C2. Organization Information.
Principal location, legal status of the organization, laws under
which it is organized, type of organization (for profit, non-profit,
corporation, association, etc.).
Group One Registry, Inc. is a corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware in the United States. For U.S. income tax purposes, Group One Registry, Inc. is a for-profit corporation. The principal place of business of Group One Registry, Inc. is Seattle, Washington, United States. The corporation was formed on September 29, 2000.
The initial shareholders of Group One Registry, Inc. are WebVision, Inc. and Paul M. Kane. It is the intention of the founding shareholders that additional investors shall be identified, both to supply the company with operating capital and to reduce the ownership of the founding shareholders so that neither holds a majority interest in the company. To ensure that this intention is carried out, and in recognition of ICANN's concerns about concentrated control of a registry, the company's founders will enter into an agreement with ICANN stating that if, on the date three years after ICANN delegates a TLD to Group One Registry, Inc., either WebVision, Inc. or Paul M. Kane owns more than 40 percent of the outstanding capital stock of Group One Registry, Inc., then ICANN shall be entitled to purchase for nominal consideration all shares held by such shareholder(s) in excess of 40 percent of the outstanding capital stock of the company.
C3. Organization Structure.
Size of organization, number of officers, directors and advisors,
roles/duties of directors and officers and other staff, supporting
and/or contributing organizations, affiliates, membership.
Group One Registry, Inc. is a newly-formed organization. Its Bylaws provide for a Board of Directors of between 2 and 9 members, and a standard complement of corporate officers. The precise size of the organization, number of employees, etc. will evolve as needed to serve users of the new TLD. During the initial startup phase, the founding shareholders of Group One Registry, Inc. will provide staff and logistical support as needed to ensure that adequate resources are available.
C4. Organization Purpose.
Functions and mission of the organization, definition of community
to be served (if any), method of ensuring operation in the interest
of the stakeholders of the community to be served and the Internet
at large.
Group One Registry, Inc. was formed for the express purpose of sponsoring a new TLD. The company's mission is to use a new TLD to expand the functionality and range of services provided to Internet users through the DNS. In particular, Group One Registry, Inc. will increase the utility of Internet-enabled devices by deploying a technology that will allow all devices connected to the Internet to be identified and utilized as though they were servers, and at the same time providing individual registrants with a single internationally unique domain name that can be used to connect to one or more of the Internet-enabled devices used by the registrant. Group One Registry, Inc. will operate a "fat" registry, enabling Internet users to obtain "whois" information on any SLD in the registry directly from the registry's web site.
Group One Registry, Inc. also is designed to increase the availability and efficiency of registry services by providing an active competitive market for registry operators. To the extent that Group One Registry, Inc. achieves profits above a level specified in the company's Bylaws, the company will utilize those profits to enhance the availability and utility of Internet services around the world.
The ultimate beneficiaries of Group One Registry, Inc. will be individual Internet users, who will realize a wider range of available services and will benefit from added registry competition. To achieve these goals, Group One Registry, Inc. will create an infrastructure that will stimulate creative competition among those who provide devices and services to end-users. Group One Registry, Inc. expects its platform to generate a significant expansion of available services.
The TLD operated by Group One Registry, Inc. will be restricted for names in a significant number of SLDs in order to ensure that new services are provided in an orderly and efficient manner, and to minimize conflicts over the use of the TLD. The goal of Group One Registry, Inc. is not to replicate services already available, but to provide new functionality and new services to Internet users.
Group One Registry, Inc. will include a Registry Policy Board to ensure that its operations succeed in their goals of producing the widest possible benefit for the Internet community. The Registry Policy Board will have the authority to allocate any profits available for distribution under the Bylaws, and to determine and enforce the restrictions on the TLD.
C5. Appropriateness
of Community. If the organization is intended to serve or
represent a particular community, define the community and explain
why that definition fits the TLD proposal.
Group One Registry, Inc. exists to serve the broadest possible community of Internet users. Its focus is particularly on individual users. The .one concept is designed to give individual users the ability to connect directly with each other and to utilize new services that take advantage of the ability for direct connections. This will increase the use of peer-to-peer connections and expand the ways in which individuals can use the Internet.
C6. Representation.
Manner in which the organization will represent and take input
from community to be served, the categories of stakeholder to
be included in the organization.
In order to ensure broad representation in policy-making, the Registry Policy Board will include three members appointed by ICANN, three members appointed by the company's Board of Directors, and five outside members appointed by the Registry Policy Board itself to represent the interest of Internet users. No more than five out of the total eleven members may come from any one of the five geographic regions (as defined by ICANN). The outside members of the Registry Policy Board will be individuals with public or non-profit sector experience, and/or substantial Internet expertise.
C7. Openness and Transparency.
Measures taken to promote openness and transparency, access to
information, web site use, public posting of information, meeting
minutes, notice and comment provisions.
The policies and decisions of the Registry Policy Board will be made available for anyone to examine. Prior to its decisions, members of the Registry Policy Board will seek the broadest possible input from the Internet community. (See Bylaws, Section 5.)
C8. Initial Directors
and Staff. The identity and qualifications of the initial
directors and staff.
The initial directors of Group One Registry, Inc. are:
Paul Stahura
Zeb Bhatti
The directors shall appoint such staff as is needed to carry out the company's business upon the granting of a TLD to Group One Registry, Inc. As noted, WebVision and Internet Computer Bureau, as founding investors, will ensure that adequate staff and resources are available during the transition into full operation of Group One Registry, Inc. WebVision has existing relationships with Heidrick & Struggles, C4 Partners, and Korn/Ferry for senior management recruitment.
C9. Selection of Directors,
Officers, Members, Staff, etc. Eligibility, method of selection,
term of service, compensation, liability, conflicts of interest,
resignation, removal, vacancies.
See Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.
C10. Policy-Making
Procedure. Provide a detailed description of the process
for formulating policies for the TLD, including a detailed description
of the requirements for adoption of different types of policy.
TLD policies will be administered by a Registry Policy Board. The organization and procedures of this board are described in Section 5 of the Bylaws.
C11. Meetings and
Communication. Frequency of meetings, location of meetings,
provisions for telephone meetings, other methods of communication,
generation of minutes for meetings.
See Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.
C12. Fiscal Information.
Initial budget, expenses, existing capital, sources of revenue,
accounting, audit, annual report and annual statement.
See attached document
C13. Liability.
Liability of the organization, directors, officers, and staff.
See Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.
C14. Amendment of
Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws. Procedures for making
amendments to the articles of incorporation, bylaws, and other
organizational documents.
See Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.
C15. Reconsideration
and Review. Any policy for allowing reconsideration and review
of organization policy or implementation decisions.
See Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.
