.barclaycard

Status:	Proposed
Registry Provider:	ARI Registry Services
Type:	Brand TLD
Priority #:	1628 - Barclays Bank
More information:

.barclaycard is a Brand TLD being proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is Barclays Bank.

Application Details

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

"MISSION⁄PURPOSE OF THE .BARCLAYCARD TLD

The mission⁄purpose of the .barclaycard TLD is to provide an authoritative, intuitive and cohesive communications channel to Barclays Bank PLC (herein referred to as ‘Barclays Bank’) through its Barclaycard brand. Barclays Bank is a leader in the financial services industry. Innovation differentiates Barclays Bank from its competitors as it strives to address the changing needs of its customers. Barclays Bank’s plans in relation to the .barclaycard TLD are an important aspect of this innovation.

As one of the first TLD’s dedicated solely to a single brand, the .barclaycard TLD will serve to meet the present and future needs of Barclays Bank and its Barclaycard business. It will provide an innovative and flexible digital space that is able to rapidly adapt to accommodate the digital needs of the Barclaycard business and the Barclays Bank customer base within a constantly evolving online space.

Barclays Bank is a major global financial services provider engaged in personal banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, and operations in more than 50 countries, Barclays Bank moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

Barclaycard is an international payments business service provider to retail and business customers, including credit cards and consumer lending. It is one of Barclays Bank’s core business groupings and is a flagship brand of Barclays Bank. Currently, there are over 21 million Barclaycard customers around the world, with nearly half of these located outside of the United Kingdom, the location of the company’s global headquarters. Barclaycard credit cards can be used to pay at over 27 million outlets and withdraw cash from one million ATMs around the world.

Barclays Bank sees the .barclaycard TLD as a unique opportunity to transition its existing Barclaycard domain name portfolio and online presence to an authoritative, dedicated, and trusted online space that is clearly, concisely and relevantly named. Barclaycard customers – current and prospective – will be able to interact with the Barclaycard business with confidence. The use of an authoritative space will also help to reduce and⁄or eliminate domain names that are registered for the purposes of infringing Barclaycard trademarks.

Barclays Bank plans to request an exemption from clause 1b of the Registry Operator Code of Conduct (Specification 9) pursuant to clause 6 of the Code of Conduct to enable it to register domain names in its own right in the .barclaycard TLD. Domain names will not be made commercially available; all domain names in the TLD will be registered to and maintained by Barclays Bank for its own exclusive use. Barclays Bank will not sell, distribute or transfer control or use of any registration in the TLD to any third party that is not an Affiliate, as that term is defined in clause 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement. This operating model will bring added benefits to the DNS by preventing abuse and infringement, thus increasing reliability and trust. Consequently, Barclays Bank anticipates that the .barclaycard TLD model and other TLDs will contribute to the development of a new level of trust and confidence on the Internet.

Furthermore, the .barclaycard TLD will contribute to building Barclays Bank’s reputation for and commitment to leadership and innovation in the online space. The .barclaycard TLD will allow for domain name registrations in support of individual products, services, and other initiatives of the Barclaycard business, whilst providing an impeccable level of service, quality, authenticity and value through the most technologically secure and advanced online environment – where customers can learn about and access Barclaycard products and services.

The .barclaycard TLD will further the public interest by providing an authoritative, intuitive and cohesive communications channel that promotes the Barclaycard business and brand. Through the .barclaycard TLD, Barclays Bank will drive innovation not only in its own industry, but in the Internet as a whole. Having already demonstrated this innovation and leadership in its own industry, Barclays Bank hopes to provide existing and potential customers as well as the broader Internet community greater levels of service through the .barclaycard TLD. The added confidence inherent in Barclays Bank being the only eligible registrant in the TLD will ensure a direct and trusted line of communication between consumers and the Barclaycard business. The innovation, increase in service level and trust in the TLD will also serve to promote competition on the Internet."

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