Together with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (the “Federation”), The Global Name Registry, Limited (“Global Name Registry”) submits this application to be the successor registry operator for .org and thanks the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers for the opportunity to do so. For many reasons, Global Name Registry believes that we are the best-positioned to succeed VeriSign, Inc. (“VeriSign”) in the operation of .org. In particular, Global Name Registry:
· Has partnered with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (through the British Red Cross Society), widely known as third most recognized brand in the world with presence in more than 181 countries, to assist in the repurposing and implementation of the new vision for .org.
· Draws from the expertise of more than 25 in-house technologists who have in excess of 150 man-years in critical areas of technology infrastructure experience, which expertise has allowed Global Name Registry to achieve 100% uptime of our .name registry since launch.
· Will lower the price of a .org registration from the current price of $6.00/year to a possible $3.47/year (a maximum discount of 42%), while maintaining the highest quality of service.
· Will allocate 5% of our .org registration revenues to the .orgcentre, an open-resource success center designed exclusively for the benefit of the .org community and for purposes of reaching out to .org constituents to determine their needs and desires.
· With 5% of our .org registration revenues, will establish the Causeway Community Foundation which will enable the community to apply for grants to fund worthy projects for the benefit of the noncommercial community, and which will be allocated in part by the direct participation of the .org community.
· Will consult on an ongoing basis with the .org Steering Committee, which will consist of a group of seasoned noncommercial advisers, and which will provide valuable input to ensure transparency and quality of services to the .org community.
Vision
The .org community has grown into a diverse and vibrant space where more communities exist than on any other TLD. It is remarkable that the .org space hosts some of the strongest and most globally recognized communities in the world, such as the Federation and its constituent Red Cross members, as well as some of the most successful internet collaboration efforts, such as the Linux movement or the IETF and ICANN.
On this basis, Global Name Registry has developed an innovative vision for the continued existence and refinement of the .org TLD based on the concept of “Community Capital.” Above all, this vision is about inclusion and interaction, and about how the diverse .org communities interact and constantly shape the .org space.
Global Name Registry believes that this concept of community will thrive on the .org TLD more intensely than on any other TLD. While refocusing the .org space, Global Name Registry will continue to embrace all of .org’s current constituents and ensure a place for communities of all creeds, races, faiths, beliefs, sports and hobbies, and other groupings.
Partnerships
Global Name Registry has chosen to collaborate with the Federation, through the British Red Cross Society, in bringing our new vision for .org to both the noncommercial and corporate worlds. The Federation has indicated its strong belief in the .org vision and has committed to assist Global Name Registry in propagating the concept of “Community Capital.” Because of its high-profile brand and partnerships with blue chip corporate entities, the Federation will facilitate important access for Global Name Registry to encourage organizations, both not-for-profit and commercial alike, to implement the strength of our vision – to create the community capital.
Experience
With our experience in launching a new generic TLD (.name) within the last year, Global Name Registry is supremely suited to undertake this similar challenge. Having built the existing infrastructures and processes, which have performed extremely well for .name, Global Name Registry will provide a secure foundation for .org.
The only company to be able to claim 100% uptime of its generic TLD registry since launch, Global Name Registry employs a superb team of technical developers and operators with vast experience in registry services as well as related technical disciplines including security, networking, high volume transactions, web development and e-commerce.
Moreover, Global Name Registry is unique in its experience of working directly with VeriSign on the collaboration for the .name live registration system. While Global Name Registry will continue to work with VeriSign on aspects of the .name registry, we will not, in the spirit of the .org divestiture, utilize VeriSign once the transition of the .org registry has been effected. Rather, Global Name Registry will maximize our existing technical talent to build the .org registry as an independent DNS infrastructure that will set the standard for security, reliability, scalability, and interoperability.
Global Name Registry’s commitment to excellence in servicing our partners has given rise to business operations and processes that have become the benchmark in the registrar and reseller community. If we are successfully chosen as the next operator, Global Name Registry will maximize our use of these operations and processes to offer complete end-to-end support for all .org partners.
Global Name Registry states with utmost confidence that we are very well suited to continue the operation of .org for the following reasons:
Preservation of Stable, Well-Functioning Registry
Global Name Registry designed and built a registry capable of handling more than 50 million domain names. In doing so, Global Name Registry has experienced 100% uptime since its launch in January 2002, a claim that no other generic TLD registry operator can make. Thus, building the .org infrastructure upon the technical foundation of the .name registry, ICANN can be assured that stability and functionality of the new .org registry will be its integral feature and that the Global Name Registry team will facilitate as smooth and uninterrupted a transition as possible. Details follow: Sections C17, C18 and C22.
Compliance with ICANN Policies
As it currently does with .name, Global Name Registry’s Policy Team will continue to focus its efforts on ensuring compliance with policies established in the ICANN arena, as well as obligations under the new .org ICANN Agreement.
