Bienvenue .Paris!
.PARIS, on October 28th! Currently in Sunrise phase, .PARIS will have its GoLive (general availability) on December 2, 2014. This domain name is expected to draw lots of attention as well as demand in the coming weeks ahead. Now is the time to start pre-registering the .PARIS domains you desire.
Jean-Philippe Clement, Smart City Officer / Co-project Manager .Paris recently shared his insights and plans for the .PARIS new TLD with HEXONET. We would like to thank Mr. Clement for sharing his valuable time with us. Please enjoy the interview below:
Q. Can you please highlight the mission of dotParis?
Paris will be among the first cities in the world, alongside New York and London, to be delegated its own top-level domain name. Being part of this first wave means to innovate and help build from the start, together with the City of Paris, the history and the identity of the new Parisian digital territory. The general objectives of the paris TLD include:
- Enabling economic and social actors to associate their image with that of Paris
- Developing and maintaining the tradition of innovation in Paris
- Expressing Parisians’ spirit of sharing and lifestyle
- Promoting the cultural heritage of Paris
Q. What will be the key benefits to registrants, Internet users and others?
“Paris” is more than the regular universally recognized brands out there. And the .PARIS domain will have an immediate benefit to anyone associating with the image of the City of Paris. Additionally, the new digital territory of Paris (.PARIS) actually offers numerous new possibilities. Among these, the two most notable are overall economic development and more specifically the development of innovative services based on proximity.
In terms of economic development, it provides new opportunities for local interests to enhance their visibility online. Also, .PARIS will inherently promote the success of local businesses within the city's region. Specifically, .PARIS also is an opportunity for innovative domain use use that is of higher value add than previously witnessed with other generic domain names (which are frequently used for cyber-squatting and other detrimental purposes).
Q. Are there specific restrictions in order to register a dotParis?
.PARIS is for all parties with economic ties to the City of Paris and all of the City’s admirers. Geographically, .PARIS includes the greater Paris area (Grand Paris, Ile-de-France administrative region, …). Any third party with an address in the area, or wishing to display an attachment to the area will be able to register a .PARIS domain. This attachment is in good faith and will not require specific documentation. However, it will be monitored regularly for unauthorized use and violations of the registry policies of .PARIS. Other information includes:
- The launch of .PARIS started on September 9, 2014 and will run until November 11, 2014.
- During Sunrise, holders of a registered trademark (national, community or international and registered in the TMCH database) can reserve their .PARIS domain name.
- People who are not holders of the aforementioned rights can also make an application, but will not have priority.
- The domain names of the launch phase (General Availability) will be December 2, 2014.
Q. How do you plan on effectively differentiating dotParis to stand out against the other geographic / city new gTLDs?
Our main message to all IP holders, future registrants of domain name or actual registrants is that the .PARIS is not only a city new gTLD, but also a long-established brand and is highly recognized internationally. Using .PARIS is an opportunity for all domain name holders to be connected with the brand of "Paris" in their domain name and therefore leverage the brand for themselves. This international branding is seen in dotParis' own communications:
"Think Paris, Act Global! - Paris has been a cradle of trends for centuries. The Parisian savoir-faire is well-known and exported in numerous fields. All around the world, the name of Paris is synonymous of quality, elegance and creativity. With a .PARIS, your brand and activities benefit from Paris worldwide fame and help you conquer the world."
Q. Can you please share more details about your dotParis Ambassadors program and provide some examples.
On June 4, 2014, dotParis launched its Ambassadors program to 100 pioneers (early adopters of the .PARIS TLD). A great example is the world-famous Eiffel Tower's website (http://www.toureiffel.paris). To learn more about other Ambassadors please click here.
For a complete list of the geographic new TLDs that HEXONET will launch, please visit: https://www.hexonet.net/products/preorder