.nhk
Domain Name Registration Policies(May 12, 2014)

Contents
Contents................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Definitions ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Launch Phases ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 1.Domain Name Registration and Allocation .......................................................................................................... 6
1.1.Purpose and Principles ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.2. Registration Eligibility............................................................................................................................................................ 6
1.3. Domain Name Allocation .................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.4. Domain Name Syntax Requirements; Reserved Names .......................................................................................... 6
1.5. Term of Registration .............................................................................................................................................................. 7
1.6. Other Provisions ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.7. Abusive Use and Dispute Resolution .............................................................................................................................. 7
Chapter 2.The Trademark Claims Notice Services ................................................................................................................ 8
2.1. Purpose and Principles ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
2.2. Trademark Claims Notice Services ................................................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 3.General Provisions ........................................................................................................................................................ 93.1. Amendments ............................................................................................................................................................................ 93.2. Liability ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 93.3. Representation and Warranties ....................................................................................................................................... 10
3.4. Notices ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.5. Severability .............................................................................................................................................................................. 11
3.6. Waiver ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
3.7. Compliance with Law ........................................................................................................................................................... 11
3.8. Language .................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
3.9. Applicable Law; Jurisdiction .............................................................................................................................................. 11

2

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Definitions
Accredited Registrarmeans an ICANN accredited registrar that has entered into anagreement (“the Registry-Registrar Agreement”) with the Registry
Operator and is authorized to register names in the .nhk TLD.

Affiliate

means an entity that, directly or indirectly, through one or moreintermediaries, or in combination with one or more other persons or
entities, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with,the entity specified, and (ii) “control” (including the terms “controlledby” and “under common control with” means the possession, directly
or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the
management or policies of an entity, whether through the ownershipof securities, as a trustee or executor, by contract, credit arrangement
or otherwise;

Applicantmeans an eligible company or organization that applies to registera .nhk domain name via a dedicated account held with an accredited
registrar;

Dedicated Accountmeans an account held with a registrar and pre-verified by theregistry that is required in order to register a domain name during all
registration phases.

Domain Namemeans a name at the second level within the .nhk TLD.

ICANN

means the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

IDN

means Internationalized Domain Name.

Policies

means these .nhk Domain Name Registration Policies, the Acceptable
Use and Anti-abuse Policy, IDN Policy, and WHOIS Access Policy andany other policy pertaining to the operation of .nhk including all
annexes and any interpretative guidelines published by the Registry in
relation to these policies, as may be amended from time to time.

Registrant

means the entity in whose name a Domain Name is registered, who is
the Registry or an affiliate of the Registry.

Registrymeans Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)

TLD

means Top-Level Domain

3

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Trademark Claims
Notice Service

Trademark
Clearinghouseone of the trademark rights protection mechanisms introduced by
ICANN to support the protection of trademark rights during thelaunch phases of new gTLDs. The Trademark Claims Notice Service
will be in effect for the first 90 days after launch. During this time (i)potential registrants will receive real-time notification whenattempting to register a name that corresponds to a trademark
registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse, and (ii) Trademark holders
will be notified when a name corresponding to their trademark is
registered.

A repository of trademark data that supports the protection of
trademark rights in new gTLDs. The Trademark Clearinghousesupports provision of the Trademark Claims Notice Service.

UDRP

means the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy as describedathttp://www.icann.org/dndr/udrp/policy.htm.

URSmeans the Uniform Rapid Suspension (System) procedure and rules.

4

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Introduction
This Policy describes:
1.

how the Registry will deal with Domain Name Registration requests;

2.

the way in which Applications will be processed; and3.

in general, all the technical and administrative measures that the Registry shall use toensure proper, fair, technically stable administration of the .nhk TLD, setting out thebasic rules and procedures applicable to: Applicants submitting an Application with the Registry;
 the Registry;
 the Accredited Registrars;
 the Trademark Clearinghouse Operator; and any eligible entity interested in registering a Domain Name.

All other policies governing the operation of the .nhk TLD are available on the Registry
Website.

