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.US is “America’s Internet Address.” It is the official country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States. .US will enable United States citizens and residents—as well as businesses, organizations and government entities to establish a unique, short and memorable American address on the Internet (e.g., johnsmith.us, publicservice.us, mycompany.us).
How .US Can Benefit Businesses?
.US enables domestic and international firms of every size and industry classification to protect their trademarks and corporate identities online, provided they meet the .US Nexus requirements. .US also can raise the profile of nonprofits, associations and charities online.
How .US Can Benefit Consumers?
The .US space has been in existence since 1985, but until recently has been primarily used by government branches and related departments and agencies, as well as schools and libraries. Soon, the .US domain will be available to all United States citizens and residents—over 150 million of whom are online. All of these consumers now have an opportunity to establish a unique, customized and memorable American identity online, and to communicate with other citizens, businesses and government entities.
What is .US?
.US is “America’s Internet Address.” It is the official country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States.
What makes .US unique?
Enhancements to .US enable consumers, businesses, public interest organizations and government entities to establish a unique and memorable American address on the Internet (e.g., johnsmith.us, publicservice.us, mycompany.us). Market research has shown that .US names will be very popular with consumers for applications like e-mail, digital identity and personal Web sites. Government and public interest organizations will use .US addresses to enable “citizen-centric” e-Gov applications and to serve the needs of the American people. Businesses will use .US domain names to promote themselves as American companies to inspire consumer confidence and to encourage consumers to “buy American.”
Who can register a .US domain name?
Under the terms of the U.S. Nexus Requirement, prospective Registrants must certify that they fall into one of three U.S. Nexus categories by demonstrating real and substantial lawful contacts with, or lawful activities in, the United States of America. This requirement is intended to ensure that only those individuals or organizations that have a substantive lawful connection to the United States are permitted to register for usTLD domain names.
Registrants in the usTLD must be either:
1. A natural person (i) who is a United States citizen, (ii) who is a permanent resident of the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories, or (iii) whose primary place of domicile is in the United States of America or any of its possessions [Nexus Category 1],
2. A United States entity or organization that is (i) incorporated within one of the fifty (50) U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or any of the United States possessions or territories, or (ii) organized or otherwise constituted under the laws of a state of the United States of America, the District of Columbia or any of its possessions or territories (including a federal, state, or local government of the United States or a political subdivision thereof, and non-commercial organizations based in the United States) [Nexus Category 2], or
3. A foreign entity or organization that has a bona fide presence in the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories by way of having significant business relationships with .US companies [Nexus Category 3]. It shall be a continuing requirement that all usTLD domain name registrants remain in compliance with the Nexus requirements.
Are there any other restrictions with respect to Registration of a .US Domain Name?
A .US Domain Name must have Nameservers which are located in the US. Check more details about the Nexus Requirements at
http://www.neustar.us/policies/docs/ustld_nexus_requirements.pdf
What will happen to existing .US domain names?
Existing .US registrants (domain name holders) within the “locality space” will retain rights to their existing Internet addresses. In fact, existing domain name holders will benefit from many of the operational improvements and improved security and service levels within .US.
What dispute resolution policies exist for the .US domain?
The primary dispute resolution policy in effect for the .US domain is the United States Dispute Resolution Policy (usDRP), which shall be available on
www.neustar.us.
What is the United States Dispute Resolution Policy (usDRP)?
The usDRP provisions apply to all Registrants in the .US top-level domain and will be made available shortly. The usDRP is modeled after the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) adopted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for all generic top-level domains. Unlike the UDRP, where a complainant must demonstrate that a domain name registrant both registered a domain name in bad faith and used the domain name in bad faith, the usDRP allows a complainant to prevail where he or she demonstrates that a domain name was either registered in bad faith or used in bad faith. Under the usDRP, most types of trademark-based domain name disputes must be resolved by agreement, court action, or arbitration before a Registrar will cancel, suspend or transfer a domain name.
Disputes that arise from abusive registrations of domain names (e.g., cybersquatting) can be addressed by expedited administrative proceedings that the trademark holder initiates by filing a complaint with an approved dispute-resolution service provider. To invoke the policy, a trademark owner should either (a) file a complaint in a court of proper jurisdiction against the domain name holder (or, where appropriate, an in rem action concerning the domain name) or (b) in cases of abusive registration, submit a complaint to an approved dispute-resolution service provider. More details, including the Rules for United States Dispute-Resolution Policy and the list of approved Dispute-Resolution Service Providers, will be available at
http://www.neustar.us
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