.weir Domain

THE MISSION AND PURPOSE OF THE NEW RESTRICTED .WEIR gTLD IS TO BENEFIT INTERNET USERS BY ENSURING INCREASED TRUST AND CONFIDENCE THROUGH THE ELIMINATION OF USER CONFUSION AND ASSURANCE OF BRAND AUTHENTICITY. The new .weir gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which Weir Group IP Limited (WGIP) can create and control domain spaces that promote its Weir brand identity and authenticity. In this regard, the .weir gTLD will be used by Weir to provide information, services and resources to consumers in a way that promotes trust, convenience and utility. The .weir gTLD will provide an authoritative internet space for Weir, its affiliates and partners that are associated with the brand to focus on its customers' needs through innovation, collaboration and global capability. Second and third level domains can then be utilised for marketing and promotional purposes, with internet users assured of brand authenticity. Established in 1871, Weir is a leading engineering solutions business based in Scotland. Weir delivers superior products and services to its global consumers in 3 key sectors - minerals, oil & gas and power - through its 3 divisions.

1. Weir Minerals is the global leader in the provision of slurry handling equipment and associated spare parts for abrasive high-wear applications used in mining, and niche oil sands and flue gas desulphurisation markets.

2. Weir Oil & Gas' capabilities cover both upstream and downstream requirements from initial drilling and production right through to transportation and refining.

3. Weir Power & Industrial has an established reputation for quality engineering. The division has expertise in valves, pumps, turbines and engineered services that enable Weir to offer flow control solutions that enhance efficiencies and reduce downtime in its customers' facilities. Weir operates in over 70 countries employing over 14,000 people across around 40 manufacturing facilities and over 100 service facilities worldwide. As one of the fastest growing engineering companies in the FTSE 100 in the London Stock Exchange, Weir has a clearly defined strategy to build market presence and deliver outstanding products and services from a platform of operational excellence and customer focus. Weir prioritises customer focus and customer relationships through its 3 principal drivers of growth - innovative action, a collaborative mindset and global capability. In this regard, continuous innovation, collaboration and global capability are paramount considerations in Weir's activities and its application for the .weir gTLD. WGIP has made separate applications for .spm and .warman to complement the .weir gTLD in promoting Weir's products and services and its principal drivers of growth. Business activities are increasingly conducted over the internet, allowing for greater levels of interaction between businesses and customers. As a result, both businesses and end users benefit from ease of interaction and a wider range of choices with lower transaction costs. However, the development in this arena in the current domain name system has exposed both businesses and consumers to increased criminal activities over the internet, including data breach, hacking and phishing. These sophisticated criminal activities cause reputational damage to businesses as internet users lose consumer confidence and trust with the businesses targeted by such criminal activities. The .weir gTLD will facilitate greater trust and assurance from internet users connecting with Weir online, whilst still allowing convenient and efficient interaction. WGIP's mission and purpose of the proposed new gTLD share ICANN's initiatives to promote public interest. WGIP is committed to contribute towards achieving such initiatives in line with ICANN's Affirmation of Commitments, which includes:
- consumer trust: the .weir gTLD registry will be operated in a centralised manner with a restrictive registration policy. Registration of domain names will only be available to WGIP and its affiliate entities, at this stage, which will provide added consumer trust that .weir domain names are trustworthy. As .weir domain names are subject to registration standards, policies and procedures under WGIP's control, this eliminates the possibility of malicious conduct within the .weir domain space;
- competition: the proposed new gTLD is not intended to instigate competition and consumer choice at the level of registration of domain names among prospective registrants. Instead it is anticipated to contribute to ICANN's initiatives to promote public interest through its operation focused on promoting consumer trust. Increased trust in the .weir gTLD will drive existing and new top level domain (TLD) registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs; and
- consumer choice: the proposed new gTLD will enable user-driven improvements and innovations assisting Weir's marketing efforts through its ability to create new second and third level domain names on demand. These names will provide the consumers with more choices for interacting with Weir. As WGIP has effective control over the registration and use of domain names under the .weir domain space, this will also contribute towards general service innovations on the internet. Given the restricted nature of the .weir gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a limited number of 10 domain names will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to about 30 domain names as Weir develops and implements new services and marketing campaigns such as creating product and service related domain names for its customers. At this stage, WGIP does not intend to use geographic names and Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) at the second level. However, as the use of the .weir gTLD evolves, WGIP may use geographic names and/or IDNs within the .weir domain space. The use of geographic names and/or IDNs is intended to:
- connect internet users with relevant information as applicable to the territory;
- market country specific products in the relevant territory;
- comply with required rules and regulations in the national territory; and
- allow internet users to engage with .weir in their native language, creating a more positive user experience and encouraging diversity.
The use of geographic names will be in accordance with the registration policy and the proposed measures for protection of geographic names as outlined in response to Question 22. The Weir trademark is a well-recognised global engineering brand registered by its affiliates, Weir Engineering Services Limited and Weir Pumps Limited, in about 30 countries and territories such as US, UK, UAE and China for the categories such as: Machinery (Class 7); Environmental control apparatus (Class 11) and Building construction and repair (Class 37). Weir Engineering Services Limited and Weir Pumps Limited also have pending applications for the "Weir" trademark in 10 countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Russia for the same classes. Weir has about 37 existing domain names with an exact match to the applied-for .weir string and its "Weir" trademark in spaces including weir.asia, weir.biz, weir.info, weir.com.au, weir.eu and weir.hk. Weir also holds about 133 existing domain names containing the .weir gTLD in spaces such as theweirgroup.com, weir-engineering.com and weirservice.co.uk. WGIP believes that the .weir gTLD is unlikely to cause confusion with either a generic term or any existing TLDs. The "Weir" trademark is a leading global brand with significant reputation in the engineering industry which has been used in conjunction with its minerals, oil and gas and power and industrial businesses since its establishment in 1871. As such, the Weir brand is a well-established engineering brand to Weir's global customers.×