Launch Phases

Phase

LengthDescription

TrademarkClaims Notice
Service (Phase1)

The first 90 days after launch

Period during which (i) the registrar is required toprovide notice to all potential Domain Name
Registrants who attempt to register a domain namethat matches a Trademark Record verified by theTrademark Clearinghouse (“a Claims Notice”) and (ii)
The Trademark Clearinghouse will provide Notice ofRegistered Names (“NORNs”) to trademark holder;.

TrademarkClaims Notice
Service (Phase2)

Ongoing

During Phase 2, trademark holders will continue toreceive notification from the Trademark Clearinghousewhen a label matching their mark is registered, but
potential Registrants will no longer be notified by theregistrar when attempting to register a Domain Namethat matches a Trademark Record in the Trademark
Clearinghouse.

*The Registry reserves the right to revise or extend the schedule of any of the above launchphases at its sole discretion. However, the Trademark Claims Notice Services(Phase 1) will bein effect for at least the first 90 days of General Availability. The Registry will provide at least
10 calendar days notice of any changes via the Registry Website.

5

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Chapter 1. Domain Name Registration and Allocation
1.1.

Purpose and Principles

The .nhk TLD is a domain for Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) and its affiliates. The
purpose of .nhk is to reinforce the NHK brand on the Internet, provide a uniform online
presence, and a trusted and secure namespace in which Internet users can interact with thecompany

1.2.

Registration Eligibility

1.2.1. Domain names in the .nhk TLD can only be registered to, and maintained by theRegistry and its Affiliates. Only companies (the Registry and its affiliates) are permitted to
become registrants. Individuals, including employees and board members of Japan
Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), are not eligible to register .nhk domain names.
1.2.2
In all phases of registration, registrants must create a dedicated .nhk account witha .nhk accredited registrar in order to apply for a domain name registration or to register adomain name. Access to the dedicated account is limited to authorized administrative
contacts. Applications for dedicated accounts are subject to pre-verification conducted by theRegistry and must be signed with the Applicant’s company seal or signature of management
staff

1.3.

Domain Name Allocation

With the exception of Domain Names that have already been registered or are otherwise
withheld from registration, the Registry and its affiliates will be entitled to request theregistration of any domain name via a .nhk accredited registry.
The Registry shall effectuate such Domain Name registrations on a first-come, first-served
basis, subject to the terms and conditions of this policy. This entails that, in principle, the firstcomplete and technically correct request to register a Domain Name submitted by an
Accredited Registrar and received by the Registry System will result in a Domain Nameregistration.

1.4.Domain Name Syntax Requirements; Reserved Names
Syntax Requirements for ASCII Domain Names the A-label may only contain letters A-Z (case insensitive) the numbers 0-9, andhyphens;
 the Domain Name cannot begin or end with a hyphen (“-“); the Domain Name cannot have two consecutive hyphens (“--") in the 3rd and 4th
positions; underline characters are not allowed;
 the Domain Name cannot exceed 63 characters (excluding the TLD);
6

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

the Domain Name must have a minimum length of 3 characters.



Syntax Requirements for IDN Domain Names the "A-label" must be valid according to the IDNA2008 rules. This is tested bydecoding the A-label to a UTF-8 string, and then re-encoding. If the re-encoded
string matches the original string, this test is passed.
 the A-label must be a valid domain name in its own right (ie length and composition
rules for ASCII domain names must also successfully be passed).
Available languages/scripts, IDN tables and variant policy are defined separately in the .nhk
IDN policy.
The Registry reserves the right to make Domain Names available that deviate from the above
syntax requirements at any point in time, under additional or supplemental rules and policies.
Reserved Names
The Registry reserves two-character labels, country and territory names and other labels inaccordance with ICANN regulations.
The Registry may revise this list from time to time, to comply with ICANN requirements or for
any other reason.

Article 1.5.

Term of Registration

Domain names may be registered for a period of 1-10 years. The term of registration shallcommence on the date of registration of the Domain Name, and shall expire on the same dayof the same month in the following year.

Article 1.6.

Other Provisions

Transfer of Use
Registrants may not sell, distribute or transfer control or use of a .nhk domain name to any
party that is not an Affiliate of the Registry.
WHOIS Accuracy
Registrants are required to provide and maintain accurate, complete, and current WHOIS data.
In addition, no WHOIS protection service of any kind will be allowed.

