Application Details

Qingdao Haishang Zhicai Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

Private Limited Company

China

https://www.haier.com

false

false

86

0532-8893-1192

niuhg@haier.com

Haier Industrial Park, No. 1 Haier Road, Laoshan District

Qingdao

Shandong Province

266101

CN

Qingdao Haironghui Holdings Co., Ltd.

Private Limited Company

China

HAIER GROUP CO.,LTD

Public Limited Company

China

YUNJIE ZHOU

YUNJIE ZHOU

Qingdao Haironghui Holdings Co., Ltd.

Qingdao Haironghui Holdings Co., Ltd.

xn--3et971b

海尔

U+6D77 U+5C14

No English Translation

Chinese (Han)

/xaɪ˧˥ ɚ˨˩˦/

true

1. Mission and Objectives As the applicant for the ".海尔" (xn--3et971b) and its variant ".海爾" (xn--90ww5h) registry, we aim to build a secure, trusted, and unified global digital identity infrastructure for Haier Group, promoting standardized development and global collaboration through centralized management. We will position these domains as the exclusive digital identifiers for the Group and its subsidiaries, restricting registrations accordingly. This enables unified global brand control, compliant usage, and a highly secure internal network, ultimately enhancing brand asset value and digital efficiency. 2. Intended Registrants Intended registrants are limited to Haier Group and its various affiliates, including: Haier Group headquarters, Haier Smart Home, Thunderobot, Haier Biomedical, INKON Life, Shanghai RAAS, STEP, Autohome, and ZHONGMIAO HOLDINGS – eight listed companies and their subsidiaries – as well as the operating entities of global premium brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, GE Appliances, Fisher & Paykel, AQUA, and CANDY. 3. Intended Users Intended users primarily include Haier Group employees, global consumers, enterprise customers, and ecosystem partners. Through these exclusive domains, they will access Haier Group's official services across six major industrial ecosystems – Smart Home Ecosystem, Comprehensive Healthcare Industry Ecosystem, Digital Economy Industry Ecosystem, Robotics Industry Ecosystem, New Energy Industry Ecosystem, and Automotive Industry Ecosystem – and obtain secure, tamper-proof official information and product experiences. 4. Relevant Activities (1)Use ".海尔" (xn--3et971b) and its variant ".海爾" (xn--90ww5h) as the unified internal brand TLD for Haier Group, integrating the digital identity framework to centralize brand asset management. (2)Leverage ".海尔" (xn--3et971b) and its variant ".海爾" (xn--90ww5h) to support digital collaboration across the ecosystem, enabling seamless user-device-service connectivity through various second-level domains. (3)Integrate with the COSMOPlat industrial internet platform to build a digital foundation for global enterprise collaboration and secure data exchange. (4)Provide intuitive, memorable domain access points to simplify multilingual and multi‑region access paths, improving user efficiency in accessing Haier's ecosystem services. 5.Long-Term Sustainability Statement (1)Since 1984, Haier Group has built a global brand, ranking first in major home appliance retail sales globally for 17 consecutive years (Euromonitor). With 10 R&D centers, 71 research institutes, 35 industrial parks, 173 manufacturing centers and a sales network of 230,000 touchpoints worldwide, this solid global presence ensures ongoing demand and a strong foundation for the long‑term use of the ".海尔" and ".海爾". (2)As the Group's internal dedicated registry, we have a professional team and sufficient funding, with comprehensive systems for registration, resolution, management, and security. Continuous investment ensures system evolution with business growth, forming a service loop and financial sustainability. (3)Upholding "Forever Sincere", we reinforce brand value through CSR initiatives like "Project Hope". This heritage and social responsibility provide a spiritual core and reputational guarantee for the domain system's sustainability. (4)We will comply with ICANN rules, implement security monitoring and emergency response, ensure compliance and technical security, mitigate risks, and uphold credibility—providing a secure, reliable digital platform for Haier's global digitalization.

