.saarland Pre-Register Domain - .saarland Domain Information

dotSaarland GmbH, the company behind .SAARLAND, is committed to provide a platform that will: serve the needs of the regional community of the Saarland, provide a common internet address to the community, and promote the region and its people, services and regional attractions to all who share an interest in it.

The term "Saarland" refers to a federal state within Germany and is a regional identifier for a community consisting of those who live, have lived, work or have spent time in the Saarland region, those who want to promote the different cultural or economic aspects of the Saarland online, and/or those who want to address their online communications to that community.
The Saarland is one of Germanyʹs forerunners in the areas of economic growth and the concentration of apprenticeship training positions. Vehicle construction, mechanical engineering and the local steel industry are the core areas of economic activity. Complementing these sectors is an active mixture of research institutes and spin-offs from all areas of IT and nanotechnology.
In addition, Saarland is a major site of European industrial culture, including a UNESCO World Heritage site, the "Völklinger Hütte".
The Saarland is located at the heart of "Saar-Lor-Lux" region, an economic metropolitan area including parts of France, Germany and Luxemburg with classic industrial locations; the federal state Saarland is a leading IT research location in Germany.
The mission of the Applicant, dotSaarland GmbH, is to provide a secure Internet space for the region that will facilitate the distribution and exchange of information among Saarland stakeholders by means of for example websites, social networks, email and other technologies that will reside within the .SAARLAND domain name space. In addition, and as technology needs advance and change, ancillary services may be provided in relation to registration of domains within the TLD, including but not limited to website hosting, SEO, marketing and consulting services. With .SAARLAND, online content can be targeted directly at the Saarland community: The .SAARLAND TLD will act as an identifier for regional content, enabling local businesses, organizations, and individuals to present their content in a fashion that makes it easy to discover and locate for Internet users seeking content and information related to the region.
With .SAARLAND, all Saarland people, communities, organizations, companies, and many more will find a common space in the virtual world, enabling them to register domain names which are currently not available in current gTLDs and ccTLDs such as .com with over 90 million registrations and .de with more than 13 million registrations. .SAARLAND domain names will help them establishing their online life or business using attractive 2nd level domain names.
Starting in April 2008, the founders of dotSaarland GmbH have been involved with the local government in talks about creating a specific TLD for the Saarland region.
The dotSaarland association was founded in 2009 as a supporting organization to facilitate the launch of .SAARLAND, to generate public interest in the creation of the regional TLD and to create a forum for the local community to be directly involved in the proposed policies and uses.
The dotSaarland GmbH (limited liability company) was founded in 2011 to apply for and later operate the TLD. The dotSaarland registered association is represented through a permanent seat in management board meetings according to the company statutes to ensure that the operator and the community coordinate their efforts to the benefit of the regional community.
.SAARLAND corresponds perfectly with the high ranking, politically supported campaign „Umbrella Brand Saarland" (see http://www.saarland.de/6867_87814.htm). The government initiative to strengthen the marketing capacities of local brands through providing a state aided platform to increase employment and attract experts. Thus providing a means of communication and the possibility to use .SAARLAND will support the umbrella brand Saarland as well as attracting further users for the name space.
The .SAARLAND association is an active part of the political, social and public life in the federal state and the domain extension .SAARLAND is eagerly awaited by many players and citizens in various fields.

