission and purposes set forth above. Our draft registration framework is based on advice from ICANN, WIPO, applicable laws, and a variety of other expert sources. Specifically, the .RADIO draft framework includes these interrelated sets of agreements setting forth our policies and regulations, all of which registrants must agree to be bound by:

- The Registrant Agreement, which registrars contracted with .RADIO must present to registrants. This is a collateral agreement to the Registrar Registry Agreement (detailed below), and will bind registrants to .RADIO's Acceptable Use Policy (as detailed below), .RADIO's Privacy & Whois Policy (detailed below), ICANN-mandated rights protection mechanisms (including the Universal Dispute Resolution Policy ("UDRP"), and the Complaint Resolution Service;
- The Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP"), which details the proper use of domain names that end in .RADIO, which is incorporated by reference in the Registrant Agreement that registrants must agree to;
- The Privacy and Whois Policy, which describes how a registrant's personal data is to be used, which is also incorporated by reference in the Registrant Agreement;
- The Registrar-Registry Agreement, which is the contract between .RADIO and its ICANN-accredited registrars which sets forth, inter alia, the duties and obligations of the registrar with respect to .RADIO registrants and the .RADIO registry; and
- The Naming Policy, which sets out .RADIO's policies governing prohibited, blocked or reserved domain names.

These agreements and policies are designed to ensure transparent and non-discriminatory policies for the registration of .RADIO names; fair and competitive pricing; protection of personal data and privacy; adherence by registrars and registrants to the AUP; protection of trademarks, the names of natural and juristic persons and other property rights; prevention of the registration of illegal terms; and the prevention violations of the law. Moreover, our policies promote competition among registrars, combat abuse of the DNS, address cybercrime, protect intellectual property rights, and align the .RADIO top-level domain with applicable regulatory and legislative environments and Internet registry best practices.

These policies will effectively support the key mission, purposes and goals of the .RADIO top-level domain, which is to allow registrants who want to associate themselves with Radio, while at the same time protecting third-party rights and preventing abuse.

We specifically examined more restrictive registration policies, such as limiting registration to members of organizations with a specific in Radio. We rejected such limitations because they would interfere with .RADIO's primary mission, purpose and goals---which is to encourage openness and innovation for registrants and to associate themselves with Radio for any legal purpose. Factors that we took into account when considering a more restrictive registration policy included:
- Our recognition that registrants of a .RADIO domain name will self-select because they have an interest in Radio, and this fact will naturally reduce the number of potential registrants; and,
Because restrictive policies such as, for example, requiring membership in a specific organization or organizations, would exclude many legitimate registrants from obtaining a .RADIO domain name. For example, and by way of illustration, if membership in an organization were required for registration, businesses and charitable organizations that would find a .RADIO top-level domain name an effective marketing tool would be excluded from registering a .RADIO domain name as they might not be eligible to be members in an organization that accepted only natural persons for membership.

With respect to protecting registrant privacy and confidential information, we will comply with applicable ICANN rules, including Whois policies, and all applicable laws, rules and regulations of appropriate jurisdictions. Registrant privacy and use of confidential information are set forth in our Privacy & Whois Policy. Information concerning updates and changes to the Privacy & Whois Policy will be promptly and prominently displayed on the .RADIO web site.
.RADIO's back-end registry services provider will also be required to employ industry standard procedures to prevent the unauthorized or illegal access of registrant privacy or confidential information.

With respect to users, .RADIO's Registration Agreement will require that all registrants must comply with any and all applicable laws, rules or regulations concerning user privacy and confidential information for applicable jurisdictions, and that failure to do so may result in suspension or loss of their .RADIO name, and may in addition result in legal actions by appropriate authorities.

18b.5 INDUSTRY AND MARKET OUTREACH

Outreach and communications will both be important to .RADIO achieving its projected benefits. Outreach to targeted potential registrants will be important to .RADIO achieving its projected benefits by allowing it to cost-effectively and quickly market to the most likely potential registrants, and to promote the ways in which .RADIO will allow them to associate themselves with the Radio, and how their association with .RADIO helps further their interest and that of Radio. As a recognized leader in the both an Industry specific ‘Media" domain space and traditional and & net-only Radio, we intend to leverage our existing relationships with groups with an association with On Air & Online Radio, as well as engage in advertising, promotion, social media outreach, and other methods of reaching potential registrants. As a long standing associate member of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), we sponsor and participate in both spring NAB Show in Las Vegas (worldʹs largest electronic media show) and the fall NAB/RAB (Radio Advertising Bureau) Radio Show. In 2011, we co-sponsored the After Marconi Event to benefit The Broadcasters Foundation of America. In addition, we sponsor and/or participate in other On Air & Online Radio events like: RAIN Summit West (Radio and Internet Newsletter), RAIN Summit Europe and Radio Ink's Convergence (Radio Internet Conference featuring Interactive Media, Internet Radio & Streaming media).

