.reise Pre-Register Domain - .reise Domain Information

The German national company law (GmbH-Gesetz) defines the GmbH (legal form and type of entity) and has been issued by the German Ministry of Justice. The dotreise GmbH is a registered at the public company register (www.handelsregister.de) at the district court in Tostedt (Germany) with the registration number HRB 202615 The GmbH Law can be found here: http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gmbhg/index.html

The string "reise" is a noun and can be translated with "journey". The string "reise" is also a keyword which is included in millions of websites in German language. The .REISE TLD is intended to serve the German speaking travel and tourism industry and its customers. The .REISE TLD and its domains names shall facilitate consumers to intuitively find travel information on the Internet and shall contribute to more quality, reliability and consumer trust in travel topics on the Internet. In addition, we expect a more accurate representation of destinations with the help of the domain names used by the travel industry and the destinations themselves.

The domain names available with .REISE are concise and create a unique identity for the community members. Those providing and looking for information, goods and services in the Internet can thus intuitively come together. The .REISE domain names strengthen the identification amongst travel industry members, improve communication and make interaction easier, thus providing a stimulus for innovation and development. For both the travel industry as well as Internet user .REISE domain names will become an attractive address to visit. The registration of .REISE domains is restricted to travel industry members. Members are amongst others tour operators, travel agencies, destinations as well as governmental agencies, destination marketing agencies, associations, institutions and service providers of the tourism industry.

(i)
* Speciality *

The .REISE TLD and its domain names are solely dedicated and thereby specialized to create content, facilitate communication and foster business in connection with travel topics between all parties involved in the German speaking travel industry. Registrants from the travel industry will get with .REISE a specialized namespace, which has a clear meaning and offers intuitive domain names which are easy to remember. The .REISE TLD gives the German speaking travel industry a digital identity, where each domain name shows the relation to the travel industry. Contrary to ccTLDs or nonspecific gTLDs like .com, .REISE domain names state two things direct and unmistakably:
a) Contents in German language
b) Travel topics

* Service Level *

The benefit and service level for registrants will be that .REISE domain names will be available at many ICANN-accredited registrars and their resellers in the respective countries, since the Registry-Services provider for .REISE, nic.at, is implemented at most registrars in the German-speaking countries .Furthermore the Registry will offer equal access to all registrars worldwide and does not plan to impose unnecessary processes to registrars. Due to the availability of .REISE domains at many registrars the registrants can expect a price competition among the registrars which will lead to a competitive pricing. If domain names have a competitive pricing, a clear meaning and the chance to make more business, many members of the travel industry will register .REISE domain names. Thus Internet users will get used to .REISE domain names quickly.

Among others, major German registrars like United Domains and InternetX have already a significant number of pre-reservations of .REISE domain names (over 15.000 domain names).

* Reputation *

The .REISE TLD will be a namespace with support of leading associations and organizations from the travel industry in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It is our aim that such a namespace will gain quickly a substantial reputation among the German speaking travel industry and also its customers.

(ii)
* Enhanced competition *

The .REISE TLD will enhance competition in the global domain name business by introducing a dedicated namespace for the German speaking travel industry. The new .REISE domain names are a valuable alternative to the established national ccTLDs such as .de or .ch, especially for members of the German speaking travel community. The .REISE domain names will be a local addition to the existing global sTLD .TRAVEL. As of today .TRAVEL domains are rarely used in German speaking countries, simply because the term "travel" lacks understanding in the general public. For destinations around the world .REISE will be a welcomed addition to .TRAVEL and will help to address German speaking customers in their native language.

* Differentiation through descriptive domain names *

The .REISE TLD and its domain names are clearly differentiated to existing TLDs, not only due to their descriptive nature which has a clear meaning and value to the targeted industry and their customers but also due to its dedicated members. The namespace .REISE is restricted to information, communication and business between suppliers and customers of the travel industry.

* Innovation through a new understanding of domain names *

Until today Internet users get information which search engines deem appropriate, unless Internet users type-in the domain name when they search for the keyword "reise" in the Internet. Internet users will get an innovative access to information without the need to use or rely on search engine results. In the future this dependency might decrease since content with a connection to the travel industry will be displayed more directly and domain names will be remembered better by Internet users.