This can be seen as positive and written feedback, which is listed below. There are more letters of support reaching DotSaarland Association daily, so this list is far from being complete:
- Industrie- und Handelskammer des Saarlandes, Saarland Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Handwerkskammer des Saarlandes, Saarland Chamber of Crafts
- gwSaar, Saarland economic promotion corporation
- Vereinigung der saarländischen Unternehmensverbände e.V., Parent organization for business associations in Saarland
- Unternehmensverband Saarland e.V., Business association Saarland
- Verband der Metall- und Elektroindustrie des Saarlandes e.V., Association of the metal and electrical industry in Saarland
- SHS Foundation, Association for the cultural and economic promotion in Saarland
- Saarbrücker Zeitung Verlag und Druckerei GmbH, Publishing company for the regional newspaper Saarbrücker Zeitung, the internet portal sol.de and the radio station bigFM Saarland
- RADIO SALÜ Euro-Radio Saar GmbH, Operator of the regional radio station RADIO SALÜ and the online portal salue.de
- Landessportverband für das Saarland, Regional sports association, corporation under public law
- Saarländischer Turnerbund e.V., Regional gymnastics organization
- Saar Connect GmbH, Operator of saarshopping.de, a reginal online shopping portal
- Key-Systems GmbH, Saarland domain registrar
- Rechtsanwaltskanzlei Dury, Law firm
- Private Care, Insurance intermediary
The letters are attached as Q21b_Fig3_supporting_letters.

The support of .SAARLAND is also expressed by a quote of the Minister of Economic Affairs (also the signatory of the letter of endorsement, see question 21): „Das Wirtschaftsministerium unterstützt die Initiative für die Einführung der Top-Level-Domain .SAARLAND. Mit .SAARLAND unterstreichen wir unsere Bedeutung als innovativer IT-Standort. Zudem können Saarländer und Saarländerinnen mit dieser Internet-Endung für ihr Bundesland werben." [Peter Jacoby, Saarl. Wirtschaftsminister] The closest English translation of this statement would be: ʺThe Ministry of Economy supports the initiative for the introduction of the top-level domain .SAARLAND. With .SAARLAND we emphasize our role as an innovative IT location. In addition, all Saarland people may advertise for their state using this internet extension.ʺ (Peter Jacoby, Minister of Economic Affairs)
Users of .SAARLAND will benefit from the elevated recognition in their target markets and identification with their native region. With .SAARLAND users will be able to step ahead of the competition and distinguish themselves from said competition.
Companies, individuals and associations will be enabled to build a targeted regional internet presence. The regionally targeted user experience will support our goal of communicating a message of regional identity.
From public information and industry knowledge, dotSaarland GmbH expects that numerous regional TLD name spaces will be applied for and the use of regional name spaces will be a natural and common experience for internet users.
The dotSaarland GmbH intends that .SAARLAND names will be mainly registered and used by persons and entities within the Saarland region or persons who maintain an affinity towards the region. However, .SAARLAND domain registrations will not be restricted to such persons and entities. Our goal is to promote the Saarland region and culture in general and as such anyone will be able to register a .SAARLAND domain name. We have therefore decided not to apply for a community TLD.

As a regional TLD, .SAARLAND will in many ways function (and be perceived) as a "miniature ccTLD", e.g. a local address space targeted at and representing a specific community.

The new .SAARLAND gTLD will create a new online name space for the regional community of the Saarland and its people, allowing businesses to provide local services and regional organizations, individuals and initiatives to show their affiliation with their home state within a regionally defined online presence that will be available for internet users worldwide. Being a regional domain extension for all Saarland people, the TLD will be a home on the Internet, strengthening the community of Saarland's citizens and friends.

The spirit of community of the inhabitants and friends of the Saarland will benefit from the new name space. DotSAARLAND GmbH, The Applicant, expects that the TLD name space will evolve into a virtual mirror of the state, its people and friends as well as all those who do business in or around the state and provide content specifically of interest to the Saarland community. The inhabitants of the German federal state of Saarland and its neighboring areas, friends of the Saarland and former Saarlandians will be able to express their regional roots by registering domain names in the .SAARLAND TLD and creating locally relevant content according to their individual needs and interests. Domain names that were formerly unavailable in other TLDs will become available and make it easier to target a locally relevant audience. By the same reasoning, a .SAARLAND domain name will make locally targeted or relevant content easier to find, as it is expected that search engines will at least partially refocus on offering targeted and localized results for individual search queries, i.e. offering specific regional results. Registrants will therefore benefit from their greater visibility to their target audience.

