Monday, December 31, 2012

The Prioritization Draw and what's coming next

Thursday, December 20, 2012

What is ICANN?

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Results of the new gTLD prioritization Draw for wine applications

There are 4 applications related to the wine business in the new gTLD program. Yesterday took place new gTLD prioritization draw where each application was assigned a randomly-drawn priority number. These priority numbers are used to determine the order in which initial evaluation results are released. To learn more about the "Initial Evaluation", the direct link on the ICANN web site is here (watch the video).

On the 1917 applications, 4 applications are related to wine:
  1. .VIN from "Holly Shadow, LLC" came out first on position 618;
  2. .WINE application number 1 from "June Station LLC" came out in second, on position 917;
  3. .WINE application number 2 from "dot Wine Limited" came out third, on position 1158;
  4. .WINE application number 3 from "Afilias Limited" came out fourth, on position 1291.

Unless I am wrong, I believe .VIN domain names could see the day before .WINE unless the .VIN application is blocked because of the GAC Early Warning or an Objection(s). Even it this was the case, I doubt this will happen. It is possible the Independent Objector acts too.

Even if I completely disagree with ICANN regarding how similar applications in different languages are considered, another good thing for the .VIN application is that - and this is a paradox - ICANN seems to consider that .VIN  has nothing to do with .WINE. Writing the famous New gTLD Applicant Guidebook, no one has imagined a Top-Level Domain could mean the exact same thing in another language and raise the exact same problems when it addresses to a specific industry (1).

Also, the Applicant Guidebook does not consider that a specific industry targeted by a domain name extension should be consulted: wine institutions where never asked this simple question: "what do you think about creating domain name extensions for the wine business?". ICANN considers it is the role of the one who pays to offer domain name registration rules, not the industry targeted to write them and ensure consumers will be protected: the Registrants (basically: you). A good solution offered by ICANN was to apply as a "Community project" and have the extension endorsed by a representative of a Community...but unfortunately:
  1. Few knew;
  2. Few paid interest;
  3. No one in the wine industry had the money to invest in these expensive new gTLDs;
  4. Those who knew:
    1. ...you will read the end of this sentence in my memories;
    2. ...you will read the end of this sentence in my memories;
    3. ...you will read the end of this sentence in my memories.
So according to ICANN and since .VIN has absolutely nothing to do with .WINE, these 2 applications will probably be treated separately and one will see the day before the other!

There are 3 .WINE applications in competition and it is possible they go to auction unless 2 of the 3 applicants drop theirs and/or have objections. Here too, it is possible the Independent Objector decides to act.
What is important here is that all .WINE applications are linked in the validation process and one of them is in position 1291 on a list of 1917 when .VIN is in position 618. The application for .VIN will be treated first.

It is also possible I am completely wrong but all comments are welcome and will be published on LinkedIn if you want to participate.

(1) "vin" means "wine" in French :-)

Results of the new gTLD prioritization Draw

The official and complete list is available on the ICANN website:
  1. Down this page, you will find the list of applications with a prioritization number;
  2. Final results will be posted within 24 hours of the end of the ICANN "Draw on the New gTLD Current Application Status" web page (check the top left colon);
  3. The official PDF file of results can be directly downloaded here.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Registries to launch their official web sites

Some more potential Registries are launching their websites:
  1. .AIRFORCE : www.dotairforce.com;
  2. .ARMY : www.dotarmy.net;
  3. .DEMOCRAT : www.dotdemocrat.net;
  4. .NAVY : www.dotnavy.net;
  5. .NINJA www.dotninja.co;
  6. .REPUBLICAN www.dotrepublican.net;
  7. Many more are to launch soon...
Some of these applications had GAC Early Warnings raised which means the Top-Level Domain applied for (the domain name extension) may not see the day.

Today is "The Draw"

Today is an important day for all applicants of the new gTLD process since the Draw will determine the order by which applications will move through the remaining stages of the new gTLD program.

The Prioritization Draw is an equitable and fair way to order the release of initial evaluation results for all new gTLD applications.

