Start-Up policies are described in E12 through E15.
E12. How do you propose
to address the potential rush for registration at the initial
opening of the TLD? How many requested registrations do you project
will be received by the registry operator within the first day,
week, month, and quarter? What period do you believe should be
considered the TLD's "start-up period," during which
special procedures should apply?
Because only names composed of digits will be accepted for registration, it is unlikely there will be a "rush" to register names already registered in other TLDs. Nonetheless, in order to ensure a smooth startup period, there will be a phased process based on the minimum length of the name string. The phase-in period will limit registrations to strings of a certain length as follows:
| Week 1 |
20 characters |
| Week 2 |
19 characters |
| Week 3 |
18 characters |
| Week 4 |
17 characters |
| Week 5 |
16 characters |
| Week 6 |
15 characters |
| Week 7 |
14 characters |
| Week 8 |
13 characters |
| Week 9 – Week 20 |
12 characters |
| Thereafter |
Incremental reduction to 9 characters |
These restrictions apply only to SLDs; once a valid SLD is registered, third-level domains of any length may be registered at any time.
This phase-in will allow for the orderly introduction of the TLD. It will avoid overloading the registry during the initial phases of operation, and allow proof of successful operation before large numbers of names are registered. It will also give new registrants time to plan the name or names they want to register, without the pressure of a "rush" to register early. No advance registrations will be accepted; all names will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis within the schedule set out above.
The projected volume of registrations is:
| Day 1: |
10 |
| Week 1: |
100 |
| Month 1: |
1,000 |
| Quarter 1: |
100,000 |
E13. Do you propose to
place limits on the number of registrations per registrant? Per
registrar? If so, how will these limits be implemented?
No such limits are proposed.
E14. Will pricing mechanisms
be used to dampen a rush for registration at the initial opening
of the TLD? If so, please describe these mechanisms in detail.
As noted in E12, the applicant believes there will be little if any rush for early registrations. Because only strings composed of digits will be accepted, there will be no need to duplicate registrations already made in other TLDs. The phase-in of registrations based on string length will further dampen any rush to register during the opening phase.
As noted in E9, discounts for large volumes of names registered in a single transaction may apply. Pricing will be the same to all purchasers for a given volume of names at a given time.
E15. Will you offer any
"sunrise period" in which certain potential registrants
are offered the opportunity to register before registration is
open to the general public? If so, to whom will this opportunity
be offered (those with famous marks, registered trademarks, second-level
domains in other TLDs, pre-registrations of some sort, etc.)?
How will you implement this?
Subject to the Registration Restrictions described in E17 and the phase-in process described in E12, all eligible persons may register names at all times. No preference will be given to owners of names in other TLDs because the service of Group One Registry, Inc. is designed to enable new uses of the Internet and the DNS rather than to duplicate existing uses. The limitation to strings composed of digits will eliminate most trademark conflicts (as recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization; see E5). The applicant does not believe any preference for registered holders is necessary. Any conflicts that do arise can be resolved through the dispute resolution process.