Closely cooperating with the Saarland state government the applicant aims to transfer the visibility of the Saarland into the virtual realm, showcasing the position of the Saarland as a technology-leader within Germany, highlighting its distinctiveness and originality and promoting the image of the Saarland as an innovative and progressive state online, please find press commentaries attached as Q21b_fig4_press_commentary.pdf, documenting the wish for the own TLD of Saarland.

By implementing the statesʹ request to reserve a number of relevant domain names for government agencies, the Applicant will ensure that government agencies, cities and public institutions can offer their services and information at a distinctive, easy to find place, thereby promoting e-government initiatives and easier access.

.SAARLAND will implement a Founders Initiative to ensure that reserved premium domain names with high local or generic relevance can be used to provide the best service possible to internet users. An independent jury with representatives from local institutions, organizations, and initiatives organized in the dot Saarland e.V. (registered association - independent from dotSaarland GmbH) will review applications for the domain names that will be initially reserved for the Founders Initiative and determine which proposal promises to provide the greatest benefit to the local community in a fair and neutral process.


A. What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?

.SAARLAND aims to become a virtual home for all people living in or near the geographic Saarland region as well as everyone doing business in the region. The TLD will aim at providing a common address for local content for the regional community. To achieve this aim, the Applicant recognizes that a positive reputation of the TLD is essential.

The TLD will provide a valuable service at a fair price to people who are interested in the Saarland lifestyle, values, and culture.

We aim to create a positive reputation and clean and safe image to internet users. As a proliferation of abusive registrations or abusive use in a zone can be highly detrimental to the reputation of the zone in general, the Applicant has proposed and will rigorously enforce the anti-abuse mechanisms described in the answer to question 28. It is however estimated that the TLD will not become a primary target for the most common types of abusive use due to its regional outreach and comparatively small target audience.

.SAARLAND aims to be a building block for the umbrella brand "Saarland" promoted by the local state government by using .SAARLAND domain names to promote tourism, as well as local businesses and brands, and thereby further strengthening its reputation as the virtual home of the region on the internet.

To further maintain a positive reputation, the Applicant has in cooperation with the local administration developed a blacklist of domain names that will not become available for registration.


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

From observation of proposed new gTLD applications and domain industry knowledge, the Applicant expects that with the new gTLD program, a new landscape of regional gTLDS will evolve as an alternative to the current generic Top Level Domains, similar in many ways in its outreach to the existing .CAT gTLD. As a part of this new landscape the .SAARLAND TLD will enable registrants to distinguish their site as a local web site, and allow internet users to find regionally relevant sites more easily.

The applicant expects that .SAARLAND will not compete with existing TLDs, but rather supplement the German and French speaking ccTLDs such as .fr,.de, .at and .ch due to its regional outreach. The applicant does not expect that domain names in other TLDs will be replaced by .SAARLAND domain names, the new name space will rather open up new domain names for local initiatives, individuals and businesses that are currently unavailable under other TLDs. By addressing a .SAARLAND domain name, internet users will be able to navigate intuitively to specific, regional sites that provide local services or information. Domain names under a .SAARLAND TLD demonstrate a definitive regional perspective and would not likely be confused with domain names in currently existing TLDs.

C. What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?

.SAARLAND is intended to provide a trustworthy online infrastructure for users within the region or users searching specifically for content related to the region. Furthermore, a number of .SAARLAND domains will be reserved for the state and thus provide people an easy to recognize platform to interact with public offices. The TLD will enable the local community to search for relevant content and promote themselves and their interests, to provide a platform for businesses and tourism and in addition provide a trustworthy platform for public offices and official information.

The allocation of premium domain names through a founders initiative is directed at creating value for the internet user by providing relevant information at those internet addresses where the internet user expects them to be.

All areas of interest named above will be found under the umbrella of .SAARLAND and thus users will find a well-organized and comprehensive network connecting public administration, businesses, and individuals.

Domain usage guidelines, rights protection mechanisms and abuse policies, as well as strong security policies will be established and enforced to constantly reinforce the .SAARLAND user experience and the positive reputation of the name space.


