CORE Membership Application Form

Application Form to Qualify to sign the CORE-MoU and join CORE
Submitted to the Internet Council of Registrars (CORE)

THIS FORM MUST BE PRINTED OUT AND SIGNED IN ITS ENTIRETY. THE INTRODUCTORY NOTES FORM AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE FORM.

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

Given the current situation of the domain name system (DNS) and the fact that the ability to attribute names in the new or existing top level domains is in part dependent upon factors over which neither CORE nor the Administrative Parties (see definition in TC3 below) have any control, applicants are cautioned that no representation is made by CORE or any of the Administrative Parties that any approved gTLD registrar will ever be able to provide registration services of any kind in any top level domains.

CORE Assessments

Applicants are advised that the members of the CORE Association have assessed themselves the sum of US $2,000 per month, from January 1998 to April 1998, US $500 per month beginning May 1998 until December 1998, US$ 750 per month in until November 1999 and US$ 250 a month since December 1999, to defray ongoing operating expenses. Until December 2001, members using the CORE Shared Registry System (SRS) were assessed an additional US$ 250 per month of usage. From January 2007 these fees were replaced by a unique assessment of USD 100 (USD 50 for members from Non-OECD countries) irrespective of the usage of the SRS. It is anticipated that some level of assessment - which may be more than the current level, or less - will continue until the CORE Association realizes income from the registration of second level domain names. Assessments are credited against fees otherwise payable by registrars for the creation of second level domain names within the CORE top level domains once CORE operates as a TLD registry, but are not refundable under any circumstances.

Qualification to join CORE and Become a CORE Registrar

I.0 In order to join CORE and act as a CORE registrar, an entity must follow the following steps:

• Submit duplicate copies of a completed application form and the application fee;

• Have the application be deemed acceptable;

• After the application has been deemed acceptable, pay any assessments imposed on CORE members through the date of the entity's admission to CORE, read and agree to the CORE AoAs (http://www.corenic.org/coreAoAs1-10.htm) and sign the CORE-MoU, thereby becoming a member of CORE;

• Conform to any operational and technical requirements as may be determined by CORE for registrars.

I.1 This application form is intended to be used by applicants who wish to apply to the Internet Council of Registrants (CORE) to join CORE and become a CORE registrar under the Memorandum of Understanding on the Generic Top-Level Domain Name Space of the Internet Domain Name System (gTLD-MoU) (http://www.corenic.org/AppendicesMoU.htm), which was based on the Final Report of the International Ad Hoc Committee (IAHC), dated February 4, 1997 (http://www.gtld-mou.org/draft-iahc-recommend-00.html).

I.2 Applicants must supply all of the information requested in this application in order to qualify to sign the Memorandum of Understanding for the Internet Council of Registrars (CORE-MoU) (http://www.corenic.org/COREMoU.htm) and become a member of the Internet Council of Registrars (CORE). Only members of CORE may become CORE registrars under the gTLD-MoU.

I.3 All signatories to the CORE-MoU must abide by the provisions of the CORE-MoU, by the principles of the gTLD-MoU. If, within thirty days after being notified of the acceptance of its application, an applicant does not

• subscribe to the CORE-MoU by filing an executed counterpart of the CORE-MoU with the CORE secretariat;

• pay any assessments imposed on CORE members up to that date;

the applicant is deemed to have withdrawn its application.

Notification will be given by e-mail to the address(s) appearing in the application for that purpose. The applicant alone is responsible for any failure of electronic communications to reach that address. While CORE will endeavor in good faith to reach an approved applicant who does not submit a signed counterpart of the CORE-MoU or pay the necessary assessments within the prescribed time frame, no responsibility or liability can be held against CORE for its failure to do so.

I.4 All of the information contained in this application shall remain, even after the application is accepted and the applicant signs the CORE-MoU, subject to further verification by POC and/or CORE.

