Premium and Reserved Domains:

Enhancing Your Strategy and ROI

Brian KingDirector of Internet Policy

& Industry Affairs

Sherry HildebrandGlobal Relationship

Manager

AGENDA

• Background: New gTLD program, and how and why

registries have premium and reserved domains

• Facts and stats

• MarkMonitor’s position and process

• Leading practices• Effective negotiation strategies

• Success stories

• How MarkMonitor can assist

• Q & A

New gTLD program

How and why registries have

premium and reserved domains

Background

4

Background: New gTLD Program

Applicant Guidebook provided for registry-reserved domains

Registry Agreement: Article 2, Section 2.6

• “at any time establish or modify”

• “ability to reserve (i.e. withhold from registration…”

Registry Agreement: Specification 5, Section 3.3

• “may withhold from registration or allocate to Registry Operator”

• “may be released…at Registry Operator’s discretion”

Registries analyzed premium strings years ago, building business case to apply

• Premium domains were always anticipated

• Real estate philosophy (build it and they will come, and pay!)

5

Background: How and Why Registries Have Premium and Reserved Domains

Domains that must be reserved

• Country and territory names (ISO 3166-1 list)

• Country names in six official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish)

• Red Cross/Red Crescent and International Olympic Committee

• IGOs, includes some desirable strings: au, ec, ep, eu, un,

• las(.vegas) and 191 other 3-character strings are reserved

Recoup significant application cost and delegation delays

• $185,000 application fee; plus technical, operational, and financial reviews

• “Reveal Day” was June 12, 2012, first TLDs delegated October 23, 2013

• Most TLDs delegated in 2014 (406), 2015 (391), and 2016 (340, many .brands)

Facts and Stats

7

Facts and Stats

IOC, Red Cross, and IGO reserved names

• 1,300+ strings, across each new gTLD

Average number of premiums

• 2,000 – 10,000 premium domains is common

• Depends on registry strategy, with geography and target market

• Outliers in the 100,000 range

Cost

• Range from $30 to seven-figure ballpark

• Added to baseline domain cost

• Negotiable

Average TLD volume

• 20,000 active domains

Common Challenges

9

Common Challenges

Brand names often reserved

• Registries are improving, especially with coined trademarks

Premium lists change often, and with minimal notice

• Expired domains added to premium/reserved lists

• Domain removal from premium/reserved lists

One-time premium fees vs. recurring fees

• Billing and accounting challenges

Inconsistent treatment with registry blocking mechanisms

• Please ask – we’re here to help

How we work with premium and reserved domains

How we advocate for our customers

MarkMonitor’s Position and Processes

11

How We Work with Premium Domains: A Look Under the Hood

Pre-launch advocacy

• Set expectations with registries

Ongoing effort to compile premium/reserved lists

• Regular EPP requests, supplemented manually

Manual and technical process safeguards

Process and price transparency

Global Relationship Management Team

• Leverages registry relationships to advance our clients’ interests

• Available to guide and help customers secure premium/reserved domains

• Advocates for policy that benefits our clients

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How We Advocate for Our Customers

Advocate to minimize registry premium lists

• Advocacy efforts already successful, lists are shrinking

Advocate for low-cost premium tiers, if registries must have premiums

• Domains should renew at same or lower cost

Advocate against including TM strings in registry premium lists

• Highly successful with coined marks, often removed upon request

• Highly successful with arbitrary marks, and improving

Advocate for maximum freedom for .brand TLDs

• No government control over country names or two-character domains left of the dot

• Sufficiently protect Red Cross/Crescent, IGO, NGO, with minimal .brand encumbrance

Effective negotiation strategies

Success stories

Leading Practices

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Leading Practices: Effective Negotiation Strategies

Emphasize use

• Registries want use (not redirects), and many especially want corporate use

• Promote the domain using social media, digital, and/or print

Partner with the registry

• Registries are years ahead of you with vision for the TLD

• Registries know what use cases are most valuable to them

• Explore co-marketing, both sides get skin in the game

• Be open minded; bring your business person, or at least their perspective

• MarkMonitor can coach you on the best approach per registry, TLD, and domain

Catch flies with honey

• Especially with ambiguous and generic domains

• Registries are confident in their value prop, especially five years in

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Leading Practices: Success Stories

Successfully removed a domain from both premium and reserved lists

Safeguard success stories

• Cost increase from registry

• Domain removal from premium list

Pre-launch review and advocacy

Negotiations

GRM Team and registry relationships

How MarkMonitor Can Assist

17

How MarkMonitor Can Assist

Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared.

• Tell us what you’re looking for, and we can tell you what to expect

• MarkMonitor can coach you on the best approach per registry, TLD, and domain

Making the connection

• For serious opportunities, MarkMonitor can schedule and/or join a call

Potential pitfalls in the fine points

• Premium vs. standard domain renewal

• Transfer/registration process

• DNS configuration

Questions?

19

For information on MarkMonitor solutions, services and complimentary

educational events:

� Contact via email: field.marketing@markmonitor.com

� Visit our website: www.markmonitor.com

� Contact via phone: US: 1 (800) 745 9229 Europe: +44 (0) 203 206 2220

Thank You!

Brian King, Director of Internet Policy and Industry Affairs | 443-761-3726 | brian.king@markmonitor.com | markmonitor.com

Sherry Hildebrand, Global Relationship Manager | 208-685-1762 | sherry.hildebrand@markmonitor.com | markmonitor.com