Tag Archives: new tlds

Mon 13th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Donuts assigns rights to .futbol and .reviews tip turn domains to Demand Media’s Rightside - Rightside has two more top level domain names in its new TLD portfolio. Demand Media filed documents with the SEC today related to its spinoff of Rightside, and also published an investor presentation. The disclosures show that Donuts has assigned rights for two new top level domain names, .fubol and .reviews, to Rightside’s United TLD. These domains were applied for under Donuts’ subsidiaries Atomic Falls, LLC and Extra Cover, LLC, respectively. The two domains ... read more ...
Fri 10th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
New TLDs come out with a whimper - Those hoping for a “big bang” of new TLDs are surely disappointed in how the rollout is taking place. I’ve talked to a number of new top level domain name applicants who believe new TLDs need to come out with a “big bang.” A bunch of great domain options backed by big marketing budgets need to come out early on to make a big splash and give the program momentum. It’s becoming more and more apparent that this isn’t going to happen. Instead of coming out ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Panelist awards .charity to Famous Four formed on PIC - Panelist approves of Famous Four application for .charity while killing Donuts’ rival application. A Public Interest Commitment for the .charity top level domain has resulted in Famous Four “winning” the contention set for the domain. The Independent Objector (IO) filed community objections against both Famous Four’s and Donuts’ applications for .charity, along with Famous Four’s application for a Chinese equivalent. The cases were consolidated, and the ... read more ...
Thu 9th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Uh oh: .Basketball village conflict fails, .sport prevailed. - Panelist in .basketball decision uses different interpretation of guidelines to come up with a different conclusion than panelist in .sport. An International Chamber of Commerce panelist has determined that community objections filed against two applications for .basketball have failed. Comparing this decision to a recent one upholding a community objection to .sport, it appears we may have another case of inconsistent rulings. The .basketball community objection ... read more ...
Fri 3rd January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Donuts appeals absurd .hospital objection - New TLD applicant asks ICANN’s board to reconsider objection that killed .hospital. A lot of new top level domain name applicants and objectors have filed reconsideration requests with ICANN after landing on the losing side of objections. I stopped writing about these filings after the first few. They’re so plentiful as to no longer constitute “news.” Also, ICANN is rejecting all of the requests, so it seems like a futile practice. But if there were ever ... read more ...
Thu 2nd January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
2013 Top Stories: New TLD Objection problems - “Blame part of it on how the guidelines to achieving these goals were actually written. Blame it on weak agreements with incapable arbitration groups that hired incapable panelists.” Well said Andrew! By the way we filed re-consideration requests on the Amazon cases. We will act accordingly to ICANN’s and the ICC’s response. Here it is: http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/governance/reconsideration/request-dotmusic-23dec13-en.pdf (See http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/governance/reconsideration ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
GoDaddy gets sixth obvious for “Adwords for Top Level Domains” - Domain registrar continues to collect patents for ways to prioritize domain name search results. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a sixth patent to GoDaddy related to a way to position domain names in response to a user’s domain search. I first wrote about GoDaddy’s idea in 2011 after the USPTO granted the first patent, 7,890,602, for “Tools enabling preferred domain positioning on a registration website.” Domain name registrars accept marketing ... read more ...
Fri 27th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
2013 Top Stories: First new tip turn domain name contracts signed - A big milestone in the new top level domain name program. It’s been a long at winding road to the introduction of new top level domain names on the internet. It’s taken many more years than some applicants expected. For some companies, that’s meant multiple rounds of staffing up and then trimming employees. But in July of 2013 the program hit a major milestone: the first new TLD registry agreement was signed with ICANN. dotShabaka Registry inked the contract ... read more ...
Mon 23rd December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Calle: New TLDs will be good for .Co - .Co Internet CEO thinks new TLDs will gain acceptance over time and ultimately be good for his own .co domain name. Everyone has been asking the question about what new TLDs mean for .com. Few have been asking what new TLDs mean for existing alternatives to .com, such as .me, .info, and of course .co. .Co Internet CEO Juan Diego Calle has weighed in on the issue on the .Co company blog. It’s a well-thought out post worth reading in its entirety, but I’ll attempt ... read more ...
Fri 20th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
WIPO pats itself on a behind for Legal Rights Objections - Even if it didn’t mean to, WIPO should pat itself on the back for its handling of Legal Rights Objections. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has issued a lengthy report (pdf) detailing the process and results from managing Legal Rights Objections to new top level domain names. Although the report is merely an analysis, it appears WIPO is quietly patting itself on the back for a job well done. While the two other arbitration groups are still finalizing ... read more ...
Thu 19th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Clear examples of craziness in Limited Public Interest Objections - Latest .health decisions show that Limited Public Interest objections are not consistent. An International Chamber of Commerce panel has handed down a decision on a consolidated limited public interest objection against .health. The decision shows more inconsistencies in how panels are handling limited public interest objections. The case against DotHealth LLC’s (pdf) and Donuts’ .health (pdf) applications was filed by Independent Objector Alain Pellet. Pellet ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
This one striking threatens to derail swell in a new TLD program - “See, we told you this whole thing is a shakedown.” This one graphic below, as spotted by Michael Berkens earlier today and published on Vox Populi’s website, threatens to set the forward momentum of the new TLD program back quite a bit: (click here for full size) Any ground the Intellectual Property Constituency was going to give in its ongoing requests to ICANN. Any ground the Governmental Advisory Committee was going to give on its advice to ICANN. It’s ... read more ...
