.xyz Pre-Register Domain - .xyz Domain Information

Offering a range of highly valued cross-industry domain names, .xyz ("the TLD") will provide business owners across multiple verticals a cost-effective means of establishing a viable online presence, allowing these entities to register names that are appropriate to their business name or service offering. The TLD will provide simple, industry all-inclusive, memorable domain names for every business type.

It will serve as a designated name space where these entities can register domain names spanning across virtually all industries, and in a format that is easily recalled, recognizable and located by consumers.

Its use will include but not be limited to websites, emails, online applications, online transactions, social media, directories and any new usages of domain names.
The TLD will provide increased consumer choice opening up a wide array of new industry-ranging domain names, a reduction in the price spent on obtaining domain names (circumventing the exorbitant fees charged for valuable domains in the secondary markets of the traditional TLD space), and improved user experience, allowing consumers access to a greater array of business resources and services within each industry.

The TLD will not only benefit business owners by allowing them to obtain the most appropriate domain name possible - which currently poses as a significantly difficult and / or expensive endeavor in the traditional TLD space where valuable or appropriate names are no longer available - but because the TLD is dedicated to providing the most expansive domain name offerings, it will enable consumers the ability to locate a larger number of relevant businesses in the online space, thereby facilitating enhanced servicing of consumer needs.

The TLD has been designed to be industry non-specific in order to cater to the widest array of domain registrants spanning all industries, thereby increasing the competitive landscape of online businesses. The short, easily recognizable and memorable TLD string will facilitate consumer access to a greater variety of business entities and their service offerings specifically relevant to individual consumer needs. Increased competition within the online space ensures a healthier online ecosystem at large.

i. The TLD provides business and non-profit entities the renewed opportunity to register shorter, more relevant, and descriptive domain names within their respective industry. Newly launched businesses - of which there are millions worldwide each year - will no longer be at a disadvantage when establishing their Internet presence currently limited to the .com and .net extensions; for the first time, they will have access to appropriate and attractively priced domain names (which will assist consumers with locating their Internet presence and driving traffic to their sites). Organizations that have previously compromised by registering long, non-descriptive, or language-inappropriate domains can now avail themselves of the opportunity to obtain short, simple, and appropriate domain names.

The TLD is expertly positioned to grow in size and significance along with each major industry and will provide a reliable technical service for non-technical businesses and organizations. A battery of logging and monitoring tools will protect the TLD from attack and disruption - allowing organizations worldwide and internet users to be 100% sure that the domains have complete, uninterrupted functionality and uncompromised content.
The applicant ("Applicant") is committed to ensuring the TLD becomes one of many trusted zones protecting registrants, rights holders, and internet users. To this end, it plans to implement a zero-tolerance policy on illegal content and a domain takedown policy in line with all ICANN requirements (UDRP, URS, etc.).

ii. The TLD will offer a wide array of secure, cross-industry, highly relevant domains to global business owners at the most competitive rates available, thereby contributing to the growth of competitive markets to ensure that consumers enjoy the benefits of vibrant online competition. An increase in the number of businesses across every industry within the online space ensures a healthier competitive online market overall.

The TLD's ability to provide greater access to a vast array of high-value domain names allows for greater specificity and exactitude in domain acquisitions for business owners. This contributes to more exacting differentiation of corporate entities within each industry. Each domain will simultaneously promote the respective industry in which it operates and assist consumers with more accurately and rapidly locating websites in an increasingly crowded and global Internet space. The TLD will be an entirely global domain, allowing a greater quantity and variety of business entities to promote their individual services without compromising on language or local usability, thus allowing for greater differentiation of unique service offerings within the online space.

Increased competition within industries is the breeding grounds for innovation. The TLD effectively revitalizes business owners previously excluded from the online space by the financially prohibitive barriers imposed by increasingly diminishing domain name options. This surge in the global presence of businesses in every industry promotes increased usage and utility and creates a platform for innovation.

iii. The Applicant intends for the TLD to be fair, reliable, easily navigable, technically sound, and accurate - thereby fostering innovation and eliminating user confusion. The nondescript nature of the domain will enable entry of businesses across every industry into the Internet space that have been previously denied due to the lack of domain name availability; its global nature and all-inclusiveness will facilitate the spread of such businesses vying for an online presence, allowing previously underserved markets and consumers to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the TLD's introduction into the DNS. The TLD will allow web users worldwide wider, more expedient access to a greater quantity and variety of businesses with the added assurance that these domains are a safe and legitimate space free from illegal content and malware.

iv. In keeping with the spirit of global access, innovation, and competition promoted by the TLD and by the Applicant, Applicant believes that the registration of domains should be open to all parties for legitimate purposes. Due to the nonspecific, open-ended nature of the string, it is expected that parties from every industry will be interested in registering domain names; thus, Applicant does not wish to impose validation criteria as Applicant believes it would only increase cost and restrict innovation - which conflicts with ICANN's and our goals for the TLD.

