.northwesternmutual
| Status: | Delegated |
| Type: | Brand TLD |
| Priority #: | 1528 - Northwestern Mutual Registry, LLC |
.northwesternmutual is a Brand TLD delegated to the Root Zone in ICANN's New gTLD Program on 6 April 2016. The registry operator is Northwestern Mutual Registry, LLC.[1][2]
Application Details
The following is excerpted from the applicant's response to question #18:
"The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (“Northwestern Mutual”) is a mutual company serving the insurance and investment needs of more than three million clients, offering a variety of financial services throughout the United States. Northwestern Mutual’s online content is viewable in the .COM, .NET, .BIZ, .INFO, .JOBS, .TEL, .MOBI, and .ORG gTLDs, and also in the .US ccTLD. In order to apply for the .NORTHWESTERNMUTUAL gTLD, Northwestern Mutual has selected its subsidiary company, Northwestern Mutual Registry, LLC (“Northwestern Mutual Registry”), as the entity to file this application and bring the .NORTHWESTERNMUTUAL gTLD to market. Northwestern Mutual Registry is a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwestern Mutual.
Ranked 112 on the Fortune 500, Northwestern Mutual is the largest direct provider of individual life insurance in the United States and has received the highest possible financial strength ratings awarded to any life insurer by four of the major credit rating agencies. Northwestern Mutual’s portfolio of financial services includes: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, mutual funds, and employee benefit services, among others.
The intended future mission and purpose of the .NORTHWESTERNMUTUAL gTLD is to serve as a trusted and intuitive namespace provided by Northwestern Mutual Registry for Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries in order to serve its current and future clients and policyowners. However, to date there has not been enough time, and currently there is not enough market information available, to fully analyze and evaluate all potential use case options.
Northwestern Mutual will be analyzing general market adoption to determine short- and long-term potential best-in-class use case options to most effectively serve and enhance Northwestern Mutual’s 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 gTLDs. The .NORTHWESTERNMUTUAL gTLD is planned as a .BRAND gTLD, with the goal of protecting Northwestern Mutual’s online presence and identity; expanding its marketing and promotion efforts; providing a secure channel for online products and services; and offering a platform through which to consolidate many of the intellectual property activities of Northwestern Mutual.
Northwestern Mutual Registry intends to initially limit registration and use of domain names within the .NORTHWESTERNMUTUAL gTLD to Northwestern Mutual and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. This initial limited use will allow Northwestern Mutual Registry 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 Northwestern Mutual Registry from its annual Code of Conduct Compliance requirements."[3]