xn--90ww5h

海爾

U+6D77 U+723E

Chinese (Han)

New TLD

no English Translation/Meaning

The primary applied‑for string "海尔" (xn--3et971b) in Simplified Chinese and its variant string "海爾" (xn--90ww5h) in Traditional Chinese are regarded as identical within the Chinese‑speaking user community. This equivalence is grounded in three core aspects: 1.Semantic and orthographic identity – The characters “尔” and “爾” are historically and lexically the same character, differing only in their written forms (simplified vs. traditional). In all Chinese dictionaries and everyday usage, they carry exactly the same meaning and pronunciation, and are mutually interchangeable without any change in semantics. 2.User community perception – For native Chinese speakers worldwide (including Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas Chinese communities), both forms are instantly recognised as representing the same entity. When users see “海尔” or “海爾” in branding, advertising, or digital environments, they universally understand it as the same well‑known household appliance brand. No confusion or ambiguity arises, as the two scripts are part of the same writing system and are used interchangeably in cross‑strait and cross‑regional contexts. 3.Regulatory and technical recognition – The Root Zone Label Generation Rules (RZ‑LGR) for the Chinese script explicitly group Simplified and Traditional character variants into the same variant set. Under ICANN’s variant management framework, these strings are treated as equivalent for domain registration and resolution purposes, ensuring that they point to the same logical namespace. This technical equivalence aligns perfectly with real‑world user expectations. Furthermore, Haier Group itself consistently uses both “海尔” and “海爾” across its official materials, product packaging, and global marketing campaigns, reinforcing the brand identity across different Chinese‑script regions. In practice, users accessing either domain would anticipate reaching the same online presence, making it both linguistically and technologically justified to treat them as identical. To further substantiate this claim, we have compiled a set of real‑world examples covering official websites, e‑commerce platforms, offline advertisements, trademarks, and social media usage, which are provided in the attached document for detailed reference.

This document outlines the necessity, technical approach, and value of applying for the Traditional Chinese variant ".海爾" (xn--90ww5h) for the internal brand TLD ".海尔" (xn--3et971b). As the TLD is internal and not open to public registration, offering both Simplified and Traditional forms ensures global digital asset consistency and accessibility. 1.Simplified and Traditional Chinese are distinct writing systems used in different regions. To represent Haier's brand identity, both "海尔" (xn--3et971b) and "海爾" (xn--90ww5h) are required. Relying on a single string falls short of the Group's operational and cultural needs for two reasons: (1)With global branches and employees worldwide, a single‑script domain would hinder employees using Traditional Chinese systems in accessing internal resources, due to input habit mismatches, reducing efficiency. Beyond practicality, requiring employees to use a non‑customary script risks being perceived as culturally insensitive. Providing domains in local scripts fosters a sense of belonging and strengthens internal brand cohesion. (2)As a core digital asset, if any major script variant is omitted, it could, through internal oversight or lack of local awareness, be registered or misused outside the Group's control—fragmenting the brand image and creating asset management vulnerabilities. Therefore, applying for both "海尔" and "海爾" is essential to safeguard the integrity of Haier Group's global digital identity, support efficient international operations, and demonstrate responsible brand management. 2. User communities served by the primary TLD and all its variant TLDs (1)The primary TLD ".海尔" (xn--3et971b) serves the community of the Group's institutions and employees whose primary written language is Simplified Chinese. This includes headquarters and branches in mainland China, Simplified Chinese‑using teams in Singapore, Malaysia, and other locations, as well as employees and partners worldwide who are accustomed to Simplified Chinese systems. (2)The variant TLD ".海爾" (xn--90ww5h) serves the community of the Group's institutions and employees whose primary written language is Traditional Chinese. This mainly comprises branch offices and representative offices in the Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao regions of China, as well as Chinese employees and business partners in other global regions who are accustomed to Traditional Chinese systems. 3. How the similarities and differences in IDN table design reflect user community needs To balance internal user habits with technical consistency, the IDN tables for both ".海尔" (xn--3et971b) and ".海爾" (xn--90ww5h) follow these principles: (1)Both IDN tables are based on exactly the same character range, ensuring a consistent technical foundation, full compliance with international standards, and identical supported character sets. (2)Both are system‑designated registrable suffixes with identical registration policies. The only difference lies in default priority: Simplified Chinese users are preferentially recommended "example.海尔", while Traditional Chinese users are preferentially recommended "example.海爾". This respects regional writing conventions without creating any disparity in eligibility or policy. (3)When registering "example.海尔", the system can be configured to automatically register or preferentially reserve "example.海爾" for the same registrant; the same applies in reverse. This ensures that both variants are uniformly managed by the same entity, accommodating various business needs while preventing brand confusion and misuse.