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

.SAARLAND domain names can be registered by everyone just like most current gTLDs are open and unrestricted. We believe that any restriction of the circle of eligible registrants will in all likelihood limit the potential for innovation in the use of domain names in this TLD. Bad faith registrations violating third party rights and other illegal uses will not be tolerated and handled according to the respective policies.

The dotSaarland GmbH and Association will provide a fair delegation process for all .SAARLAND domain applications. To guarantee a transparent and structured domain allocation, the launch plan for .SAARLAND schedules four different phases. The time frame set for the whole launch process is 89 days.

To encourage the public attention for .SAARLAND, a Founders Program will be carried out. This gives prospective founders the opportunity to register a premium .SAARLAND domain by presenting a binding concept for the use of the domain name. As these domains will be delegated first and are connected to a promising utilization, they will help to promote the idea of .SAARLAND among all Saarland citizens and friends.

We will furthermore reserve a number of domain names for the exclusive use of the state government and its local divisions. Domain names with a high potential for illegal use or abuse will be blacklisted and not be made available for general registration. We will also reserve several domain names for exclusive registry use. We are working with the state government of the Saarland to ensure that all domains which need to be reserved or blocked are defined prior to the .SAARLAND launch window.

In the .SAARLAND Sunrise phase, trademark rights holders will be afforded an opportunity to protect their proprietary rights by registering their appropriate domain names. The Sunrise eligibility will be expanded to also include companies and associations registered in commercial trade registers or association registers of Saarland courts. Applicants domiciled in the Saarland region will be granted priority over other domain applicants during the Landrush phase. As .SAARLAND is defined as an open and unrestricted TLD for anyone interested in Saarland, anyone can apply for .SAARLAND domain names during the Landrush and General Availability phases. The complete launch plan is described in detail under answer 18 c (i).

This launch plan and policy of reserved names is intended to reduce potential user confusion by preventing domain names where internet users would expect certain information to be provided by public institutions from potentially abusive third party registrations. Furthermore, this allows the applicable governmental institutions to provide their services on a local platform, without first having to resort to legal action to retrieve a name registered in bad-faith.


E. 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 .SAARLAND TLD aims to be perceived by Internet users as a trustworthy source of information for Internet users in general, but also for businesses and the local administration. User trust is enhanced when users are confident that they are in fact interacting with websites and services they intend to interact with, and that their private or confidential information is protected. We will therefore sign the .SAARLAND zone file using DNSSEC, allowing the relying party to establish a chain of trust from the DNS root down to the individual domain name.

We intend to provide a safe and legitimate Internet space, enhancing user experience by mitigating security-associated risks. The enforcement of the abuse policy and the establishment of an abuse point of contact will allow the applicant to continuously remove content in conflict with policies and this goal. We will comply with all policies and practices as required by ICANN in the Registry Agreement and/or Consensus Policy.

We will comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to Internet security and the privacy of users' confidential information. In particular, .SAARLAND will be in compliance with European data protection policies and regulations as well as ICANN WHOIS policies, ensuring that complete and accurate WHOIS information is readily accessible for every domain name in the TLD. We will however protect personal information of registrants against abuse by implementing privacy settings into the public WHOIS, such as limiting access to public, web-based WHOIS data by methods such as "CAPTCHA" verification that are designed to exclude automated access to the web-based WHOIS by information gathering tools.


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

We will closely cooperate with the independently constituted dotSaarland e.V (registered association) in communications and outreach and have consulted with them on both the registration policies and marketing outreach. The dotSaarland e.V. is open for membership for individuals, businesses and organizations and represents a broad community of parties interested in the success of the TLD. We will continue to coordinate its efforts in promoting and developing the TLD with the dotSaarland society and expect the society to continue to act as a communications and outreach multiplier for the TLD. The society is entitled to be represented and heard at meetings of our management board to ensure this cooperation is carried into the future and we will always consider the views of the local community.

Our outreach and communication campaigns will mainly focus on creating interest within the local community and to promote lighthouse projects through the implementation of a founders program and gaining the support of media partners.