Wed 18th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
New TLD discussion finalizes bulletin for Mar event - Third installment of gTLD Strategy Congress returns to New York City in March. The 3rd Digital Marketing gTLD Strategy Congress is coming to New York City March 3-4 at the Dream Hotel. Momentum Event Group, the show’s organizer, has published the conference guide and agenda (pdf). It appears the show will be good for a wide variety of people involved with new TLDs as the domains launch next year. The audience at previous events has been primarily existing applicants ... read more ...
Tue 17th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Is there such a thing as a brandable general TLD? - Some generic domain extensions will need to create a brand to be successful. Over a thousand new top level domain names are headed to the web, and hundreds of them will be open to the general public for registration. A lot of them are generic in nature: .web, .site, .website… Much like .info, you can register these domain names for any use. The domain names make sense and they aren’t limited to a niche. But could a generic domain name become a brand of its own? One ... read more ...
Mon 16th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
People are already frontrunning on a subsequent turn of new TLDs - .Whatever trademark applications are still being submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Before the application period for the current round of new top level domain names opened, many people and companies filed trademark applications to try to claim superior rights to strings. They applied for trademarks on .app, .wedding…you name it. The practice was known as new TLD trademark fronrunning. This didn’t actually do them any good in the application process. ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
ICANN updates new TLD auction plans, still no fortitude for surreptitious contention - ICANN has published new rules for upcoming auctions which will resolve top level domain strings with more than one applicant. ICANN has published updated rules for its so-called “Auctions of Last Resort” to resolve new top level domain name contention sets. It has also published a draft schedule for the auctions. ICANN hopes to resolve 20 contention sets per month via auction. With 201 contention sets, this means the auction procedure could extend into 2015. This ... read more ...
Fri 13th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
A small bit some-more about a Trademark Clearinghouse’s extended warning service - Answers to two questions about the TMCH extending alerts beyond 90 days. Yesterday I wrote about how the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) is extending the amount of time it will alert trademark holders if someone registers domains that contain their mark. Originally set for just 90 days, now the TMCH will extend the service for as long as a mark is registered with the TMCH. (For more background, see my previous story.) Some readers brought up good questions, which I ... read more ...
Thu 12th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
It looks like someone is already typosquatting on recently substituted tip turn domain names - Just a few dozen second level domain names for new TLDs have been registered so far. Yet it looks like people are already typosquatting on them. Last week .Club Domains LLC, the company that’s launching the .club top level domain name, bought nicclub.com for $3,500 on Sedo. Anyone who has been following new top level domain name delegations will immediately recognize this as a defensive move for what will become a typo of .Club’s first second level domain name, ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Objection Panel goes Rogue and Kills .Hospital domain name - Two members of an objection panel come up with their own rules for whether a top level domain name is acceptable. An International Chamber of Commerce panel has killed the .hospital top level domain name by siding with the Independent Objector in a Limited Public Interest Objection against Donuts. I believe the panel wrote its own rules and came to its decision improperly. It went rogue. And to back me up, I have a concise and clearly written dissent (pdf) by one ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
ICANN Ombudsman questioning unsuitable new TLD conflict decisions - ICANN’s Ombudsman is looking into consistency of new top level domain name objections. Both new top level domain name applicants and objectors have been grasping for options after falling on the adverse side of panels’ decision. Many have filed reconsideration requests with ICANN’s board, all of which have been denied so far. Others have turned to courts. ICANN seems content to sit on the sidelines and see how everything plays out. Which is why upset parties ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Trademark Clearinghouse extends warning use over 90 days - Extension will mostly benefit companies that pay more for longer TMCH registrations. The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) for new top level domain names has extended the amount of time it will notify rights holders that domain names matching their trademarks have been registered. As background, registering a mark with the TMCH provides three services to rights holders when it comes to new top level domain names: 1. Initial eligibility to participate in sunrise periods. 2. ... read more ...
Mon 9th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
You’d contend .com is dead, too! - It has a nice ring to it. Over the weekend Elliot Silver posted an ad with the headline “Dot Com is Dead” from Minds + Machines. I’ve seen a lot of other blog posts about how new TLD backers are beating the drum that .com is dead. Domainers commenting on the posts then typically say that the idea that .com is dead is ridiculous. Of course it’s ridiculous. But it’s also exactly what you’d say if you were a new TLD operator. It sure beats “.Com is the ... read more ...
Thu 5th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
How most will Domainers and Defensive Registrations matter for new TLD operators? - New TLD registries will need to count on domainers and defensive registrations if they hope to amass a large registration base. Every new top level domain name applicant I’ve spoken with will swear they aren’t counting on defensive registrations to build their domain base. Even those whose business model depends on companies wanting to make sure people don’t think they .suck. Many of them also say they don’t want or care about the domain investor’s business. They’re ... read more ...
Wed 4th December 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Are 10,000 registrations a picturesque idea for niche new tip turn domains? - So far, most new TLD registries are pricing their domains at a big premium to .com. Will that limit registration numbers? We’re starting to get a better idea of how new top level domain name registries are going to price domain names. It appears many are taking the .TV approach, essentially pricing out any value domainers can get from registering the domains and selling them (if there is much value to capture to begin with). We’re also seeing niche domain priced ... read more ...
Fri 29th November 2013
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Will companies use .BlackFriday domain names? - .BlackFriday domain names will soon be available. Will they be useful? It’s Black Friday in the United States, the day that kicks off the holiday shopping season. Frank Schilling’s Uniregistry applied to run the .blackfriday top level domain name. It’s possible this domain will be available by Black Friday 2014 despite a very poor priority draw number of 1415. This is a unique domain in that it is targeted to a short period of time during the year; perhaps ... read more ...