.accountants
| Status: | Proposed |
| Manager: | Donuts |
| Registry Provider: | Demand Media |
| Type: | Generic |
| Category: | Professional |
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.accountants is a TLD proposed to ICANN's New gTLD Program. The application for the domain name string was submitted by Donuts through its subsidiary Knob Town, LLC. Donuts is a new registry company that applied for 307 TLDs total. The company raised $100 million in funds to support its registry operations from multiple investors and invested $56 million in application fees alone.[1]
Proposal[edit | edit source]
If approved by ICANN, Donuts plans to open the registration of .accountants domain names internationally and it will implement a registration policy that would encourage inclusiveness.The target registrants for the string are professionals practicing in the field of accounting and auditing in various jurisdictions such as business schools, auditors, examiners, tax preparation firms, bookkeepers and support companies offering accounting software, tools etc. Donuts consulted and evaluated the advice and ideas presented by the international law enforcement, consumer privacy advocacy organizations, intellectual property interests and other Internet industry groups to ensure the safety and security of the .accountants domain name space. The company plans to implement 8 innovative protection mechanisms in addition to the 14 protection measures developed by ICANN. Demand Media will provide its back-end registry services.[2]
It does not detail any pre-registration verification processes and all of its protections mechanisms seem to be intended to patrol and maintain the safety and legitimacy of the registered names. Donuts sees harm in constricting TLD spaces as it denies registration to legitimate entities.[3]
GAC Warning[edit | edit source]
The application was issed 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. The warning notes that the .accountants TLD refers to a regulated market and claims that Donuts has not detailed sufficient protection mechanisms to protect from consumer harm.[4]