By cooperating with local promotion partners and registrars and resellers for .SAARLAND domain names and generating their interest in the TLD, we expect to be able to generate awareness at relatively low cost. At least one registrar has already firmly committed to apply for an accreditation for .Saarland. The TLD is intended to become a tool for regional third-party marketing initiatives and constitute a platform for local businesses, organizations and individual internet users.

The state government and administration will be provided with a new platform for administrative interaction and the provision services and information for the citizens of the Saarland region.

The expected use of the TLD by the early adopters, the local authorities and through the founders initiative will effectively communicate to the entire audience, but especially to the German-speaking audience that the .SAARLAND TLD has been introduced and will be available for the general public and their individual purposes.

We will direct our marketing efforts to the local media outlets through viral and regular campaigns, who so far have shown great interest and pledged support for the TLD.

Anyone seeking administrative information will safely find an authoritative official site under .SAARLAND. Searching for local businesses will be facilitated through the use of a .SAARLAND Domain. Individuals will be given a new means to display their commitment to the Region.

.SAARLAND will showcase the role of the Saarland as a cutting-edge technology leader and innovator in Germany and the neighboring regions. The use of the TLD in the local business and administrative and private environment enhances its awareness and will strengthen its use and reputation.

Outreach and communication with the local opinion-makers are important in order to achieve the projected benefits of the TLD for all kinds of potential users. These were already initiated in the years leading up to this application and will continue to be expanded and followed up in the time leading up to the launch and thereafter. Continued media support and viral campaigns will enhance the word-of-mouth about the new TLD for the Region .SAARLAND will lead the way for the use of TLDs in a region for businesses, people and public offices alike. It is to be expected that users who wish to find specific information of the region - both commercial and governmental - will greatly benefit from easier access to this information. We expect that the best promotion for the TLD is its early adoption and use by as many parties as possible, who will be sustaining and growing the name space by their use thereof.

The DotSaarland GmbH will vigilantly pursue policies, procedures and technologies that facilitate and maintain a safe and positive user experience. Eliminating fraud, cyber-squatting and other activities that degrade the user's trust are of paramount concern. Additionally, our procedures need to be simple for users to follow and understand and the TLD needs to be easy to find and register for.

Our technical answers will address the specifics in more detail. As noted before, we have partnered with KSregistry GmbH as a technical backend provider because of their established architecture, security measures and proven platform.


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

DotSaarland GmbH will offer a phased launch through its accredited registrars, consistent with many prior gTLD domain name launches. The goal will be to protect brand holders and other concerned parties from malicious practices and to ensure accuracy. The rights protection mechanisms implemented during the launch phases are described in detail in the answers to question 29.
First, a Founders initiative will make available premium domain names of general interest to registrants willing to commit to using the domain names in a way that benefits the regional community ("Founder"). The applications for domain names reserved for the Founders initiative will be evaluated by an independent panel established by the association dotSaarland e.V.
A Sunrise Period as required by ICANN for trademark holders and similar rights holders such as publicly registered companies and associations, as well as statutory corporations or institutions to register domain names that correspond to their marks and/or registered/statutory names will be offered at the same time as the Founders initiative. If there is more than one qualified Sunrise applicant, then all applicants will be invited to participate in a closed auction to select the registrant of the contested name. In case a premium domain name is applied for by a qualified Sunrise applicant as well as by a Founder, the Sunrise application will be given preference.
A Landrush Phase period will follow the Sunrise Phase to allow entities that may not have a brand to protect but desire early or preferred access to a specific domain. Within the Landrush phase, a special preference will be given to registrants based in the Saarland region to further promote the regional character and outlook of the TLD. The Landrush Phase will be structured as an application process and which will not be "first come, first served". Applications for identical domains will follow an auction process; however local applications will have precedence over other Landrush applications.
After the Landrush Phase, we will make names generally available for open registration by any interested person or entity on a first come, first served basis. This General Availability Period will open shortly after the Landrush Period has closed, and will allow unrestricted registrations of all unreserved, unblocked, remaining and available names.

