.yellowpages

Status:	Proposed
Registry Provider:	Verisign
Type:	Generic
Category:	Commerce
More information:

.yellowpages is a proposed TLD in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is Telstra Corporation Limited.

Objection

An official Legal Rights Objection was filed by Hibu (UK) Limited against the applicant, Telstra Corporation Limited.

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."

Application Details

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

"THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTED .YELLOWPAGES gTLD IS TO BENEFIT INTERNET USERS BY ENSURING INCREASED TRUST, CONVENIENCE AND UTILITY.

The .yellowpages gTLD will create a new generation gTLD serving the interests of end users by providing an authoritative Internet space where information, services and resources of the Yellow Pages brand and its affiliates and partners that are associated with the brand will be closely controlled by Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Sensis Pty Ltd (Sensis). The majority of the anticipated domain name registrations in the .yellowpages gTLD will be used in the promotion and communication of the Yellow Pages brand and its advertising and directory services. A subset of domain names has the potential to be created and used for communication and marketing purposes, with internet users assured of brand authenticity.

The first Yellow Pages directory using yellow paper was launched in 1975. The Yellow Pages directory was initially published and distributed by Telstra and is currently under the management of Sensis. Telstra is Australia’s leading telecommunications and information services company, with some of the best known brands in the country including the Yellow™ and Yellow Pages® brand. Telstra offers a full range of services and competes in all telecommunications markets throughout Australia, providing over 8 million Australian fixed line and 12 million mobile services. Telstra is also listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and generated a sales revenue of AUD25 billion for FY2011. Telstra and its international businesses employ over 39,000 people across Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. Its main activities include the provision of:

..

Arguably Australia’s leading information resource, Sensis helps Australians find, buy and sell by providing an integrated network of local search and digital marketing solutions such as the Yellow Pages®, White Pages® and CitySearch services. Over 12 million Australians use a Sensis service every month. Sensis currently manages the Yellow Pages® print, online and mobile directories and applications and voice services. Sensis seeks to maintain and build its position as Australia’s top provider of directories and local search services through the Yellow Pages® directory by focusing on building on its range of digital marketing services and its growth in new markets.

Every year, Yellow Pages® print directories are delivered to millions of homes and businesses across 6 metropolitan areas in Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney in Australia. With an extensive suite of digital products, about 4.5 million searches were made across Australia each week with yellowpages.com.au in 2010. When people need to find a business, they turn to the Yellow Pages® brand. The Yellow Pages® brand offers great opportunities to connect with people who are ready to buy and helps its users choose an advertising solution appropriate for their business. The Yellow Pages® products are all about connecting businesses with customers. In this regard, brand promotion and customer engagement are paramount considerations in Telstra’s application for .yellowpages."