.open

Status:	Proposed
Registry Provider:	Neustar
Type:	Brand TLD
More information:

.open is a Brand TLD being proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. The applicant has also applied for .amex and [[.americanexpress]

Application Details

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

"American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (ʺTRSʺ), a subsidiary of American Express Company (ʺAmerican Expressʺ), has filed this application for the .OPEN gTLD with the intention of bringing to market a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive namespace for consumers to access content related to American Express brands and services worldwide. American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights, and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. American Express content is accessible in multiple TLDs, including the .COM, .NET, and .ORG gTLDs, and the .CA, .CO.UK, and .US ccTLDs.

American Express OPEN (ʺOPENʺ) offers small business owners a wide range of tools, services and savings designed to meet their evolving payment and business needs, including, but not limited to: - Charge and credit cards; - Rewards on eligible spend and business-relevant rewards redemption options; - Travel and concierge services; and - Expense management tools and reporting.

TRS intends to submit three gTLD applications for the strings .AMEX, .AMERICANEXPRESS, and .OPEN.

American Express may analyze and evaluate other gTLD applications, as well as general market adoption, to determine short- and long-term potential best-in-class use case options to more effectively service and enhance its online strategy. Although ICANN has not specifically recognized a .BRAND gTLD specification in the current version of the Applicant Guidebook, it is widely anticipated within the brand owner community that this will become a specialty subset of the new gTLDs.

Recognizing the potential dynamic evolution of the .OPEN gTLD as a trusted namespace, TRS has decided to file this application for .OPEN with the goals of protecting and enhancing American Expressʹ online presence and identity, expanding its marketing and promotional efforts, and providing a trusted channel for its brands and services online.

TRS intends to initially limit registration and use of domain names within the .OPEN gTLD to American Express and its applicable subsidiaries and affiliates. This initial use will allow TRS to establish its operations and achieve full sustainability. This limited distribution, coupled with the other requirements set forth in Specification 9 of the template Registry Agreement, is intended to exempt TRS from ICANNʹs annual Code of Conduct Compliance requirements. TRS may also evaluate whether opportunities exist to carry out a new business strategy for the .OPEN gTLD that would both ensure continued sustainable operation of the registry, and expand the registry through fee-based registrations to parties other than TRS and its applicable subsidiaries and affiliates."