An overview of our phased approach is provided below, with dates notational based on registry agreement with ICANN. The start-up plan provides for the orderly introduction of the .SAARLAND TLD in a transparent and logical way, for the purpose of ensuring competition, fairness and reliability for ICANN-Accredited Registrars, registrants, and the .SAARLAND potential registrants. It is intended to create a stable and effective registration process for the benefit of the Internet community in general, and effected stakeholders in particular while minimizing the number of potential conflicts.

A.1 Launch Plan .SAARLAND

The launch plan for .SAARLAND sets the frame for processes, procedures and rules for the registration of .SAARLAND domain names. The introduction of the .SAARLAND top-level domain will be divided into four phases.

Launch Phases:

Phase 1: Founders Initiative

With this initiative, prospective Founders (companies, organizations and individuals) will be given the opportunity to apply for the registration of a certain domain name by submitting a proposal for utilization in a business plan / development plan.
Founders may also suggest a development plan for other generic domain names that are not included in the list of premium domain names, however no applications during the Founders Initiative will be reviewed in case of a conflicting Sunrise application for an identical term. All complete and applicable applications received will be reviewed by the dotSaarland e.V. (registered association) in a fair and independent process and the applied-for domain names shall be awarded in case the development plan promises to be beneficial to the local community, contractually binding the Founders to realize the development plan.
The application window for Founders Program proposals will be timed to run parallel to the Sunrise phase. The development plans for domain names allocated during the Founders Program must be realized within one year after delegation and we will conduct random validation checks of domain names allocated in the Founders initiative to ensure compliance. The validation of the use according to the proposal for utilization will occur approximately one year after delegation.
Domain names awarded in the Founders Program will be locked against transfer for the first two years after their registration date (Status: serverTransferProhibited) to prevent abuse of the program.
Minimum Registration Period: 2 years
Duration: 45 days

Founders Quiet Phase
During the Founders Quiet Phase, the dotSaarland e.V. will decide, which of the foundersʹ applications comply with the goal of being beneficial to the Saarland community. All premium domain names without applications or with rejected applications during the Founders Program will go into auction.
Duration: 7 days (starting after the end of the Founders Program)

Premium Domain Auction
Premium domain names will not be available during the Landrush or General Availability phases. All premium names not awarded during the Founders Program (or applied for as a Sunrise domain name) will go into auction. While the Premium Domain Auction is running, the dotSaarland e.V. will decide about the multiple, beneficial applications for the same domain name in the Founders Program. DotSaarland GmbH reserves the right to exclude premium domain names without applications from the premium domain auction program prior to its launch for a release at a later date. All domains with successful applications in the Founders Program will be published and will be delegated after the end of the Premium Domain Auction. (66 days after the start of the Founders program).
Duration: 14 days (starting after the end of the Founders Quiet Phase)

Phase 2: Sunrise

For easier reference, the Sunrise phase will be split into two concurrent phases, Sunrise A and Sunrise B. Applications for either will be treated without preference over the other and be treated equally.
Sunrise A Applications
The Sunrise phase will run partly parallel to the Founders Initiative, launching on the 15th day of the application window for the Founders Initiative. During the Sunrise all entities with a registered trade or service mark will be able to register the corresponding domain name (Sunrise A application). The intellectual property and similar rights have to be registered before July 01, 2011. The dotSaarland GmbH will only accept trademark applications with the applicant capacity ʺOwnerʺ.
Required specifications for a trademark application during this phase will be: Registered Trademark, Registration Number, Registration Country, Registration Date and Applicant Capacity (must be ʺOwnerʺ).
The following trade or service marks are eligible for Applications in Sunrise A:
- Word marks that are nationally or internationally registered and for which proof of use (which can be a declaration and a single specimen of current use) was submitted to, and validated by, the Trademark Clearinghouse
- Trademarks not in the Clearinghouse but that are verified by a third party trademark validation contractor and conform to the following standards:
- the domain name is identical to the textual or word elements of the trademark or service mark registration on which the registration of the domain name is based
AND the trademark or service mark registration on which the registration of the domain name is based is of national effect
AND the trademark or service mark registration on which the registration of the domain name was based was issued (registered) prior to July 01, 2011.