Article 1.7.

Abusive Use and Dispute Resolution

UDRP
UDRP is applicable to all .nhk registrations.
URSThe URS System is applicable to all .nhk registrations for trademark owners who seek a rapid
system to take down domain names which infringe on their rights.
Acceptable Use and Anti-Abuse Policy
Abusive use definitions and policy are provided for separately in the Acceptable Use and Antiabuse Policy available on the Registry Website.
7

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Chapter 2. The Trademark Claims Notice Services
2.1. Purpose and Principles
The Trademark Claims Notice Service is a rights protection mechanism required by ICANN tosupport the protection of verified legal rights for Trademark holders.
During the first phase of the Trademark Claims Notice Services, registrars will display real-time
notices to customers that attempt to register a domain name matching a Trademark Record
verified by the Trademark Clearinghouse. If the Applicant proceeds to register the domain
name, the Trademark Holder will receive notice of the registration.
The Trademark Claims Notice Services are facilitated by the Trademark Clearinghouse, acentralized database of trademark data used by all new gTLD registries.

2.2.Trademark Claims Notice Services
During the first phase of the Trademark Claims Notice Services the (i) the Registrar will be
required to provide notice to potential Domain Name Registrants if a domain they are seeking
to register matches a Trademark Record verified by the Trademark Clearinghouse (“a Claims
Notice”) and (ii) The Trademark Clearinghouse will provide Notice of Registered Names(“NORNs”) to Trademark holders if a Domain Name is registered that matches their
Trademark Record. During the second phase of the Trademark Claims Notice Service only (ii)will be provided.
Term
The Trademark Claims Notice Services for the first 90 days after launch of the TLD. The
Registry may extend this phase at any time. At least 4 calendar days notice of any extension
will be published on the Registry Website. The second phase of the Trademark Claims Notice
Service will begin on the 91st day after launch and continue on an ongoing basis.
Trademark Claims Notices
When a potential Registrant attempts to register a domain name during the Trademark
Claims period, the registrar is required to display a Claims Notice in real time at the time ofregistration. The Claims notice MUST be provided in English, and SHOULD be provided in thelanguage of the registrar’s registration agreement. The Claims Notice does not prohibit adomain name registration; however an affirmative confirmation from the potential registrant
must be required.
Notice of Registered Names (“NORNs”)
During the Claims Notice period, the Trademark Clearinghouse will notify Trademark Holders
if a Domain Name is registered that matches a Trademark Record in the Trademark
Clearinghouse.

8

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Chapter 3. General Provisions
3.1.Amendments
The Registry may amend the provisions of this Policy from time to time, which amendments
will take effect at the time they are published on the Registry Website, without prior notice toAccredited Registrars, Domain Name Holders and/or Applicants. The Registry may
furthermore issue interpretative guidelines on the Registry Website regarding the terms andprovisions of this Policy.
If any part of this Policy shall be found invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the remainderof this Policy shall be valid and enforceable as if such provision was not included therein.
There shall be substituted for any such provision a suitable provision that, as far as is legallypossible, comes nearest to the sense and purpose of this Policy.

3.2.Liability
To the extent allowed under governing law, the Registry shall only be liable in cases where
willful misconduct or gross negligence is proven. In no event shall the Registry be held liable
for any indirect, consequential or incidental damages or loss of profits, whether contractual,based on tort (including negligence) or otherwise arising, resulting from or related to thesubmission of an Application, the registration or use of a Domain Name or to the use of the
Shared Registry System or Registry Website, even if they have been advised of the possibilityof such loss or damages, including but not limited to decisions taken by the Registry toregister or not to register a Domain Name.
To the extent allowed under applicable law, the Registry’s aggregate liability for damages
shall in any case be limited to the amounts paid by the Accredited Registrar to the Registry in
relation to the Application concerned (excluding additional fees paid by the Applicant to theAccredited Registrar or reseller, and dispute resolution fees). The Applicant agrees that no
greater or other damages may be claimed from the Registry (such as, but not limited to, any
fees payable or paid by the Applicant in the context of any proceedings initiated against adecision by the Registry to register or not to register a Domain Name). The Applicant further
agrees to submit to a binding arbitration for disputes arising from these Policies and related
to the allocation of Domain Names.
Applicants and Domain Name Registrants shall hold the Registry harmless from claims filed or
disputes initiated by third parties, and shall compensate the Registry for any costs or expenses
incurred or damages for which they may be held liable as a result of third parties taking action
against it on the grounds that the Applications for or the registration or use of the Domain
Name by the Applicant infringes the rights of a third party.
For the purposes of this Article, the term “Registry” shall also refer to its shareholders,
directors, employees, members, subcontractors, the Trademark Clearinghouse operator andits respective directors, agents and employees.