This application for the brand TLDs ".海尔" (xn--3et971b) and ".海爾" (xn--90ww5h) adopts a "Registry – brand Registrar – Internal Registrant" model. This model consolidates and simplifies registration channels and processes through a brand registrar, reducing operational and management complexity for the broader DNS ecosystem. The Applicant commits to implementing measures to ensure efficient and stable operation and to fulfill all obligations to ICANN. 1.Registration Channel Simplification. Unlike traditional gTLDs that need to interface with hundreds of registrars worldwide, we will streamline registration service channels to a brand registrar: (1)All policy dissemination, technical interfacing, financial settlement, and compliance collaboration will only be conducted with a single partner, avoiding the huge management overhead and potential inconsistency risks. (2) We can carry out deep system-level integration with the brand registrar, developing customized registration management interfaces and automated processes. (3) Ensure that all domain registrations through this channel follow unified service standards, pricing strategies, and customer support processes. 2.End-to-End Automation and Synchronization. We will offer the brand registrar a comprehensive set of technical and management solutions: (1)The Applicant will deliver to the brand registrar a management toolkit that encapsulates all variant synchronization logic. When the registrar system initiates registration, renewal, or DNS modification instructions for example.海尔, this toolkit will automatically complete the synchronous operations for example.海爾 and return an aggregated result to the registrar. The registrar does not need to develop additional logic for variants in its front-end system. (2) All complex variant management policies will be automatically enforced by the registry backend system. The brand registrar and their end users do not need to make extra choices or judgments during operations; the system guarantees consistency and compliance of results, eliminating the possibility of complex problems caused by human operational errors. (3) The brand registrar can obtain clear, aggregated domain asset reports through a dedicated management panel, simplifying reconciliation, management, and customer service work. 3.Internal Registration Policies and Processes. Since users are limited to internal group entities, we can implement simplified strategies: (1) The front-end system of the brand registrar will interface with the group's internal identity authentication or approval system. Only internal employees or departments can initiate applications. The application process can automatically trigger internal approval workflows; upon approval, the system automatically completes registration. (2) Domain fees will adopt a unified annual internal settlement model. (3) Since all registrants are affiliated entities, any disputes or change requests regarding domain usage will first be resolved through the group's internal administrative processes; only in extreme cases will external legal procedures need to be invoked. 4.Clear Responsibility Boundaries. We will ensure that complexity is contained within controllable limits through contract and process design: (1) For any operational issues arising from variant TLD design and the registry system itself, the applying entity will proactively assume responsibility and provide clear Service Level Agreement (SLA) guarantees to the brand registrar. (2) The brand registrar does not need to understand, explain, or handle the complex rules behind variant synchronization, but only needs to ensure that its interface accurately triggers the automated tools we provide. (3) This model ensures that public registrars, distributors, and public registrants will have no contact with this brand TLD, and therefore will not incur any additional technical, policy, or economic burden or complexity from it.