Sunrise B Applications
Furthermore, during the Sunrise phase all companies enlisted in the commercial registers of Saarland will be allowed to register domain names corresponding to their registered name (Sunrise B application).
Required specifications for an application by a company enlisted in the commercial register of Saarland for the corresponding domain will be: Registered Company, Registration Number, Registration Date and Register Name. Registered companies will have to provide their excerpt from the commercial register (certificate of registration). The date of first registration must be prior to July 01, 2011.
All registered associations recorded in the Saarland registers of associations will also be allowed to register domain names corresponding to their registered name during Sunrise (Sunrise B application). The date of first registration must be prior to July 01, 2011.
Finally, the Sunrise B will also allow statutory corporations or institutions of the Saarland to register domain names corresponding to their registered or statutory names during Sunrise (Sunrise B application). The date of first registration or the statute must be prior to July 01, 2011.
Required specifications for an application by an association will be: Registered Association, Register Number, Registration Date and Register Name. Registered associations will have to provide their excerpt from the register of associations (certificate of registration). Statutory corporations or institutions will be required to provide the appropriate statutory reference to their statutory establishment.
All Sunrise B applications by companies registered in the commercial registers of Saarland and associations recorded in the Saarland registers of associations will be verified by an external validation service.
Minimum Registration Period: 2 years
Duration: 30 days (starting during the Founders Initiative to terminate at the same time as the Founders Initiative)

Sunrise Quiet Phase
During the Sunrise Quiet Phase, which will run in parallel to the Founders Quiet Phase, the dotSaarland GmbH will complete the Sunrise validation together with the validation provider(s). If multiple valid Sunrise applications are received for the same name, the domain name will go into a closed auction. All domains with one valid Sunrise application will resolve after the end of the Sunrise Quiet Phase.
Duration: 7 days (starting after the end of the Sunrise)

Sunrise Auction
The Sunrise domain names will not be available for Landrush or General Availability. All names with multiple, valid Sunrise applications will go into a closed auction between the respective Sunrise applicants.
Duration: 14 days (starting after the end of the Sunrise Quiet Phase)

Phase 3: Landrush

Landrush A Applications
During Landrush, the so-called Landrush A applications by companies, organizations and natural persons having a domicile within the state of Saarland are favored. Landrush A applications from persons/entities not having their domicile in Saarland will be rejected without refunds. These applicants are only qualified for Landrush B applications. Required specifications for a Landrush A application by Saarland applicants will be: Valid address in Saarland.
The validation of the address will be executed by zip code comparison. Furthermore, a post-registration validation will be executed in case of an abuse notification and based on random sampling.

Landrush B Applications
With the Landrush B applications anyone interested will be able to apply for domain names.
During the Landrush phase, the price for domain registrations will be somewhat higher than in the subsequent General Availability due to the time preference.
Minimum Registration Period: 2 years

Duration: 30 days (starting after the end of the Sunrise Quiet Phase)

Landrush Quiet Phase
During the Landrush Quiet Phase, the dotSaarland GmbH will separate all multiple, valid Landrush A/B applications from all single, valid applications. If multiple, valid Landrush A applications are received for the same name, the domain name will go into a closed auction. If multiple, valid Landrush B applications are received for the same name, the domain name will also go into a closed auction. In case of a Landrush A and Landrush B application for the same domain name, the Landrush A application will be preferred. All domains with only one valid Landrush application will be delegated to the applicant after the end of the Landrush Quiet Phase.
Duration: 7 days (starting after the end of the Landrush)

Landrush Auction
The domain names applied for during the Landrush Phases will not initially become available for General Availability. All multiple, valid Landrush A/B applications will be resolved through a closed auction between the applicants for the domain name. In case there is no bidder, the Landrush applications will be resolved on a first-come, first-served basis.
Duration: 14 days (starting after the end of the Landrush Quiet Phase)

Phase 4: General Availability

After completion of the Landrush Quiet Phase, the registration of domain names will proceed on a "first-come, first-served" basis in accordance with the registration rules.
Registration Period: 1 - 10 year(s)
Start: after the end of the Landrush Quiet Phase


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

dotSaarland GmbH does not intend to promote early adoption of the .SAARLAND TLD by offering discounts for initial multi-year registrations or for purchase of multiple domain registrations.

