.rip Pre-Register Domain - .rip Domain Information

18(a) dotRIP Limited ("dotRIP") has a clear mission for the .RIP TLD -- to expand the Internet by establishing a dedicated TLD for death and remembrance. The .RIP TLD will contribute to human understanding of the complex, philosophical event of death using the distributed nature of the Internet and related technologies by promoting social sharing and connecting in ways not possible until now. The TLD is intended to benefit anyone with an Internet connection by providing a designated namespace for people to memorialize the dead and for perpetuating the memory of the person in whose name the memorial page or tribute is established. Through contributed content, engagement and expressions of remembrance, the .RIP TLD will promote mourning and reconciliation for an event of high emotion, across a global landscape. First inscribed in Hebrew and Aramaic tombstones as early as the first century BC, today the term "RIP" is recognized in most of the world's religions and has analogues in every major language. As the name suggests from its Latin origins "requiescat in pace", the .RIP TLD will be a new digital epitaph for people to share in ways not possible prior to the Internet.

To promote the mission of the TLD, dotRIP will operate a (basic) free platform for .RIP registrants who choose to build a memorial or tribute site; registrants can also purchase a premium level of service with added features and tools. Once a .RIP domain is purchased, a registrant can create, distribute and exchange digital content, tributes and messages in a structured environment that allows for a wide variety of content creation and features depending on the user's desires and technical background. This way, the TLD will cater to a broad array of users by providing the tools to build a memorial site that reflects the user's tastes and mores. .RIP will take advantage of recent developments in easy-to-use web publishing technologies that allows for rich curated content to be rendered digitally by users with little or no background in website creation tools. While it will be possible to purchase a .RIP domain for use as a traditional stand-alone web address, .RIP believes most registrants will elect to use its exclusive platform for building a memorial site.

.RIP's financial partners, Instra Corporation Pty Ltd (an ICANN-accredited registrar) and Domain Directors Pty Ltd, both related entities, have more than ten years' successful experience in the domain industry and an existing customer base of more than one hundred thousand domain and telecom customers that dotRIP access for early promotion purposes.

In addition to website creation and communications features, dotRIP's platform will contain resources related to the emotional needs of users who are coping with the loss of loved ones. dotRIP's contributed content and design elements will have no cultural or religious affiliation; however, .RIP intends to create segregated parts of the site platform (chat rooms, blogs, etc.) for others to contribute content based on their own religious or cultural background. This way, users can share among themselves on a self-selected basis with no affiliation to .RIP. However, each registrant who buys a domain or builds a site on dotRIP's platform will be subject to dotRIP's Acceptable Use Policy concerning appropriate site usage and content. dotRIP's Acceptable Use Policy is fully described in Question 28.

Today, there are many narrowly focused memorial sites that mainly target the United States market. Legacy.com is reported to be the largest commercial provider of Internet memorials. Tributes.com is reported to be the second largest memorial site. Both companies are vying for a leadership position in the race to monetize death notices that have traditionally appeared in print.

dotRIP's purpose is to promote healing and understanding around the event of death through sharing, communication and memories in a new digital format. The TLD will reflect the personality of its users and will serve user's specific needs for expression, remembrance and condolence. As such, dotRIP intends for .RIP domains to be registered and used by people with an exclusive interest in memorial, remembrance and condolence. Any person will be able to register a .RIP domain name, provided that they represent that they will use the domain name for legitimate purposes involving and/or related to memorial, remembrance and condolence or related services.

18(b) The TLD is intended to benefit Internet users and registrants alike by promoting mourning and reconciliation for an event of high emotion through contributed content creation, engagement and expressions of remembrance on a structured, distributed platform. Internet users will benefit from a more distinctive and trustworthy Internet experience in dealing with .RIP domain registrants and users. .RIP expects to provide an ample supply of relevant and available domain names for people to claim an Internet memorial presence within the .RIP domain space.

(i) What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?

The goal is to promote .RIP domains as the place on the Internet reserved for condolence, death and remembrance. The dotRIP platform will support this goal by providing unique site features and resources to encourage users to interact online with each other around the event of death. Most domain registrants will likely build their memorial site on dotRIP's platform; we do not expect many registrants to build a site independent of our platform or to use the domain for email. Today, millions of people use digital memorial services. dotRIP seeks to make .RIP domain names ubiquitous by creating a recognized platform for people who wish to create a digital memorial that is user-centric, easy to use and scalable to the technical or time-sensitive constraints of the user.

In order to achieve this goal, dotRIP intends to provide a trusted and secure domain space, with the highest industry standard service levels. dotRIP has chosen Instra Corporation Pty Ltd. as its partner and back-end registry services provider, with the expectation that it will deliver world-class service to the TLD and to all .RIP domain registrants and users. Instra, an ICANN-accredited registrar, is a proven and reputable domain name registrar and technology developer with more than ten years of industry experience. dotRIP will demonstrate in this application that its financial partner, Domain Directors Pty Ltd, and its service provider, Instra Corporation Pty Ltd, are able to provide service levels that meet or exceed the highest standards for TLD operation. Both Instra and Domain Directors are related entities in that they share the same owner and operate together. Instra has subcontracted with KSregistry to provide back-end registry services to this TLD.

