.guardianmedia

Status:	WITHDRAWN
Registry Provider:	CentralNic
Type:	Brand TLD
Priority #:	678 - Guardian News and Media Limited

.guardianmedia was a Brand TLD proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant was Guardian News and Media Limited.

The application was withdrawn in March 2013, prior to the release of Initial Evaluation results, when the applicant still qualified for a 70% refund of its $185,000 application fee.

Application Details

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

"uardian News and Media (GNM) has chosen to apply for the TLD to provide an accessible, safe, secure, and globally recognized service for high quality, open journalism that simultaneously promotes awareness of GNM services and products and facilitates the digital growth and geographic expansion of the brands under the Guardian News and Media umbrella. The TLD will control and protect Guardian News and Media’s brands and services by providing an official digital hub for readers, information-seekers, and investors worldwide as well as fostering consumer trust by creating a secure, reliable, resilient, and technically stable zone that is as renowned for its excellence as are the brands within the GNM aegis. GNM’s highly distinctive, open approach to publishing on the web is part of its digital-first strategy, and the choice to apply for the TLD falls squarely within Guardian News and Media’s reputation for innovation, excellence, independence, and longevity while echoing its firm commitment to the primacy of digital technology to the future of journalism and publishing. The global deployment of the TLD in parallel with the digital expansion of GNM’s brands will therefore contribute to ICANNʹs commitment to innovation, consumer protection, security, and stability.

Founded in 1821 in Manchester UK, the Guardian has been known by the name “the Guardian” since 1959. The term “Guardian” is associated with a vast array of products and services related to the Guardian (the newspaper which inspired the establishment of Guardian News and Media), and they include but are not limited to: physical daily (the Guardian) and weekly (Guardian Weekly) newspapers; weekly supplements (G2); news websites and web content (www.guardian.co.uk); social media accounts and pages (on Twitter, Facebook, etc.); online products and services (Guardian Jobs, Guardian Soulmates, etc.); and film and production (Guardian Films). As a result, millions of internet users and consumers worldwide associate the term “Guardian” with Guardian News and Media products, and this number is only projected to increase with the forecast expansion of the Guardian brand. The Guardian holds Trademarks on the term “Guardian” in 9 jurisdictions worldwide, ensuring not only the protection of the brand but also its public recognition.

Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with an office in New York, Guardian News and Media is wholly owned by the Scott Trust, which exists to protect the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian Media Group companies. The Groupʹs portfolio of investments, which help fund its journalism and secure its long term future, ensure that the Guardian and Observer are able to continue delivering their unique brand of independent liberal journalism to a global audience. Although the media sector as a whole currently faces major challenges - of which the greatest is the ongoing transition form traditional to digital media - Guardian News and Media successfully developed and implemented new business models and strategies throughout the past twelve months, allowing the Guardian and Observer to focus on producing outstanding journalism. The culmination of this commitment to journalistic excellence occurred when the Guardian was named Newspaper of the Year at the 2011 British Press Awards.

..

Guardian News and Media will retain domains for internal Group use, providing an innovative platform for the Guardian News and Mediaʹs various brands as they expand globally. The TLD will allow Guardian News and Media to prepare for the future of the digital landscape, and its use will include but is not limited to websites, emails, online applications, online transactions, social media, directories and any new usages of domain names. This platform for innovation will not only promote and protect the Guardian News and Media’s brands but also ensure the effective organization of the Group’s domain name structure, technical security, and stability of its internet presence, promoting continued innovation to an increasing consumer base without compromise. "