.latrobe

Status:	Proposed
Registry Provider:	Verisign
Type:	Brand TLD
Priority #:	802 - La Trobe University
More information:

.latrobe is a Brand TLD being proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is La Trobe University.

Application Details

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

"The new .latrobe gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which La Trobe University (La Trobe) can create and control domain spaces that promote its identity and authenticity as an educational institution. In this regard, .latrobe will be used by La Trobe to provide information, services and resources to users in a way that promotes trust, convenience and utility. The .latrobe gTLD will provide an authoritative internet space for La Trobe, and its affiliates. Second and third level domains can then be utilised for marketing, promotional and other market engagement purposes, with internet users interested in accessing La Trobe’s information, services and resources, assured of brand authenticity.

Established in 1967 under the La Trobe University Act 1964 (Victoria, Australia), La Trobe is one of Australia’s pioneering universities. La Trobe was named after Charles Joseph La Trobe, who was the first Superintendent of the Port Phillip District and the first Lieutenant-Governor of the new colony of Victoria in Australia. La Trobe has grown to become a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia in locations such as Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Mildura, Melbourne City and Shepparton to accommodate over 30,000 students including approximately 7,600 international students from over 90 countries. Today, La Trobe is renowned for its academic excellence and research achievements. Since 2003, La Trobe has consistently been ranked by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings among the top 500 universities in the world. La Trobe is dedicated to serving the global community through internationalisation, innovative teaching and learning methods, and research. In this regard, user trust and continuous innovation are paramount considerations in all of La Trobe’s activities.

The range of activities increasingly conducted over the internet result in greater levels of interaction between various parties in that forum. All parties, whether end users or those providing services and information over the internet, benefit from an increased ease of interaction, a broader range of choices and ultimately lower transaction costs. At the same time, however, recent developments in this area in the current domain name system has resulted in increased incidences of criminal activities over the internet, including data breach, identity theft, hacking and phishing. These types of criminal activities can result in financial and non-financial loss, as well as reputational damage to organisations; and individuals, and ultimately results in a loss of user confidence and trust in the internet. The .latrobe gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance amongst internet users wanting to access La Trobe’s services and resources online and to connect and transact with La Trobe in that environment, without impacting the convenience and efficiency of the online interaction relative to the current system.

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Only organisations and bodies related to or affiliated with La Trobe will be eligible to register domain names in .latrobe at this stage. The domain name registration processes will address the requirements mandated by ICANN, including rights abuse prevention measures."