Applicant Information

Name of proposed service.

Label Blocking Service

Provide a general description of the proposed service including the impact to external users and how it will be offered.

Applicant would like to provide a Label Blocking Service, which provides additional protection to rights holders by allowing rights holders to block second-level labels from registration in the TLD that are related to the holders' rights. Rights holders may use a registered trademark, unregistered trademark, company name or celebrity name as the basis for their blocking request. Approval from the applicable block holder may be required for a third party with the same trademark or other right to register the blocked label, or to unblock a label for registration.

Provide a technical description of the proposed service.

The service will allow rights holders to block certain labels from registration. The blocked labels must comply with the provisions described in Specification 5, Section 3.3 of the Registry Agreement. Labels blocked by the service will be either an exact match of a label or will contain an exact match or variant of such labels. Rights will be verified prior to blocking requests being accepted. Rights will be verified based on the type of right that forms the basis for the request. This may include the TMCH SMD file, copy of trademark registration, Articles of Incorporation/Articles of Association, company registration documentation, and any other evidence that supports the application.

If this proposed service has already been approved by ICANN org for any gTLD, identify and provide a link to the RSEP request for the same service that was most recently approved.

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/rsep-2024037-charity-et-al-request-21nov24-en.pdf

Describe the benefits of the proposed service and who would benefit from the proposed service.

Adding the service will be beneficial to rights holder participants, as it will enable participants to block a set of labels in the TLD, thereby preventing third parties from registering such labels.

If additional information should be considered with the description of the proposed service, elaborate or attach one or more file(s) below.

N/A

What effect, if any, will the proposed service have on the life cycle of domain names?

None.

Does the proposed service alter the storage and input of Registry Data? If yes, please explain.

No.

Explain how the proposed service will affect the throughput, response time, consistency or coherence of responses to Internet servers or end systems.

It will have no effect.

Have technical concerns been raised about the proposed service? If so, identify the concerns and describe how you intend to address those concerns.

No.

Describe the quality assurance plan and/or testing of the proposed service prior to deployment.

N/A

Identify and list any relevant RFCs or White Papers on the proposed service and explain how those papers are relevant.

N/A

List the relevant contractual provisions impacted by the proposed service necessary for a Registry Operator to use this proposed registry service. This includes, but is not limited to, Consensus Policies, previously approved amendments or services, Reserved Names, and Rights Protection Mechanisms.

The Service would be added to Exhibit A of the Registry Agreement.

What effect, if any, will the proposed service have upon a Registry Operator in regard to the reporting of data to ICANN?

None.

What effect, if any, will the proposed service have upon a Registry Operator in regard to Registration Data Directory Service (RDDS)?

None.

A Registry Agreement (RA) amendment is required when the proposed service: (i) contradicts existing provisions in the RA or (ii) is not contemplated in the RA and, therefore, needs to be added to Exhibit A of the RA and/or as an appropriate addendum/appendix. If applicable, provide draft language (or a link to previously approved RA amendment language) describing the service to be used by a Registry Operator in an RA amendment if the proposed service is approved. If an RA amendment is not applicable, respond with “N/A” and provide a complete response to question 4.2.

Label Blocking is a service that allows rights holders to block certain labels from registration. The blocked domain names must comply with the provisions described in Specification 5, Section 3.3 of the Registry Agreement. Domain names blocked by the Label Blocking Service will be either an exact match of a label or will contain an exact match of such labels, or may include domain names that are a misspelling of, or contain a misspelling of a label. Where two or more parties have verified rights for the same label or string, and one party wishes to unblock the label to register an associated domain name, approval will be required from the other rights holder(s).

If the proposed service is permissible under an existing provision of an ICANN Registry Agreement, identify the provision and provide rationale. If not applicable, respond with “N/A” and provide a complete response to question 4.1.

N/A

Describe your consultations with the community, experts, and/or others. This can include, but is not limited to, the relevant community for a sponsored or community TLD, registrars or the registrar constituency, end users and/or registrants, or other constituency groups. What were the quantity, nature, and results of the consultations? How will the proposed service impact these groups? Which groups support or oppose this proposed service?

We have had extensive discussions with trademark and brand registrars who participate in various constituency groups within ICANN, and extensive conversations with other registry service providers who participate in the Registry Stakeholder Group. Notably, we consulted with experts who were instrumental in implementing similar services on behalf of other Registry Operators and guided us in our implementation through conversations and writing.

Would there be any intellectual property impact or considerations raised by the proposed service? If so, please describe them.

No

Does the proposed service contain intellectual property exclusive to you? If so, please describe them.

No.

Provide any other relevant information to include with the request. If none, respond with “N/A.”

N/A

If additional information should be considered, elaborate or attach one or more file(s) below.

N/A