We intend to incentivize the registration of domain names contained in the list of domain names reserved for the state government by the appropriate authorities by offering volume discounts for the registration of such domain names.

From time to time promotional campaigns and special offers may be provided to all accredited registrars. Market conditions, market research and the level of public acceptance of the TLD in its target audience will drive many of the promotions and marketing messages.


C. Do you intend to make contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation?

We also intend to make clear contractual commitments to registrants regarding the magnitude of price escalation upon renewal. We will contractually commit to not raising the base price (exclusive of any discounts, taxes, etc.) of .SAARLAND domain name renewals by more than ten percent in any calendar year. This commitment will be included in Registry-Registrar Agreements, requiring registrars to include this commitment in all .SAARLAND Domain Name Registration Agreements. We are also committed by our agreement with the state government of the Saarland to maintain a registry pricing level similar to that of other TLDs of comparable size and outreach.

We have engaged KSregistry GmbH to deliver registry services for this TLD.

This response describes protection of geographic names as implemented in the managed TLD registry service.


A. PROTECTION OF GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

In accordance with Specification 5 of the New gTLD Registry Agreement, the Registry Operator must initially reserve Country and Territory names at the second level and at all other levels within the TLD at which the Registry Operator provides for registrations.

DotSaarland GmbH 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 and therefore unavailable for registration:

- 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]

Names on this reserved list (see attached Q22_fig1_all_lists.pdf for reverence) in the TLD registry will be prevented from registration as domain names by matching any registration request against the master list, unless and until any such names are released from reservation per DotSaarland GmbH's release procedures generally described below.

A corresponding list of reserved geographic names will be made available to the public via Ksregistry GmbH's website in order to inform Registrars and potential Registrants of the reserved status of such names.

The lists previously noted will be regularly monitored for revisions and the reserved lists (both the internal list and the list publicly available) will continually be updated to reflect any changes.

In addition to these requirements, KSregistry GmbH is able to support the wishes of DotSaarland GmbH in regards to the reservation of additional terms on a case by case basis. The managed TLD registry allows such additions to the reserved list to be made by appropriately authorized staff, with no further system development changes required.

The following applies to all Domain Names contained within the managed TLD registry reserved list:

- Attempts to register reserved Domain Names will be rejected;
- WhoIs queries for listed Domain Names will receive responses indicating their reserved status;
- Reserved names will not appear in the TLD zone file; and
- DNS queries for reserved domain names will result in an NXDOMAIN response.


B. PROCEDURES FOR RELEASE

We understand that if and when DotSaarland GmbH wishes to release any reserved names at a later date, this will require further approval from ICANN and in the case of geographic names, the approval of the government(s) and/or the GAC as well.

Consistent with the .info release of geographic names, as referenced in the new gTLD Application, DotSaarland GmbH initially will present the GAC Representatives with an option, at no charge, of objecting to release and use of any initially reserved names at the second level and submit list of reserved names where a release is desired to the apropriate government(s) for approval. In order to release reserved names, DotSaarland GmbH will then make a proposal to ICANN via the RSEP or other future processes created by ICANN for this purpose.

DotSaarland GmbH expects these reserved names to have significant value to the TLD and the registrant community. Moreover, DotSaarland GmbH expects there would be minimal confusion or damage to anyone if geographic terms are released for use in the .SAARLAND TLD, as the TLD itself already denotes a specific geographic location, thereby limiting the potential for third party confusion. Therefore, DotSaarland GmbH expects to apply for and receive ICANN's approval to release geographic names for registration and use at the appropriate time, in accordance with Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement.