.accountants

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Status:	Delegated
Manager:	Donuts
Registry Provider:	Demand Media
Date Implemented:	07 May 2014
Type:	Generic
Category:	Professional
PIC Submitted:	Download Here

.accountants is a delegated gTLD in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant and now Registry Operator is Donuts through its subsidiary Knob Town, LLC. Their application succeeded and was delegated to the Root Zone on 7 May 2014.

Donuts is a new registry company that applied for 307 TLDs total. The company raised $100 million in funds to support its registry operations from multiple investors and invested $56 million in application fees alone.

Portfolio applicant Famous Four Media has applied for .accountant.

Background

Application

Donuts plans to open the registration of .accountants domain names internationally and it will implement a registration policy that would encourage inclusiveness.The target registrants for the string are professionals practicing in the field of accounting and auditing in various jurisdictions such as business schools, auditors, examiners, tax preparation firms, bookkeepers and support companies offering accounting software, tools etc. Donuts consulted and evaluated the advice and ideas presented by the international law enforcement, consumer privacy advocacy organizations, intellectual property interests and other Internet industry groups to ensure the safety and security of the .accountants domain name space. The company plans to implement 8 innovative protection mechanisms in addition to the 14 protection measures developed by ICANN. Demand Media will provide its back-end registry services.

It does not detail any pre-registration verification processes and all of its protections mechanisms seem to be intended to patrol and maintain the safety and legitimacy of the registered names. Donuts sees harm in constricting TLD spaces as it denies registration to legitimate entities.

GAC Warning

The application was issed a GAC Early Warning from the representative of Australia and GAC Chair, Heather Dryden. The warning system is noted as a strong recommendation on behalf of national governments to the ICANN Board that a given TLD application should be denied. The warning notes that the .accountants TLD refers to a regulated market and claims that Donuts has not detailed sufficient protection mechanisms to protect from consumer harm.

Contract Signed

On 20 March 2014 Donuts received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN for .accountants after passing all the required processes needed to become a Registry Operator for the string.

Delegation and Availability

.accountants was delegated to the Root Zone of the DNS on 7 May, 2014, completing the successful application for the string.