.tap

Link Freedom Group (LFG) aspires to become a best-in-class, vertically integrated domain name registration authority, see linkfreedomgroup.link. This TLD is part of a carefully curated portfolio of strings that LFG intends to pursue in ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD Program. In assembling this portfolio, LFG focused on securing meaningful, memorable, and commercially compelling strings that resonate strongly with end users and offer long-term growth potential. Over the past four years, LFG (Nova Registry) has successfully grown its flagship TLD, .LINK, from approximately 125,000 to more than 300,000 domains under management. This growth has been driven by innovative distribution strategies, the expansion of registrar partnerships, and a granular pricing model that has enabled .LINK to remain competitively priced while avoiding the significant fee increases implemented by some other registry operators. LFG’s experience in the domain name industry has reinforced one of the key lessons from the 2012 application round: long-term sustainability is strengthened through portfolio diversification. By spreading operational costs and mitigating revenue fluctuations across multiple TLDs, LFG is better positioned to withstand market volatility and invest in continued growth. Accordingly, LFG believes that even obtaining a subset of the TLDs for which it has applied will establish a diversified portfolio capable of supporting long-term economic stability, operational resilience, and sustainable growth.

1. Mission and Purpose of the Applied-for gTLD .tap belongs to the craft beverage world, where "on tap" is everyday language for a drink poured fresh from the source. For a brewery, taproom, winery, cidery, or soda fountain, the phrase already signals what makes the place worth visiting: something made nearby and served at its best. .tap turns that phrase into a web address that regulars and newcomers instantly connect with a physical place and a rotating lineup. The string fits the way these businesses actually communicate. A tap list changes weekly; a chalkboard gets rewritten; a coaster or menu has room for only a few words. Addresses like riverside.tap or seasonal.tap read as an invitation to see what is pouring, which is exactly the question a customer walks in asking. It gives makers a way to point people from a can, a festival banner, or a social post straight to their current offerings. .tap helps craft producers and the venues that pour their drinks build a recognizable presence rooted in place and freshness. Rather than blending into generic hospitality or food domains, it speaks the language of the counter and the cellar door, connecting a name to the experience of a fresh pour. Intended Registrants: Breweries, taprooms, wineries, cideries, meaderies, soda fountains, kombucha and cold-brew makers, and the bars, restaurants, and beverage festivals that serve drinks poured fresh from the tap. Related Activities Supporting the Purpose: • Awareness-building with registrars serving craft beverage, hospitality, and local-business segments. • Registrant education on using short, tap-list-friendly addresses on menus, chalkboards, and coasters. • Community outreach to brewers' guilds, winery associations, and craft beverage events. • Responsible registry operations consistent with standard practices. 2. Sustainability of the Purpose Over Time Where hospitality or generic food domains describe a venue in broad terms, .tap speaks directly to craft producers and the ritual of serving drinks from the source. It is intentionally focused on the taproom, tasting room, and fountain rather than the whole restaurant category, which gives it a distinct, defensible identity within a beverage-focused portfolio. What keeps the concept relevant is the culture built around it. Taprooms, cellar doors, and soda fountains are gathering places as much as points of sale, and "on tap" carries a promise that packaged goods cannot fully replicate: this was made here, and you are tasting it close to the source. As craft brewing, winemaking, cider, and small-batch soda continue to grow as expressions of regional character and independent making, the language of the tap remains the shorthand for that authenticity. There is also a generational quality to it. The fresh pour is passed along through the physical rituals of a place: the pull of the handle, the chalkboard list, the conversation at the counter. These practices carry forward because they are social and sensory, not merely transactional, and each new wave of makers and drinkers adopts them anew. Because "tap" names a tradition rather than a product or a technology, it stays anchored to a way of making and sharing drinks that communities continue to value precisely for its immediacy and its sense of place.

The mission of .tap is to provide a concise, action-oriented namespace for digital services, mobile applications, payments-related technology, media, hospitality, resources, and initiatives centred on simple access or interaction. Regulated services must comply with applicable laws and industry requirements. The registry intends .tap to be broadly available, reliable, and secure. Its mission is sustainable because touch-based interaction and convenient access remain central to digital services.