I.5 APPLICANT AFFIRMS THAT IT HAS READ THE gTLD-MoU, THE CORE-MOU AND THE CORE AoAs AND HAS UNDERSTOOD ALL OF THE PROVISIONS THEREIN.

Application Fees

I.7 All applications must be submitted with a US$3,500 bank wire to the Internet Council of Registrars (CORE) and dated no later than the date the application is received. This amount is a Minimal Initial Account Balance (MIAB), fully available to fund registrations, but not refundable once the applicant becomes member of CORE.

I.8 Any applicant that is determined not to qualify under this application will have the US$3,500 refunded, less administrative costs, such as fees of an independent firm retained to review an applications and verify that the required information is included (this deduction will not exceed US$1,000).

I.9 The fees submitted by applicants which qualify under this application form and are deemed accepted by CORE shall become the property of CORE, and shall be used, inter alia, for expenses entailed in the implementation of the gTLD-MoU, including but not limited to reimbursement of expenses of IAHC, expenses of iPOC, POC and development of technology and administrative structures to be utilized by CORE.

I.10 APPLICANT UNDERSTANDS AND ACCEPTS THAT THE APPLICATION FEE SUBMITTED BY APPLICANTS WHICH ARE DEEMED, AS A RESULT OF THIS APPLICATION, TO QUALIFY TO SIGN THE CORE-MoU WILL BECOME THE PROPERTY OF CORE, TO BE USED TO FUND ACCTIVITIES RELATED TO THE gTLD-MoU, AND WILL NOT BE RETURNED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, WHETHER OR NOT THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT ACTUALLY BECOMES A gTLD REGISTRAR (FOR EXAMPLE, THROUGH FAILURE OF THE APPLICANT TO CONFORM TO TECHNICAL OR OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF CORE). IN PARTICULAR, APPLICANT UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES THAT THE APPLICATION FEE CONSTITUTES AN INVESTMENT IN THE CREATION OF THE gTLD REGISTRATION SERVICE UNDER CORE, AND FURTHER UNDERSTANDS AND AGREES THAT SUCH INVESTMENT ENTAILS A RISK ON THE PART OF THE APPLICANT. APPLICANTS ARE CAUTIONED THAT NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE BY ANY OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE PARTIES THAT ANY APPROVED gTLD REGISTRAR WILL EVER BE ABLE TO PROVIDE REGISTRATION SERVICES OF ANY KIND. THE ABILITY OF CORE AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE PARTIES TO FACILITATE, PARTICIPATE, OR ENGAGE IN ANY ACTIVITIES IS IN PART DEPENDENT UPON FACTORS OVER WHICH THEY HAVE NO MEASURE OF CONTROL.

Submission of Applications

I.11 Applications and fees must be sent via registered mail or courier services to:

Internet Council of Registrars (CORE)
World Trade Centre II
PO Box
CH-1215 Geneva 15
Switzerland.

I.12 Applications must be typed or printed and completed in English.

I.13 Applications that are not accompanied by payment of the proper fees, or which are accompanied by an instrument which does not result in actual payment to the CORE bank account, will be returned to the sender and will not be effective as an application.

I.14 Affiliated entities may only submit one application among them. "Affiliated" means, with respect to any given entity, that another entity directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by. It is under common control with, such entity. "Control" over an entity means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such entity, whether through the ownership of voting securities or other equity interest, representation on its board of directors or body performing similar functions, by contract or otherwise, or in any other manner.

I.15 Except for the names and contact information of successful applicants, all applications will be considered confidential and no information submitted which identifies a particular applicant will be divulged unless required by competent governmental authority.

Opportunity to Cure Defects in the Application

I.16 Applicants will be notified by e-mail and/or fax of any required information which is missing in the application. Such defects must be cured within thirty days from notification of the deficiency.

I.17 If such defect is not cured within the stated period, the applicant will be deemed not to qualify to sign the CORE-MoU. Application fee will be returned, less the fee for examination by the accountant firm, not to exceed US $1,000.00.