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

The .RIP TLD will the place on the Internet exclusively reserved for condolence, death and remembrance. In addition, dotRIP's will provide an alternative to the current memorial sites by offering a user-centric, easy to use and scalable platform appropriate for a wide variety of users from diverse geographies, cultures and religions. The TLD will serve as a differentiation force, as a distinctive name space that simplifies users' choice to interact with people globally around the event of death.

dotRIP expects that many users will be able to directly navigate to intuitive .RIP domains and subdomains, saving time and resources when first accessing a search engine.

Today, it is difficult or impossible to find a relevant and easily available domain name from existing registration providers that combines a simple, unique website address with a platform for site creation and collaboration around death and remembrance. An ample supply of immediately available, relatively inexpensive domain names relevant to remembrance is likely to drive greater engagement and understanding among the mourning, and pay dividends in ways we do not currently foresee in terms of Internet expansion and engagement.

(iii) What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

The .RIP TLD is intended to function with advanced technologies and best business practices, ensuring a trustworthy and positive user experience that is respectful of the subject matter of condolence and memorial. The goal is to promote the .RIP TLD as a unique domain space and to encourage Internet users to interact online around the event of death for memorial, remembrance and condolence purposes. A .RIP domain is designed to be a unique, simple web address. The site platform (where dotRIP expects most registrants to build a site) will focus on being user-centric, easy to use and scalable for the individual needs of the user. dotRIP intends for users to perceive the TLD as a trustworthy registry for the exclusive purpose of memorials and condolence. dotRIP intends to provide a safe and legitimate Internet space, enhancing user experience by mitigating security-associated risks, as further described in response to Questions 28 and 29.

In addition, the TLD will provide an easily navigable and predictable domain name space along with easy-to-use link forwarding tools. All of this will lessen users' confusion when interacting online, as the intuitive meaning of "RIP" will differentiate .RIP websites from websites that are brand oriented.

(iv) Provide a complete description of the applicant's intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.

The .RIP TLD will be open and unrestricted, allowing anyone to select an appropriate .RIP domain name for the exclusive purpose of memorializing the dead or providing related services. Bad faith, trolling or other improper uses of .RIP domain names or dotRIP's platform will not be tolerated. .RIP's Acceptable use Policy for registrants and users of the dotRIP platform are fully described in response to Question 28. dotRIP also will implement the UDRP, URS and all other ICANN-required rights protection mechanisms. Further, dotRIP will implement additional rights protection mechanisms as described in response to Questions 28 and 29, in effort to provide a more secure, trusted and different TLD registration service than is available from the legacy gTLD providers.

(v) 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.

dotRIP intends for users to perceive the TLD as a trustworthy steward of online information and services. Trust is enhanced when users are confident that their private or confidential information is protected and the Acceptable Use Policy is enforced. dotRIP intends to provide a safe and legitimate Internet space, enhancing user experience by mitigating security-associated risks. With respect to WHOIS data, dotRIP intends to comply with ICANN policies and otherwise provide additional mechanisms to ensure that complete and accurate WHOIS information is readily accessible for every .RIP domain name.

dotRIP intends to deploy DNSSEC and to comply with all of the other policies and practices required by ICANN in the Registry Agreement and/or via any Consensus Policy. Furthermore, dotRIP will employ commercially reasonable practices with respect to the security of online transactions and users' private or confidential information. Of paramount importance is ensuring that registrants and user's platform content complies with dotRIP's Acceptable Use Policy. The TLD's Acceptable Use Policy will contain strict content and site use standards and restrictions. The TLD plans to enforce the Acceptable Use Policy by employing a site content editor to investigate potential Acceptable Use Policy violations. In addition, the TLD will use artificial intelligence and other machine tools that can scan site content for potential Acceptable Use Policy violations. .RIP's Acceptable Use Policy is fully described in Question 28.

(vi) Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.

Use of domains in the TLD will result in outreach and will communicate to the intended audience the practicality of the TLD, not only for the specific purpose but also for more general or intuitive purposes. For example, a user who first visits a .RIP memorial page may later directly navigate to .RIP to search for the deceased or to explore registration options. Over time, dotRIP's communication and outreach initiatives will lead users to understand the purpose of the .RIP TLD and appreciate its special offering in the memorial and condolence space on the Internet. Besides dotRIP's own specific efforts to communicate the new TLD to users through promotion, dotRIP expects users and relevant media to contribute to awareness about the distinctive features of the .RIP TLD and the resources available for death, remembrance and condolence purposes.

In sum, outreach and communication are important in order to achieve the projected benefits of the TLD. As more users engage with a .RIP website, the viral nature of communications about the TLD and the people who use .RIP domains as memorial sites will expand. As it appears there will be many other new generic TLDs presented to Internet users, it is expected that the outreach, communications and media relating to each of them, individually, will lead to collective benefit insofar as many Internet users will quickly grasp the concept behind the TLDs and will expect many people to operate them in generally consistent ways for the benefit of all Internet users.