I. Mission and Objectives As the applying entity and potential Registry Operator of ".tap", our mission is to build a unified digital identity system for our Group, serving both internal management and external brand interaction. Through centralized management, we will drive standardized development of business units, establish trusted digital connections with global customers and partners, and provide solid digital support for our globalization strategy. Our objective is to make ".tap" our exclusive, authoritative digital identity and a digital bridge for brand interaction and value delivery with global customers and partners. Registration rights are limited to headquarters, wholly-owned subsidiaries, majority-controlled subsidiaries, VIE-controlled entities, and other affiliates, ensuring unified, compliant use of global brand domains. By holding our domains, we will build a secure, trustworthy digital network supporting internal collaboration and customer marketing, service, and brand community building, ultimately preserving brand equity and improving digital efficiency and brand influence. II. Intended Registrants Intended registrants are limited to our Group and our various subordinate entities, including the headquarters, wholly-owned subsidiaries, majority-controlled subsidiaries, VIE-controlled subsidiaries, and other affiliated entities. III. Intended Users Intended users include Group employees, authorized external partners, global customers, and end consumers. Through dedicated domains, they will access internal systems and external platforms. The goal is to ensure secure, efficient, and trustworthy information flow both internally and externally, building a controlled yet open brand digital ecosystem. IV. Relevant Activities We will use ".tap" as our global brand TLD to integrate the digital identities of all core operating entities and consolidate internal domain systems, centralizing brand assets. It will also serve as our unified external brand domain window, where all official marketing, customer service, and brand interaction platforms use ".tap" to create a consistent digital brand identity. Relying on ".tap", we will establish a unified digital operations and brand governance system, using standardized domain structures and naming conventions to regulate IT resource access and create a traceable, auditable domain management mechanism. We will define application processes, naming rules, and usage restrictions for different registrants to ensure all domain usage complies with our brand security and compliance requirements. To support our globalization vision, we will use our unified domain architecture to connect global branches, partners, and customers, leveraging ".tap" for consistent brand marketing, customer engagement, and community building worldwide to boost brand recognition and user loyalty. We will deploy ".tap" uniformly across regions, with internal technical support ensuring consistent global resolution and management, providing marketing teams with unified digital tools. V. Statement of Long-Term Sustainability We have built a broad business network and large user base. Our market position and physical footprint provide stable, long-term demand for the domain. As a core brand asset, ".tap" is aligned with our brand strategy, and sustained brand value growth drives our domain operations. As the Group's internal dedicated registry, we operate with a professional team, adequate funding, and a comprehensive system, covering all costs from our own funds without relying on external revenue, ensuring long-term financial sustainability and alignment with business needs. We will comply with ICANN and global rules, enforce brand security standards, maintain operational and technical compliance to mitigate risks and preserve domain credibility, thereby providing a secure, long-term digital platform for our Group's global strategy and brand building.

1. Mission and purpose. This gTLD will be operated as an open, unrestricted generic top-level domain. Its purpose is to expand naming choice in the DNS by making this term available at the top level for any lawful use chosen by the registrant. Registrations will be available to all registrants on a first-come, first-served basis through ICANN-accredited registrars, subject only to the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. The applicant will not operate this gTLD on an exclusive basis. 2. Intended registrants and users. Intended registrants are individuals, businesses, and other organizations worldwide seeking a short, meaningful domain name. There are no eligibility or name selection restrictions beyond those required by the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. Intended users are internet users worldwide who access domain names registered in this gTLD. 3. Related activities. The applicant is an established registry operator under contract with ICANN for 35 gTLDs, including .xyz. It has in place a qualified Registry Service Provider, distribution agreements with ICANN-accredited registrars across multiple regions, and all required rights protection mechanisms and DNS abuse mitigation practices. For this gTLD the applicant will onboard the TLD to its existing registry platform, conduct a Sunrise Period and Trademark Claims Period, launch General Availability through its registrar channel, and maintain ongoing registrar enablement, abuse monitoring, and compliance reporting. 4. Sustainability. Operation is funded by recurring registration and renewal revenue and does not depend on any single registrant, sector, or campaign. This gTLD will run on the applicant's existing shared registry infrastructure, so incremental operating cost is low and no minimum registration volume is required for viability. The applicant has operated gTLDs continuously since 2014.