.RADIO believes that outreach to people and organizations that already identify with Radio give it the best chance of launching the top-level domain as strongly as possible, giving it the best chance of long-term viability, and thus the best chance of providing its projected benefits to registrants of a positive association with Radio, while at the same time promoting Radio.

18b.6 CONNECTIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Communications will be as important to .RADIO achieving its projected benefits as outreach. .RADIO will be an open top-level domain, available to anyone interested in having a .RADIO domain name, and .RADIO's best chance of establishing itself as a viable top-level domain is to have as many potential registrants as possible know about .RADIO and why a .RADIO domain name may be right for them. However, many potential registrants for .RADIO domain names who may want to associate their Internet presence with the Radio, or use a .RADIO domain name to communicate with those who do, will be missed by .RADIO's direct outreach efforts. Communications, in particular communication via social networks and blogs, will be helpful in reaching these potential registrants.

Communications will help .RADIO realize its goal of serving registrants beyond the United States. Given our finite marketing resources, communications through free resources, such as social networks and blogs will allow us to promote .RADIO to members of the international community who want a domain name that associates them with Radio, or use a .RADIO domain name to communicate with those who do.

Communications will help .RADIO keep in touch with its registrants, to understand how they would like to see .RADIO develop, and to understand how we can improve our policies, registration rules, or other aspects of our operations or administration.

We plan to minimize social costs primarily through clearly written, widely disseminated, and easy-to-understand policies. Our Acceptable Use Policy clearly delineates unacceptable behavior and prohibited content by registrants using domain names in the .RADIO zone.

Our rules concerning applications for the same domain name establish clearly delineated rules, and will be published well in advance. They provide adequate safeguards for the rights of all participants as well as expeditious and cost-effective challenge procedures in the event of disputes.

During the Sunrise period and Landrush periods, multiple applications for the same name will be resolved by auction. UDRP or URS will be used if there are disputes as to rights to a name.

After Sunrise and Landrush, domain names will be allotted on a first-come, first-serve basis. All domains are subject to UDRP and URS challenges.

At all times, .RADIO's Complaint Resolution Service will be available to registrants as well as to the public in the case of alleged prohibited use or content.

.RADIO does not envision special discounts for different classes of registrants, but may consider such offers in the future. We may offer introductory discounts for first-time registrants in .RADIO. Bulk registration discounts are not being considered at this time.

.RADIO plans to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price increases. .RADIO will contract with its registrars that any percentage increase in renewal and first registration fees will be applied uniformly across all registrations, and that notice of any price increases will be provided on the registrar's website and by the registrar to registrants via email six months or more in advance.

--PROPOSED MEASURES FOR PROTECTION OF GEOGRAPHIC NAMES AT THE SECOND
AND OTHER LEVELS IN THE APPLIED-FOR GTLD--

We have accepted the advice of the Governmental Advisory Committee
(GAC) that we should adopt appropriate procedures to block names with
national or geographic significance at the second and other levels,
and will do so in the manner we describe below:

The country and territory names contained in the following
internationally recognized lists will be initially reserved at the
second level, as follows:

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

Procedurally, the geographical names contained in these lists, as
described in Specification 5 of the New gTLD Agreement, will be added
to the registry software system "prohibited word" function. This
function, part of Espresso, our registry platform, allows strings to
be blocked from registration. Upon an attempt via the EPP or web
interface, the registration will not be allowed. Any attempt to
register a domain containing those geographical names will be
automatically denied, as they were similarly blocked in the .INFO TLD.
If a Government or public authority decides to register a geographic
name which has been blocked by the process describe above, the .INFO
procedure for notice, authentication, and registration will be
substantially adhered to, as follows:
1. The Government or public authority concerned informs the GAC
Secretariat of their request to register the name, and the designated
beneficiary.
2. The GAC Secretariat authenticates the request and transfers it to
the ICANN staff and to the registry operator.
3. The registry operator verifies the availability of the name and
issues an authorization number that is transmitted directly to the
designated beneficiary in the country concerned.
4. The designated beneficiary (the Registrant) registers the name,
paying the normal fee, with an ICANN-accredited registrar contracted
with the registry operator using the authorization number as their
authority.

The registry operator may at some point seek agreement with the
applicable governments to release these reservations, subject to
review by ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee and approval by
ICANN.

For protection of geographic names at other levels, we have complaint
mechanism in place and any geographic entity may register a complaint
if they feel their national rights have been violated.

We believe that the measures outlined above incorporate GAC's advice
and serve as a pledge to block, at no cost to governments,
geographically significant names and allow a means of challenging any
abuse of the use of a geographically significant name.