It is possible to watch this event online, a live stream will be available on the ICANN web site today: 17 December 2012 at 1:00 PM PST.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

New gTLD web designer and educator

I will not use (again) the example of problems the wine industry is about to face if .VIN and .WINE domain names don't have the same rules (to register domain names) but if I can be sure about one thing, it is what is written below:


For new gTLD design education, contact Jean Guillon (for graphics and design, I will give you another address).

How to Resolve Multiple Applications for the Same gTLD - with Monte Cahn

Contention Sets in New gTLDs

Introduction to New gTLDs

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

New gTLDs Community is launched

Many of you already know about the "New generic Top-Level Domains" group on LinkedIn. I often received very good feed-backs about it and most of its members like to receive daily news i their emails about what is happening in the new gTLD world.

A few days ago, Google offered a new tool to create "Communities". I find Google is very efficient: when it launches a tool, it improves it with time.

I will be posting on this new community I just created. Guess how I named it: The new generic Top-Level Domains community.

Feel free to join.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Update: GAC Early Warning for .VIN

This post follows my previous post regarding the answer received from the French GAC.

GAC members were kind enough to explain to me the process followed by the French Government to have a GAC Early Warning raised.

My English is not good enough to translate the sentence after so I will leave as it is, it French, and so non French speakers - just like it is the case for most ICANN publications - I will request English readers to learn French to understand what is written :

;-)

"Dans le processus retenu, il appartenait en effet aux ministères techniques de formuler des demandes d'alertes sur les projets qu'ils avaient identifiés comme problématiques. La liste définitive a été fixée lors d'une réunion interminitérielle à Matignon.

Le ministère des Affaires étrangères et le ministère des Finances ne jouent dans ce cadre qu'un rôle de relais entre les ministères de référence et le Board de l'ICANN.

Aussi, afin de discuter des motifs qui ont conduit à une alerte précoce sur le .vin, je vous invite si vous le souhaitez à vous rapprocher du ministère de l'Agriculture, et notamment de...
"

As usual, I will come back with an answer, if I receive one.

11 December 2012:
I was explained the reason why .VIN received an Early Warning and not .WINE and I am afraid I won't be giving more details. End of the story.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Update on the Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress (March 11, 2013)

Carl Fremont from Digitas, one of the leading Integrated brand agencies is confirmed to speak on the agenda of the Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress which will take place in New-York City in March 11-12, 2013 at the Dream Downtown Hotel.

Two senior speakers from leading agency Interbrand are also confirmed to speak.

Many of the round 1 applicants have told organizers of the conference that they are very keen to hear from the agencies as this will help them refine their launch strategies as well as identify what content should appear on their TLD as opposed to their dot com.

Will also be announced this week that Georges-Edouard Dias was secured to speak, he is the Chief Digital Officer at L'Oréal: a keynote at the event. As a major brand with 13 or so applications L'Oréal has a really interesting story to tell to the audience. 

For more information or to register to attend please visit www.gtldworldcongress.com

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Answer received from the French GAC regarding .VIN

This answer follows my previous post entitled "French GAC Early Warning for the .VIN new gTLD" dated 27 of November.

A question was asked to the French GAC on the reason why .VIN received an Early Warning and .WINE did not?

With the approval for publication of Camille Angue, Diplomate - Ministère français des affaires étrangères - Numérique & Gouvernance d'internet, here is the answer I received:

"Pour votre information, les early warning n'ont pas été déclenchés par le MAE (1) ou Bercy (2), mais font toujours suite à une demande émanant du ministère technique en charge du dossier concerné (ici, l'agriculture)".

and:

"...la liste finale a été arrêtée lors d'une réunion interministérielle à Matignon (3)".

Translation

The .VIN GAC Early Warning was submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture after ministries met with the Prime minister during a meeting. Apparently a list of new gTLD applications was drafted and a selection was made for Early Warnings. At least this is how I understand it but I cannot tell if .WINE was on that list.

I was invited to discuss this...