true

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

• Registry Operators will include a provision in their Registry-Registrar Agreements that requires Registrars to include in their Registration Agreements a provision requiring registrants to comply with all applicable laws, including those that relate to privacy, data collection, consumer protection (including in relation to misleading and deceptive conduct), fair lending, debt collection, organic farming, disclosure of data, and financial disclosures. • Registry Operators will include a provision in their Registry-Registrar Agreements that requires registrars at the time of registration to notify registrants of the requirement to comply with all applicable laws. • Registry Operators will include a provision in their Registry-Registrar Agreements that requires Registrars to include in their Registration Agreements a provision requiring that registrants who collect and maintain sensitive health and financial data implement reasonable and appropriate security measures commensurate with the offering of those services, as defined by applicable law.

No

Yes

Yes

true

The Applicant confirms that “.海尔” (xn--3et971b) and its variant “.海爾” (xn--90ww5h) fully comply with the requirements of Specification 11, Section 3(d) of the Registry Agreement, and that no conflict exists. The core reason is that they are clearly identifiable brand strings, rather than generic strings, and therefore the restrictive provisions of that clause regarding registration eligibility do not apply to them. I. “.海尔” (xn--3et971b) and its variant “.海爾” (xn--90ww5h) are clearly identifiable brand strings and do not fall within the scope of Specification 11, Section 3(d) Under the express definition of Specification 11, Section 3(d), its restrictive provisions apply only to generic strings—namely, strings composed of words or terms that denote or describe a general category of goods, services, groups, organizations, or things. By contrast, “.海尔” (xn--3et971b) and its variant “.海爾” (xn--90ww5h) fully meet the definition of a brand string—namely, a proprietary identifier used to distinguish a particular brand (Haier Group and its products and services) from other market entities. 1."海尔" and “海爾”are valid registered trademarks, and they refer specifically to Haier Group Corporation and the branded products and services it provides, rather than to any general category. 2.This application was submitted under the specific application category established by ICANN for brands, the very purpose of which is to allow brand owners to register and operate an exclusive domain space corresponding to their own trademarks. Therefore, the prerequisite for applying the restriction set forth in Specification 11, Section 3(d)—which prohibits provisions that limit registration eligibility to a single entity or its affiliates—does not exist in this application. II. The planned operation model is consistent with the purpose of Brand TLDs and ICANN policies As Brand TLDs, “.海尔” (xn--3et971b) and its variant “.海爾” (xn--90ww5h) will be operated in strict compliance with the core purpose of Brand TLDs and the relevant ICANN policy framework: 1.The Applicant plans to operate “.海尔” (xn--3et971b) and its variant “.海爾” (xn--90ww5h) strictly as the internal-use digital assets of the Haier Group. Registration eligibility will be limited to Haier Group Corporation and its affiliates, wholly-owned or majority-controlled subsidiaries worldwide. This closed operation model is a typical feature of Brand TLDs, designed precisely to maintain brand consistency and integrity and to prevent third-party misuse, which fully aligns with the policy objectives of ICANN's Brand TLD category. 2.Within the defined internal scope of use, we will establish clear and transparent registration and management policies, ensuring that all eligible affiliates can fairly apply for and use domain names under uniform internal governance procedures, without discrimination among internal entities. 3.This restrictive registration model does not undermine the public interest; on the contrary, by strictly confining the domain space to known and trusted legal entities, it greatly reduces the risk of DNS abuse—such as phishing and malware distribution—at the TLD level, thereby enhancing the overall security and stability of the domain name system. In summary, as brand strings, “.海尔” (xn--3et971b) and its variant “.海爾” (xn--90ww5h) – and the planned operation model, which limits usage to the brand owner and its affiliates – are inherent attributes of a Brand TLD, and this model is not subject to the constraints of Specification 11, Section 3(d). We undertake to operate the TLDs strictly in accordance with this description and to ensure that they remain in full compliance with all terms of the Registry Agreement at all times.

true

true