Applicant does, however, intend to enforce an Acceptable Use Policy to ensure that the zone remains stringently protected from illegal content or activity, and the UDRP, URS, and all other ICANN-required rights protection mechanisms will form an integral part of the domain. Applicant will provide rights protection mechanisms in accordance with ICANNʹs requirements as set forth in responses to questions 26, 28, and 29. To minimize abusive registrations, Applicant will adopt an AUP that will allow it to cancel the registration of a domain name if the name is in violation of the Policy. Additionally, Applicant will undertake communications efforts to encourage reporting and execute rapid takedown of domains in violation of the AUP.

A global outreach initiative will ensure that businesses and the general public are aware of the TLD and will encourage not only appropriate registrants to register and make use of their domain but also consumers to recognize and trust it. Although marketing efforts may possibly be adapted to suit local markets and cultures, the common denominator will be to provide detailed information about the benefits of domain purchase both for business entities and the public at large.

As further detailed in the responses to questions 28 and 29, Applicant will implement all rights protection mechanisms required by ICANN (including but not limited to the URS and the UDRP) and will additionally operate a Sunrise period for Trademark holders prior to General Availability (again, in accordance with all ICANN rules). Additional rights protection mechanisms, in accordance with ICANN requirements, are described in response to questions 26, 28, and 29.

v. Applicant in its capacity of a TLD registry operator will not be providing any special services for protecting privacy or confidential information of registrants or end-users apart from those required by applicable laws, policies, agreements or technical standards. Some registry services include as their integral part, protection of usersʹ confidential information. Examples of such services are:
• SRS (protecting confidentiality of the EPP transfer authorization codes)
• Dissemination of TLD zone files (protecting confidentiality of zone file FTP accounts credentials)
All registry services, including those described above, will be provided in accordance with the ICANN requirements and specifications to the Registry Agreement. The data security measures adopted by the Applicant are described in detail in the answer to question 30 ʺSecurity Policyʺ.

The TLD has been developed to serve business owners and the general public. The TLD has been designed with proven industry-spanning technical specifications in mind and a strong commitment to creating a trusted internet zone free from negative externalities and abuse. User experience will be enhanced by the stringent takedown policies as required by ICANN (URS, UDRP, etc.) and the provision of an easily identifiable, navigable, and usable zone. The nature of the TLD - by virtue of introducing new and appropriate domain names that were previously unavailable on the primary market - will minimize the financial resources required by business owners to establish their increasingly important Internet presence. Furthermore, this Internet presence will be truly global and free from the constraints of limited domain name availability, limiting, expensive and restrictive ccTLD policies, and linguistic compromise. Additionally, it provides an easily navigable space that improves user comprehension of the nature of the zone and the domains and websites that occupy it, as well as minimizing user confusion as to the type of registrant and website identified with a particular domain.

i. Applicant has taken great care to develop the most fair registration policy possible. Applicant will offer a phased launch consistent with ICANN requirements and previous gTLD launches to ensure the protection of Trademark holders and the satisfaction of potential registrants. The ICANN-mandated Sunrise period open to TM holders will precede a Landrush or Premium Name availability period during which applicants are able to register their interest for various domain names (in the event of conflicting requests, the names will be sent to auction). The Landrush phase will be followed by General Availability, during which time domain names will become available for purchase by any entity on a first-come, first-served basis.

ii. Applicant is considering bulk registration discounts along with introductory discounts for registrars and co-marketing programs for those entities that are willing to dedicate resources into promoting the TLD. Other marketing programs may be put in place based on the results of Applicantʹs ongoing research of the target market. The details of any marketing programs will be finalized prior to launch.

iii. Domains will be available for purchase for periods of one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar as per ICANN's Registry Agreement. At this time Applicant does not foresee a need to increase the registry fees, but the registry will certainly give ample notice of any change in fees as required by the Registry Agreement.

Applicant has considered the relevant provisions of the new TLD Registries Agreement, the GAC Advice ʺGAC Principles Regarding new TLDsʺ and the procedures adopted by other gTLD registries and intends to use the procedure described below with regards to protection of geographic names in .xyz

Prior to its launch Applicant will compile a list of country and territory names that are subject to reservation on the second level.

Pursuant to the specification provided in ICANNʹs Applicant Guidebook, the list will include country and territory names based on the following internationally recognized lists:
• the short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list;
• 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
• the list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names;
As the above documents get updated from time to time, the exact list of reserved names will be compiled shortly before the TLD launch to account for any updates. The list of reserved names will be published on the Registry website.

Applicant will comply with any future ICANN policy governing the reservation and/or release of such names.