Notification of Applicants Which Qualify to Sign the CORE-MoU

I.18 The name, contact information and Internet address (Items 1a, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the application form) of applicants who are deemed to qualify under this application to sign the CORE-MoU will be posted at http://www.corenic.org.

I.19 At such times as applications are approved, the successful applicant will be notified of its approval and of its obligation to subscribe to the CORE MoU, file a signed copy of the same with CORE's Permanent Secretariat and pay the necessary assessments within thirty days after the approval.

APPLICATION FORM

(to be submitted in duplicate)

Identification Information

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL BE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY THE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR, POC AND CORE; ANY MISREPRESENTATIONS WILL BE CAUSE FOR POSSIBLE REJECTION OF THE APPLICATION OR REMOVAL AS A REGISTRAR

1a. Full name of applicant:

1b. Applicant is a(n) individual: _____; company _____ (check one)

1c. If applicant is a company, its national identification number, if available (e.g., taxpayer number, corporate registry number):

2. If applicant is a company,

Name of chief executive officer of company:

Contact person name and title in company:

3a. Address of the applicant:

(if applicant is a company, state the principal place of business)

3b. Address of the contact person, if different;

4a. Phone number of the applicant:
(include country and city code)

4b. Phone number of the contact person, if different:
(include country and city code)

5a. Fax number of the applicant :
(include country and city code)

5b. Fax number of the contact person, if different:
(include country and city code)

6a. E-mail address of the applicant:

6b. E-mail address of the contact person, if different:

6c. URL of the applicant's homepage:

7. Subnets used to access CORE port 43 and 4343 whois services:
(if not specified your access will have a daily limitation of requests)

Qualifying Criteria

ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL BE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATON; FAILURE TO MEET ANY OF THE CRITERIA, AND/OR ANY MISREPRESENTATION, WILL BE CAUSE FOR POSSIBLE REJECTION OF THE APPLICATION OR REMOVAL AS A REGISTRAR

7. Insurance amount:
[Applicant must attach a certificate of insurance from an insurance company reflecting on-going commercial general liability coverage to an amount no less than US$500,000 (US$100,000 for members from Non-OECD countries). If the certificate is not in English, the applicant must also attach a notarized translation.]

8. Applicant affirms that it will engage adequate staff in its registration activities.

9. Capital:
[Applicant must attach a notarized letter, from a bank or other recognized financial institution holding the funds, that the applicant has a minimum of US$50,000 (US$15,000 for members from Non-OECD countries) liquid capital immediately available in applicant's name. Capital can be cash, or other liquid form such as a guaranteed loan, guaranteed credit line or letter of credit, from a bank or other recognized financial institution in the required amount, or a combination of the above. The notarized letter must include the registration or reference number of the bank or other institution. If the proof is not in English, applicant must attach a notarized translation. APPLICANT UNDERSTANDS AND ACCEPTS THAT REGISTRARS MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ONGOING FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO CORE IN ADDITION TO ANY CHARGES BY CORE FOR REGISTRATIONS, AND THAT THE LEVEL OF THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS, IF ANY, SHALL BE DETERMINED BY CORE.]

10. Existing domain name:
The holder (either administrative, technical, zone or billing contact name as seen by whois) of the domain name must be either the owner of the company listed above or anyone else listed in question #2 above. The test will be performed twice, one day after the other, and either test being successful will signify a valid domain name.]

THE APPLICANT DECLARES THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN AND ATTACHED HERETO IS TRUE AND CORRECT, AND APPLICANT AGREES TO ALL ITEMS STATED IN THIS FORM AND IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS APPLICATION, WHICH ARE STATED BELOW AND ARE INCORPORATED HEREIN BY THIS REFERENCE. ALL INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY CORE, AND ANY FALSE INFORMATION MAY BE GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL OF THE APPLICANT FROM CORE AND DENIAL OF ANY RIGHTS TO ACT AS A gTLD REGISTRAR.

