.song

Status:	Delegated
Registry Provider:	Neustar
Type:	Generic
Category:	Commerce
More information:

.song is a gTLD delegated to the Root Zone in ICANN's New gTLD Program on 24 February 2016. The registry operator is Amazon.

The application was issued 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 as it stands. Applicants are encouraged to work with objecting GAC members.

The warning states that the applicant is "seeking exclusive access to a common generic string .. that relates to a broad market sector," which Ms. Dryden notes could have unintended consequences and a negative impact on competition.

Objection

An official Legal Rights Objection was filed by DotSong Limited against the applicant.

A Legal Rights Objection, as defined by the ICANN approved mediator, WIPO, is when, "third parties may file a formal objection to an application on several grounds, including, for trademark owners and Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) [..] When such an objection is filed, an independent panel (comprised of one or three experts) will determine whether the applicant’s potential use of the applied-for gTLD would be likely to infringe [..] the objector’s existing trademark, or IGO name or acronym."

Community Objection

The American Association of Independent Music filed a Community Objection against this application.

Application Details

The following is excerpted from the applicant's response to question #18:

"What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels or reputation? Amazon intends for its new .SONG gTLD to provide a unique and dedicated platform for stable and secure online communication and interaction. The .SONG registry will be run in line with current industry standards of good registry practice. What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space in terms of competition, differentiation or innovation? Amazon values the opportunity to be one of the first companies to own a gTLD. A .SONG registry will:

• Provide Amazon with additional controls over its technical architecture, offering a stable and secure foundation for online communication and interaction.
• Provide Amazon a further platform for innovation.
• Enable Amazon to protect its intellectual property rights.

What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience? Amazon intends for its new .SONG gTLD to provide a unique and dedicated platform for stable and secure online communication and interaction. Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals above Amazon’s Intellectual Property group will be responsible for the development, maintenance and enforcement of a Domain Management Policy. The Domain Management Policy will define (i) the rules associated with eligibility and domain name allocation, (ii) the license terms governing the use of a .SONG domain name, and (iii) the dispute resolution policies for the .SONG gTLD. Amazon will continually update the Domain Management Policy as needed to reflect Amazon’s business goals and, where appropriate, ICANN consensus policies. Registration of a domain name in the .SONG registry will be undertaken in four steps: (i) Eligibility Confirmation, (ii) Naming Convention Check, (iii) Acceptable Use Review, and (iv) Registration. All domains in the .SONG registry will remain the property of Amazon. For example, on the rules of eligibility, each applied for character string must conform to the .SONG rules of eligibility. Each .SONG name must:

• be at least 3 characters and no more than 63 characters long
• not contain a hyphen on the 3rd and 4th position (tagged domains)
• contain only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens or a combination of these
• start and end with an alphanumeric character, not a hyphen
• not match any character strings reserved by ICANN
• not match any protected country names or geographical terms

Additionally:

• Internationalized domain names (IDN) may be supported in the .SONG registry at the second level.
• The .SONG registry will respect third party intellectual property rights.
• .SONG domains may not be delegated or assigned to third party organizations, institutions, or individuals.
• All .SONG domains will carry accurate and up-to-date registration records.

Amazon’s Intellectual Property group reserves the right to revoke a license to use a .SONG domain name, at any time, if any use of a .SONG domain name violates the Domain Management Policy."

Governmental Advisory Committee. Considers and provides advice on the activities of ICANN as they relate to concerns of governments, particularly matters where there may be an interaction between ICANN's policies and various laws and international agreements or where they may affect public policy issues (ICANN Bylaws).

Top-Level Domain

Internationalized Domain Name