18(c)
ii. Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
iii. 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 TLD is intended to function with leading-edge technologies and business practices, ensuring a trustworthy and positive user experience. The goal is for users to employ .RIP's unique site features and resources to encourage Internet users to interact with each other in socially beneficial ways.

In general, dotRIP intends for users to perceive the TLD as a trustworthy and intuitive steward of online information and services associated with memorial, remembrance and condolence purposes. dotRIP intends to provide a safe and trustworthy Internet space, enhancing user experience by mitigating security-associated risks. Precise details are set forth in answers to Questions 26, 28 and 29.

In addition, the TLD will provide an easily navigable and predictable domain name space. All of this will lessen users' confusion when interacting online, as the intuitive meaning of "RIP" will differentiate .RIP websites from .com, .net and .org that have had only a generic meaning to Internet users since the late 1990's.

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

dotRIP will offer a phased launch, consistent with other prior gTLD domain name launches. First, a 30-day Sunrise Period will be offered, as required by ICANN, for trademark holders to register domain names that correspond to their marks. If there is more than one qualified Sunrise applicant, they will be invited to participate in an auction to select the registrant of the contested name. After the close of the Sunrise Period, dotRIP will conduct a Premium Name Availability Period, accepting applications for registrations of any available .RIP domain names. In the event of more than one applicant contending for any domain during this Period, all such applicants will be invited to participate in an auction to select the registrant of the contested name. After the Premium Name Availability Period, dotRIP will make names generally available for open registration by any interested person or entity, on a first-come/first-served basis.

(ii) Explain any cost benefits for registrants you intend to implement (e.g., advantageous pricing, introductory discounts, bulk registration discounts).
(iii) Do you intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation?

dotRIP intends to promote early adoption of the .RIP TLD by initially offering discounts for multi-year registrations. A registrant who chooses a multi-year registration will pay less for second and successive years that are paid in advance. A registrant who chooses to register multiple domain names at one time will receive a discount on the second and successive registrations made at the same time.

dotRIP also intends to make clear contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation upon renewal. dotRIP will not raise the base price (exclusive of any discounts, taxes, etc.) of .RIP domain name renewals by more than ten percent (10%) in any calendar year. This will be clearly stated in Registry-Registrar Agreement, requiring registrars to include this commitment in all .RIP Domain Name Registration Agr

We have engaged Instra/KSregistry to deliver registry services for this TLD.
This response describes protection of geographic names as implemented in the managed TLD registry service.
1. PROTECTION OF GEOGRAPHIC NAMES
a. Initial Reservation
dotRIP is committed to complying with all of its obligations under the New gTLD Registry Agreement and as such will meet its obligations to initially reserve all of the enumerated geographic names. More specifically, in accordance with Specification 5 of the New gTLD Registry Agreement, the Registry Operator will initially reserve all geographic names at the second level and at all other levels within the TLD at which the Registry Operator provides for registrations.

dotRIP will support this requirement by using the following internationally recognized lists to develop a comprehensive master list of all geographic names that will be initially reserved:
-The 2-letter alpha-2 code of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list, including all reserved and unassigned codes [http://www.iso.org/iso/support/country_codes/iso_3166_code_lists/iso-31661_ decoding_table.htm];
-The short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list, including the European Union, which is exceptionally reserved on the ISO 3166-1 List, and its scope extended in August 1999 to any application needing to represent the name European Union [http://www.iso.org/iso/support/country_codes/iso_3166_code_lists/iso-31661_ decoding_table.htm#EU];
-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 recognised by the international community in the language or languages used in an official capacity within each country and is current as of August 2006 [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn%20tech%20ref%20manual_M87_combined.pdf]; and
-The 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 [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/9th-uncsgndocs/ econf/9th_UNCSGN_e-conf-98-89-add1.pdf]


b. Release Mechanism
Notwithstanding the above, dotRIP believes that the use of geographic designations in connection with the .RIP TLD will significantly benefit end users and the global Internet community in that it will assist them in locating registrants' services and locations by physical geography. Given .RIP's audience throughout the world, there is little likelihood of confusion between the second-level geographic registration and the country or country-code designation. For example, few consumers would be confused into thinking that the us.RIP domain name is associated with the country-code TLD of the United States administered by the United States Department of Commerce, or otherwise confused about an association with the United States government. Therefore, although the geographic names will initially be reserved, dotRIP does believe that geographic names should be able to be released from reservation

This is especially true of the two character second level domain names. dotRIP recognizes that there have been many successful and non-misleading use of two character second level names by gTLD operators such as AA.com, ge.com, and my.biz -- to name only a few. In the event that dotRIP wishes to register the two character strings, we shall propose to ICANN the release of such strings in a manner designed to avoid confusion with the corresponding country code.

In the event that dotRIP desires to use country name addresses and/or other geographic terms, consistent with the .info release of geographic names referenced in the New gTLD Application, we will propose a release mechanism for ICANN approval.