(iii)
* A digital umbrella for the travel industry *

The .REISE TLD will serve as a digital umbrella for content related to the German speaking travel industry. The top-level gives a clear meaning for Internet users and gives all second-level domains a connection to the German speaking travel industry. .REISE domains like "schwarzwald.reise", "luxus.reise" or "lastminute.reise" connect the second-level intuitively to the top-level and deliver a better user experience.

* Intuitive and easy to remember *

Users are expected to find product offers or information from the travel industry under .REISE domains. Furthermore the intuitive and descriptive domain names under a "speaking TLD" like .REISE will enable consumers to navigate and search more easily for travel information on the Internet.

* Outlook: Better search engine rankings *

Today Internet users can either type in an URL, which includes a known domain name, or search via search engines. In the future after the approval of the new gTLDs by ICANN, many Cities, Brands and Industries will operate their own namespace. This will lead to a shift in user expectations, since they can type-in what they are looking for. Furthermore search engines are expected to include the new top-level domains in their ranking algorithms. As of today ranking results in search engines integrate, among many other elements (e.g. the so called signals in the google ranking algorithm), the top-level as well as the second-level in relation to the search. Therefore it is to be expected that search engines will integrate .REISE as being a relevant part (or signal, in terms of the google search algorithm) of a search technology and will give ranking preference to .REISE domain names compared to other TLDs. This will increase visibility along with the marketing efforts for .REISE by travel industry members.

(iv)
Beyond the provisions of the New gTLD Agreement the following policies are imposed:
The .REISE TLD is intended to serve the German speaking travel and tourism industry and its customers:

* Eligibility *

According to the .REISE registrant eligibility requirements policies the following registrant categories are eligible to register .REISE domain names:
- tour operators, travel agencies, transport companies, hospitality industry, outgoing agencies, incoming agencies, destination marketing agencies, destinations, reference book publishers, information portals, booking software companies
- governmental agencies, associations, educational institutions and institutions and service providers of the tourism industry

* Name selection *

The registration policies state that any types of second-level names may be registered in the .REISE name space. In detail the second-level domain names are defined as:
- Not being restricted on the second-level (no restrictions like .co.uk).
- A second-level domain consists of numbers (0-9), hyphens, Latin characters (a-z) and the extended European Latin character set.
- A second-level domain must not have a hyphen at the 3rd and 4th position at the same time.
- Large and small characters are not different.
- The length of a second-level domain varies between minimal 1 and maximal 63 characters.
Initially reserved and excluded from registration are all second-level names defined in Spec 5 of the Draft New gTLD Registry Agreement of the Applicant Guidebook (Version 11.1.2012).
The registrant agrees not to register domain names that violate ethical or criminal law principles (illegal, violent, racist, ethnically offensive, harmful to minors, indecent, offensive or domain names that violate morality and public order) or may hurt the reputation of the .REISE namespace. In addition, domain names are not permitted that use the words or parts of words that could generally perceived as offensive. These include insulting, abusive or agitational words or words or word elements, which could violate the ethical, religious or moral sensibilities of Internet users.

* Registration Agreement *

The contract for the registration of the domain is entered into between the registrant and a registrar accredited by ICANN. The registry has no contractual relationship with the registrant. With the completion of the registration agreement the registrant commits to the registrar for the recognition of all ICANN consensus policies and registration policies and ensures that they are complied with from then on.

* Content and Use *

The .REISE TLD has both, content and use restrictions:
- Content: .REISE domain names must only be used for purposes solely dedicated to travel topics.
- Use: The registrant must use the .REISE domain name within six months after the initial registration, whereas "use" is defined in the .REISE registration policies.

* Transfer of Domain Names *

Domain Names can be transferred only to registrants who are eligible to register .REISE domain names. As far as the allocation of .REISE domain names is not subject to the universal, but one of the special registration procedures, the initial registration and transfer may be subject to special conditions. The transfer of a domain is excluded under certain circumstances, if a specific use of the domain has been contracted between the Registry and the Registrant.

* Enforcement *

Levels of enforcement include appeals under the .REISE Eligibility Requirement Dispute Resolution Policy (ERDRP) as well as court appeals under URDP, URS or PDDRP or national courts.

* WHOIS *

The administrative contact of a .REISE domain name shown in the WHOIS database (Admin Contact) has to be a natural person who as an agent for the domain owner (Registrant Contact) has the right and obligation to make binding decisions on all matters concerning the domain. For each .REISE domain only one administrative contact can be named. Domain registrant and administrative contact can be one and the same natural person. The consent of the registrant to publish ICANN compliant registrant data in the WHOIS database will be granted with the approval of the registration policy.