9

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

The Registry, its directors, employees, contractors and agents are not a party to theagreement between an Accredited Registrar and its Applicants, its Domain Name Holders or
any party acting in the name and/or on behalf of such Applicants or Domain Name Holders.

3.3.Representations and Warranties
All Applicants, all Domain Name Registrants, and any party submitting a Domain Nameregistration request represents and warrants that:







to its knowledge, the registration of the Domain Name mentioned in the Application
or Domain Name Registration Request will not infringe upon or otherwise violate therights of any third party;
will not register a domain name for the purpose of distributing malware, abusively
operating botnets, phishing, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement, fraudulent
or deceptive practices, counterfeiting or otherwise engaging in activity contrary toapplicable laws or regulations; andit will keep the WHOIS information related to the Domain Name accurate and up-todate at all times.
it shall participate in good faith in any proceedings described in the .nhk Abusive Useand Dispute Resolution Policy commenced by or against the Applicant.

The Accredited Registrar must ensure that Applicants and Domain Name Holders expressly
acknowledge and accept that the Registry reserves the right to deny, cancel or transfer any
registration or transaction, or place any domain name(s) on registry lock, hold or similar status,that it deems necessary, in its discretion:that does not contain complete and accurate information as described in these
Policies, or is not in compliance with any other provision of these Policies; or

to protect the integrity and stability of the registry; or

to comply with any applicable laws, government rules or requirements, requests oflaw enforcement, or any dispute resolution process; or

to avoid any liability, civil or criminal, on the part of Registry, as well as its affiliates,
subsidiaries, officers, directors, and employees; orfollowing the outcome of a Dispute Resolution proceeding.

The Registry shall be entitled to suspend or revoke any Domain Name in case of noncompliance or violation of these Policies, and in particular these representations andwarranties.

Article 3.4.

Notices

All notices (to be) given by the Registry hereunder shall be given in writing at the email
address of the Domain Name Holder, as provided to the Registry in Article 1 above. All
notices to be given to the Registry shall be deemed to have been properly given (i) in paper
form, when delivered in person or via courier service with confirmation of receipt and (ii) byelectronic mail, upon confirmation of receipt by the Registry’s email server.
10

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Article 3.5.

Severability

If any provision of these Policies is held to be illegal, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable, suchprovision will be enforced to the extent possible consistent with the stated intention of theparties, or, if incapable of such enforcement, will be deemed to be severed and deleted fromthese Policies, while the remainder of these Policies will continue in full force and effect.

Article 3.6.

Waiver

No waiver of any right under these Policies shall be deemed effective unless contained inwriting and signed by the party charged with such waiver, and no waiver of any right shall bedeemed to be a waiver of any future right or any other right arising under these Policies. All
rights, remedies, undertakings, obligations and agreements contained in this Agreement shallbe cumulative and none of them shall be a limitation of any other remedy, right, undertaking,obligation or agreement.

Article 3.7.

Compliance with Law

Either party agrees that it will not undertake, nor cause or permit to be undertaken, any
conduct or activity which is illegal under any laws, decrees, rules or regulations, or would havethe effect of causing the other party to be in violation thereof in the execution of thisAgreement.

Article 3.8.

Language

All communications, notices, designations and specifications made under this Agreement shallbe in the English language.

Article 3.9.

Applicable Law; Jurisdiction

These Policies, as amended from time to time, will be governed by the laws of Japan.
The foregoing is without any party’s right to seek injunctive or other equitable or interim relief,
which it is authorized to do in the Courts of Tokyo, Japan.

11

Domain Name Registration Policies | Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).