Notarized signature

Notarized signature of chief executive officer of applicant, authorized by applicant to sign this application:

Name (Print) :

Title (Print) :

State & Country in which application is signed:

[For countries, where applicable; witness signatures]

Notarized signature of witness:

Name (Print) :

Notarized signature of witness:

Name (Print) :

TERMS & CONDITIONS

TC.1 By submitting the attached application and in consideration for this application, Applicant agrees to the following terms and conditions:'

TC.2 Items I.0 to I.19 of the Introductory Notes are incorporated herein by reference. Applicants are cautioned that acceptance of their application entails an obligation to pay the assessments payable by all CORE members, as decided by the CORE plenary meeting. It is anticipated that some level of assessment - which may be more than the current level - will continue until the CORE Association realizes income from the registration of second level domain names. Payment of the assessments will be a precondition to the applicant becoming a member of the CORE Association. The amounts so paid by members to CORE are fully creditable against SLD registration fees in the form of registration credit units (RCUs), but are not refundable for any reason.

TC.3 For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, "Administrative Parties" means Arthur Andersen LLP, and any of the bodies relating to or established under the gTLD-MoU, including CORE, a Swiss Association, and each of their partners, principals, officers, directors, agents, parents, members, affiliates, representatives, distributors, franchisees, employees, and contractors.

TC.4 Applicant acknowledges that applicant is in no way guaranteed to be approved as a gTLD registrar, nor is it guaranteed that modifications will or will not be made to the Internet or the DNS management system.

TC.5 Applicant asserts that all information Applicant has provided to the Administrative Parties is true and accurate, and that any misrepresentation is grounds for rejection of the application or for termination of the applicant as registrar.

TC.6 Applicant asserts that it has the full power and authority, including any internal corporate approvals, necessary to submit this application.

TC.7 Applicant asserts that the submission of this application will not (i) conflict with the certificate of incorporation, by-laws or other applicable governing document of Applicant, (ii) conflict with, or result in the breach or termination of, or constitute a default under, any lease, agreement, commitment or other agreement or instrument, or any order, judgement or decree to which Applicant is a party or by which Applicant is bound, or (iii) constitute a violation by Applicant of any applicable law or regulation, or require Applicant to obtain or make any consent, waiver, approval, order, permit or authorization.

TC.8 Applicant waives all claims or other legal recourse against each of Administrative Parties arising from or related to the application process, to the full extent allowed by law.

TC.9 Applicant agrees to defend, indemnify, save and hold harmless each of the Administrative Parties, from and against, any and all claims, demands, liabilities, costs and/or expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees) brought against, paid or incurred by each of the Administrative Parties, at any time and in any way resulting from, arising out of, or otherwise relating to Applicant's application to become a gTLD Registrar, including any alleged or actual gross negligence or knowing and willful misconduct by the Administrative Parties. In no event shall any of the Administrative Parties be liable to applicant for indirect, incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damage or expense, including without limitation, lost profits or opportunity costs, even if the Administrative parties have been advised of the possibility of such damage or expense.

TC10 Applicant agrees that any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this application process, or the breech, termination or invalidity thereof, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules as at present in force. The appointing authority shall be the Secretary General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. There shall be a sole arbitrator. The place of arbitration shall be Geneva, Switzerland. The language used in the arbitral process shall be English. The dispute, controversy or claim shall be decided in accordance with Swiss law.

TC.11 Applicant agrees to communication by e-mail and/or fax to the addresses listed in the application, and that any failure to respond to any such communication which calls for a response shall be deemed to be a failure to communicate on the part of the applicant.

TC.12 No applicant shall hold itself out as qualified to accept any application for the registration of a domain name which would be effective prior to the date that CORE gTLDs are delegated by the competent authority.