.sony

Status:	Delegated
Registry Provider:	ARI Registry Services
Date Implemented:	16 April 2015
Type:	Brand TLD
More information:

.sony is a Brand TLD delegated in ICANN's New gTLD Program. Sony manages the TLD and is its Registry. The proposed application succeeded and was delegated to the Root Zone on 16 April, 2015..

Application Details

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

"The TLD is intended to benefit Internet users by enabling Sony Corporation (hereinafter referred to as ʺThe Companyʺ) to communicate more easily and effectively with all Internet users, and particularly with The Companyʹs numerous customers, employees and affiliates. The TLD will become a supporting branding, technology and services platform for The Companyʹs mission and its businesses.

The Company is a long established and well-known multinational corporation, with a history spanning more than 66 years. It was founded in 1946 as ʺTokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation)ʺ. It has been developing its business under the current name after undergoing a corporate name change in 1958. Its headquarters are located at 1-7-1 Konan, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108-0075, Japan. The Company is currently comprised of a group of 1,309 subsidiaries (which includes 1,277 consolidated subsidiaries) and 90 affiliates (including 82 equity-method affiliates), undertaking business all over the world with a total workforce of 168,200 employees (As of March 31, 2011, consolidated basis).

The Company is considered to be one of the leading companies in the production of audio equipment, TV, video, information and communication equipment and other electric components industries (and is involved in the mobile phone device business, entertainment business, and financial business through its subsidiaries). The net sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 were up to JPY 6,304,401,000,000 (consolidated basis).

The Company has established a long-term, sustainable vision for the development of its business and its strong Internet presence, along with technologies such as the World Wide Web and email, are central to this development. This is also reflected by The Company’s domain portfolio, of over 600 domains. The Company envisions that the .SONY TLD and the domain names registered under it will provide a great opportunity to interact online with current and potential customers and stakeholders.

The brand ʺSONYʺ is the name of the company itself and is a well-known multinational corporate brand. This brand was established in 1955, and has continuously been used as the name of the company from 1958. The Company has registered this corporate brand in over 200 countries and⁄or trademark jurisdictional regions. This corporate brand serves to clearly remind general customers of the companyʹs goods and services.

The .SONY Registry will provide an Internet space, under the control of The Company, to allow for the distribution and exchange of information among The Company and its stakeholders by means of, but not limited to, websites, social networks, email and other technologies that will reside within the .SONY domain name space. In addition, ancillary services may be provided in relation to registration of domains within the TLD, including but not limited to website hosting, SEO, marketing and consulting services.

The Company initially intends to reserve all names within the TLD for itself, and to primarily use any of those domain names for promotional and navigational purposes relating to The Companyʹs online presence and⁄or provision of goods and services.

Eventually, though not likely for at least three years post-delegation, The Company anticipates the possibility that Affiliates could license the use of domains within the TLD from The Company. However, such licenses could only be made via contract which limits the use of the domain name to purposes specified by The Company. Such terms would be enforced via monitoring and quick action to mitigate any negative effects of any such abuse, if any. Licenses of the domain names could be revoked by The Company at any time, for any reason."

Top-Level Domain