.duck

gTLD
Type	gTLD
Subtype	dotBrand
Status	Proposed
Registry	Verisign
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.duck is a Brand TLD being proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is Johnson Shareholdings, Inc.

Application Details

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

"Johnson Shareholdings, Inc.’s (“Johnson Shareholdings”) parent company, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (“SC Johnson”), is a leading global manufacturer of household brands with operations in more than 70 countries and products sold virtually in every country around the world. As a family company with 125 years of history, SC Johnson employs nearly 13,000 people globally and generates more than $9 billion in sales annually.

SC Johnson markets a variety of home cleaning, pest control, air care, home storage, and shoe care products. SC Johnson’s product portfolio includes global brands such as Pledge®, Duck®, Mr. Muscle®, Windex®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, Glade®, Raid®, OFF!®, Baygon®, Kiwi® and Ziploc®. In all of its global operations, SC Johnson maintains its focus on environmental sustainability and its role as a community leader, as well as striving to create a positive work environment for its employees.

Recognizing the potential dynamic evolution of a .DUCK gTLD as a trusted brand namespace, SC Johnson has decided to use a wholly owned subsidiary, Johnson Shareholdings, as the entity to file this application and bring the .DUCK gTLD to market.

Through a unified approach, Johnson Shareholdings intends to submit eight gTLD applications. In addition to .DUCK, Johnson Shareholdings is submitting applications for .SCJOHNSON, .RIGHTATHOME, .RAID, .GLADE, .OFF, .MRMUSCLE, and .AFAMILYCOMPANY.

Duck® bathroom and toilet cleaners, wipes, sprays and tools are specifically formulated to cut cleaning time and maintain a hygienic bathroom. These products are sold globally under the Duck®, Toilet Duck®, Pato Purific®, Canard® and WC-Ente® brand names. Similar SC Johnson products are also sold in some areas under the Scrubbing Bubbles® and Mr. Muscle® brands. The Duck® brand is also marketed under license by other companies in select countries in Europe, including Germany, Holland and Portugal.

The intended future mission and purpose of the .DUCK gTLD is to serve as a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive namespace provided by SC Johnson for SC Johnson’s customers, and Internet users in general.

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 .DUCK gTLD is intended to be one of those .BRAND gTLDs, with the goal of protecting SC Johnson’s online presence and identity; expanding its marketing and promotion efforts; providing a secure channel for Duck® and other SC Johnson products and services; and offering a platform through which to consolidate many of the intellectual property activities of SC Johnson.

Johnson Shareholdings intends to initially limit registration and use of domain names within the .DUCK gTLD to SC Johnson and its qualified subsidiaries and affiliates. This initial limited use will allow Johnson Shareholdings 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 Johnson Shareholdings from its annual Code of Conduct Compliance requirements."

Generic Top-level Domain

Generic Top-level Domain