* Start-up Schedule *

The .REISE TLD will have a straight forward start-up schedule with the phases noted below:

Phase 1 - Reserved
The reservation phase is prior to approval of .REISE by ICANN. Reserved names are:
- names for the representation of the interests of the travel industry (associations, public authorities, etc.)
- names for the TLD operation, namespace management, marketing and purpose of the TLD
- names according to ICANN specification 5 (2-letter, country names, others)
- premium names
- blocked names

Phase 2 - Sunrise
Eligible are all registrants whose trademark was validated by the Trademark Clearinghouse, 30 days duration, allocation on a first-come first-served basis
Phase 3 - Landrush
First-come first-served allocation
Phase 4 - Premium
Premium domain names will be allocated at a later stage.

(v)
The WHOIS data of all .REISE domains will be visible to the public, although a captcha module prevents from automated inquiries. Bulk access to WHOIS data will not be allowed according to ICANN specifications. The WHOIS data of each .REISE domain are visible to the public. In addition the dotreise GmbH will establish an abuse point of contact. The .REISE TLD will not offer or allow privacy of confidential information of registrants.

(vi)
The .REISE TLD is well supported by the travel industry with a geographical reach in the target markets Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Already around two years before the application we started the outreach to a reasonable variety of community members to understand, participate in and support our application.

The biggest gathering of the global travel and tourism industry is the annual trade show "Internationale Tourismus Börse - ITB" in Berlin with over 10,000 exhibitors from 180 countries. dotreise GmbH, together with the DRV (DRV - Deutscher Reiseverband, which is the 3rd largest travel association globally) participated with a booth in 2011 and 2012. The dotreise GmbH is also an accredited member of the DRV.
As a result of our outreach the .REISE TLD has already gained broad awareness within the German speaking travel community including leading press publications, congresses and other communication events of the tourism industry. We are committed to our community to communicate the benefits of .REISE domains names within the industry but also to consumers and Internet users in general. We believe that the broad outreach program, which is part of our marketing efforts, will help us to achieve the projected benefits of .REISE.

(i)
The .REISE domain name allocation plan has several phases:

1. Reservation phase - Reservation of domain names for members of the travel industry, ICANN and other Registry related purposes.
Some reserved names may be released for registration after entry of the TLD in the IANA root and before the start of the Sunrise. These names will be released by the Registry upon request of eligible registrants on the discretion of the registry.
2. During the Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise phase we are planning to allocate domain names on a first-come/first-serve basis to minimize social costs and time resources of registrants.
3. During the Landrush phase we are planning to allocate domain names on a first-come/first-serve basis to minimize social costs and time resources of registrants.
4. A defined list of Premium domain names will be allocated in a later phase by appropriate allocation mechanisms. The allocation for premium names will be deployed to avoid speculation and enable a fair and transparent allocation of domain names.

(ii)
Since registrants of .REISE domain names are commercially active members of the travel industry, we are not planning, at this stage, any cost benefit programs. It is expected that the most efficient cost benefit of .REISE domain names derives from the added value of short, descriptive and intuitive domain names and the expected ranking advantage in search engines. Parallel to our outreach to the .REISE community we started the outreach to registrars, based in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, to talk about wholesale prices and registration processes. According to this feedback our prices won't be unreasonable high and will be within accepted price limits.

(iii)
.REISE domains will only be available through ICANN accredited registrars. The registry will provide registrars which are accredited by ICANN non-discriminatory access to registry services.
Domain name registrations are offered for periods of one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar.
We will reserve the right to reduce pricing for promotional purposes in a manner available to all accredited registrars. Registry Operator reserves the right to work with ICANN to initiate an increase in the wholesale price of domains if required. Registry Operator will provide reasonable notice to the registrars of any approved price increase.

We will protect names on the second and third level as per the requirements in the New TLD Registry Agreement (Specification 5, paragraph 5) by reserving the country and territory names at the second level and at all other levels within the TLD, where dotreise GmbH offers registrations. A list of those names will be compiled and published to relevant audiences before the TLD is introduced. These domains will be blocked following the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) advice "Principles regarding new gTLDs", at no cost to the relevant organization, so that no parties may register them as a domain name.
Together with the respective governments and ccTLD managers as well as with ICANN we will define procedures, and set-up agreements by which the above reserved domain(s) may be released to the Registry Operator and may be registered consecutively by eligible and appropriate registrants.