Ipiranga Produtos de Petroleo S.A. (hereinafter: “Ipiranga”) is a joint stock company, duly established and validly existing under the laws of Brazil, with headquarters at Rua Francisco Eugenio, 329, Sao Cristovao, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

Ipiranga was founded in 1937. It is one of the largest oil distribution companies in Brazil and is the largest private player in the Brazilian fuel distribution market, with nationwide coverage and a network of approximately 5,900 service stations. Most of these service stations also include convenience stores. Fuels distributed by Ipiranga include diesel, gasoline, ethanol, natural gas for vehicles (NGV), fuel oil and kerosene. Ipiranga also distributes lubricants. Through a differentiated relationship with its resellers, Ipiranga offers complementary products and services in the retail market.

Ipiranga’s operations also include a successful, promotion-based e-commerce website ipirangashop.com; a loyalty program called “Km de Vantagens”; and a branded credit card. The loyalty program includes seven million participants and connects online and offline products, which include products offered in the convenience stores.

Ipiranga holds various trademarks in Brazil to protect its brand. Its trademarks in Brazil for the term “ipiranga” include the following:

Number: 1
TRADEMARK TYPE: Design Mark
YEAR GRANTED: 1966
PRODUCT AND⁄OR SERVICE: Lubricating oils, grease and fuel in general, etc.

Number: 2
TRADEMARK TYPE: Word Mark
YEAR GRANTED: 1988
PRODUCT AND⁄OR SERVICE: Lubricating oils, grease and fuel in general, etc.

Number: 3
TRADEMARK TYPE: Word Mark
YEAR GRANTED: 1991
PRODUCT AND⁄OR SERVICE: Advertising, business administration, etc.

Number: 4
TRADEMARK TYPE: Design Mark
YEAR GRANTED: 1997
PRODUCT AND⁄OR SERVICE: Communication services, advertising, transportation, storage, packaging, etc.

Number: 5
TRADEMARK TYPE: Design Mark
YEAR GRANTED: 1996
PRODUCT AND⁄OR SERVICE: Architecture, engineering, technical designs, construction, repair, maintenance and cleaning services for vehicles, motors and parts, etc.

Ipiranga also holds various trademarks in South America to protect its brand. For example, Ipiranga has registered an “ipiranga” word mark in Paraguay.

Additionally, Ipiranga holds domain names to protect its brand. Ipiranga registered ipiranga.com.br in 1996 and ipiranga.net.br in 2009.

Ipiranga has invested significant resources to make its brand well-known to consumers. Indeed, Ipiranga has received the following recognitions:
The Applicant has been considered the Most Remembered and Preferred Trademark in the field of oil distribution in the State of Rio Grande do Sul and the Second Most Remembered and Preferred Trademark in this field in Brazil, for 8 years.

Ipiranga has also been recognized as The Most Well-Known and Preferred Brand in the field of fuels. Fortune magazine recently recognized Ultrapar Participacoes S.A., the parent company of Ipiranga, as the fifth most admired company in the world in the energy sector. A search of the term “ipiranga” at the Commerce Board of the State of Sao Paulo (Junta Comerical do Estado de Sao Paulo) results in almost 1,300 companies. Thus, these recognitions are significant and demonstrate Ipiranga’s large investment to achieve brand recognition.

Ipiranga continues to invest significant resources to promote its brand online. Ipiranga is present on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other sites and social media networks.

Against this background, the mission and purpose of the .IPIRANGA gTLD are manifold, as will be further explained below:

i. first and foremost: securing and protecting the Applicant’s key brand (“IPIRANGA”) as a gTLD;

ii. reflecting the IPIRANGA brand at the top level of the DNS’ hierarchy;

iii. providing stakeholders of the Applicant with a recognizable and trusted identifier on the Internet. Such stakeholders include, but are not limited to:

* its subsidiaries in various countries;
* about 8.000 official dealers and retailers of Ipiranga’s products and services;
* affiliate partners;
* sponsors;
* prospective and current customers; and
* directors and officers of Ipiranga and its subsidiaries, including close to 85,000 employees;

iv. providing such stakeholders with a secure and safe Internet environment, under the control of the Applicant, in which they are able to obtain information from and communicate with the Applicant and where they are able to obtain genuine information provided by Ipiranga and its approved stakeholders; and

v. using social communities to increase brand awareness and consumer trust.