Global Name Registry will continue to make significant contributions to the ICANN community by active participation in discussions and working groups. Internally, its Policy Team will build upon its existing efforts to ensure general compliance with the .org ICANN Agreement, with particular focus on the equivalent treatment of ICANN-accredited registrars. Details follow: Sections C19 through C21.
Enhancement of Competition
Global Name Registry will offer the registrars and the .org community a better and more cost-efficient service on .org. In particular, we propose to reduce prices for .org domain registrations by up to 42%.
In addition, given its unique European base, significant contributions to the .org community and dedication to excellence in customer service to its registrars, Global Name Registry aims to create a higher standard of domain name services across the registry industry. Details follow: Sections C30 and C31.
Differentiation of the .org TLD
Global Name Registry believes that our vision for .org to be the “Community Capital” is uniquely tailored to the needs of the entire noncommercial community. Through the various programs that it intends to launch following transition, Global Name Registry will create a truly unique space on the Internet for the noncommercial community. Providing valuable resources to .org users through the .orgcentre and granting of funds for worthy projects that benefit noncommercial entities through the Causeway Community Foundation comprise just a couple of the innovative features of Global Name Registry’s vision for .org. While differentiating .org, Global Name Registry will equally continue to maintain the space for the existing .org communities. Details follow: C38.
Responsiveness to .org Community
Because of its exceptional approach to .org, Global Name Registry will shape our resources and programs for the benefit of the .org community.
Specifically, Global Name Registry will commit up to 15% of the revenues derived from .org to noncommercial endeavors, including to the Federation, the .orgcentre, and the Causeway Community Foundation, all of which address various needs and desires of noncommercial entities. Through these efforts, Global Name Registry will reach out to noncommercial users directly to determine what additional resources this community needs to maximize its presence online. Details follow: Sections C35.
Support from .org Community
The Federation has committed its unyielding support of the bid by Global Name Registry for .org. The Federation, representing the best of noncommercial breed as the world's largest humanitarian organization, has agreed to help Global Name Registry in our effort to create the “Community Capital” by encouraging its highly visible corporate partners to re-purpose their .org sites to reflect those partners’ worthy projects. As a result of the Federation’s commitment, Global Name Registry has received expressions of support for its .org vision from such internationally renowned brands as Nestle UK Ltd, Ogilvy & Mather, Virgin, and NFP Synergy. Details follow: C36.
Type/Quality of Registry Services
With our stellar team of technical developers and operators, Global Name Registry will continue to set new standards in its provision of registry services. Also, while providing these premium quality registry services, Global Name Registry will provide the services at prices well below the current .org prices. Global Name Registry is able to commit to the quality and price levels discussed in this application because of our unique ability to build systems in the most cost efficient manner while maintaining the highest standard of excellence. Details follow: C26.
Ability/Commitment to Support Protocol Changes
As a significant contributor to protocol developments and modifications, Global Name Registry is well suited to adapt to new technologies and protocols. Our significant contributions to date (EPP client software in particular) have enhanced registrars’ abilities to interface with registries in the new EPP. Creation of and familiarity with new protocols and processes clearly demonstrate Global Name Registry’s ability to press forward without hindrance. Details follow: C15.
Transition Considerations
Global Name Registry is confident that transition of the .org registry will be effected in a stable manner that ensures the proper functioning of the registry during the entire transition.
Global Name Registry is uniquely positioned in that we are the only generic TLD to have collaborated directly with VeriSign on various aspects of our registry and thus have proven experience and exceptional working relations with VeriSign. Collaboration on the transition of the .org registry, therefore, will be a smoother process, since each company is familiar with the other. Notably, once the transition of the .org registry is complete, there will be no further work between VeriSign and Global Name Registry on .org. In the spirit of the .org divestiture, no arrangement for the outsourcing to VeriSign of backend services will be made. Details follow: C18.
Endowment
In contemplation of our vision for .org, Global Name Registry will establish one or more not-for-profit entities, which will comply with and meet the commitments of qualification for the endowment. In addition to our affiliation with and contributions to the Federation, Global Name Registry will establish various non-profit endeavors, including the .orgcentre and the Causeway Community Foundation.
Featuring honorable facets such as grants for worthy projects, including support in travel to ICANN events and assistance with online presence for noncommercial users, the .orgcentre will clearly be a primary focus for Global Name Registry. The Causeway Community Foundation will further buttress Global Name Registry’s support of the noncommercial community by allowing .org registrants to assist in directing the allocations of funds. Both of these efforts will go a long way in helping the noncommercial Internet user community, especially with money from the endowment. Details follow: C40 and C41.
Conclusion
In summary, we feel highly confident in our ability to administer and execute a smooth and orderly transition of the .org space from VeriSign to our systems. Beyond technical excellence, we believe that our strong vision, coupled with innovative methods of enhancing competition and differentiation will ultimately respond to the needs of the .org community worldwide. Our position as a non-United States company maps well with ICANN’s intent to make the Internet a truly global community. We look forward to working with ICANN and the .org community to make this vision a reality.