A few definitions (since you are supposed to know all acronyms above):
  1. "MAE", pick-up one here (but I suggest "Ministry of Foreign Affairs");
  2. "Bercy", pick-up one here (but I suggest "Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry");
  3. "Matignon", pick-ip one here (but I suggest "the office of our Prime Minister").

Milestone is reached: 1000 members (LinkedIn)

Today, the "New generic Top-Level Domains" group welcomes its member n° 1000.

This discussion group is open and you are welcome to join.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

L'Icann peine à se mettre au français

26 octobre 2012 : Grande nouvelle!

Le site officiel de l’Independent Objector (Objecteur Indépendant) de l’ICANN est en ligne… annoncée depuis plusieurs semaines, la version française du site se fait attendre...

La suite de cet article dans le JDN.
La version anglaise sur CircleID.

ICANN: in English only?

"Objection, Your Honour!"

26 October 2012: Big news! The official website of the ICANN Independent Objector is now online. Another piece of good news announced at the same time is that the site will also offer a French version, which was under construction at the time. More than a month later, the French version is still under construction

Read the end of this article "in english" on CircleID. French version is available on the JDN.

French GAC Early Warning for the .VIN new gTLD

I keep wondering why the French Governments submitted an early warning for the .VIN new gTLD and not for .WINE.

I just wrote to the two French GAC Representatives with the following question:

"Je souhaite connaître la raison de la publication de l'Early Warning concernant le .VIN alors que le .WINE n'en a pas reçu du gouvernement Français."

Translation: "I would like to know the reason why an Early Warning was submitted for the .VIN new gTLD and not for .WINE".

The French GAC representatives are:

Laurent Ferrali
Chargé de mission Gouvernance de l'Internet et satellites
DGCIS -- Service des Technologies de l'Information et de la communication
and

Camille Angué
Ministère des affaires étrangères et Européennes
Direction générale de la mondialisation, du développement et des partenariats
Sous-direction de l'audiovisuel extérieur et des technologies de communication
Gouvernance de l'Internet

With their approval, and if they answer me, I will come back with an answer.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

2 GAC Early Warnings for the .VIN new gTLD

The "GAC" is part of the ICANN new gTLD validation process. As defined on its web site: "The GAC's key role is to provide advice to ICANN on issues of public policy, and especially where there may be an interaction between ICANN's activities or policies and national laws or international agreements."

The GAC filed 242 objections and these were published today. There are 2 warnings for the .VIN new generic Top Level Domain. I was filed by France, the other one by the Luxembourg.

I can't help it witting this but...there is one new gTLD applicant for .VIN and there are 3 for .WINE but there are no Early Warnings for any of the 3 other .WINE applications! This shows, once again, the lack of understanding by Governments. I love to read in one of the reason/rationale for the warning of .VIN:
  • "Any product that does not comply with these rules cannot be marketed under the denomination “wine” or “vin” in French".
  • "Hence, for the award of the tld .vin it is important to have strict rules verifying a close relation with the wine."
The results of these warnings could seriously endanger Registrants (those who would be interested in registering a .vin domain name) to ever be able to register a .vin domain name. These Early Warnings for the .VIN new gTLD only open the way to have different domain name registration rules for .vin and .wine domain names. There is a long discussion about this issue on LinkedIn.

Should Governments have written these objections for one string only and not its translation in English? Certainly not because it is just a non sense to do it for one and not the other. By doing so it is possible the applicant for .VIN just follows a "Possible Remediation" suggested by the French Government: the simple withdrawal of the application.

In one word: would the applicant for .VIN withdraw its application, the English language, once again, could thank the French Government for offering the wine industry an online identity in English only: the .wine domain names.

I wonder what is going to happen now for the .VIN new gTLD but solutions exist.

What to read now:
  1. The list of GAC Early Warnings is available here;
  2. GAC Early Warning by the French government is here;
  3. GAC Early Warning by the Luxembourg is here.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

New TLDs made simple

Friday, November 16, 2012

The new gTLD Pioneer Program

My latest (and small) article entitled "Fashion of the Moment: The "Pioneer Program" is available on CircleID.

I strongly encourage applicants wondering about their launching and future Communication to read it. Are concerned applicants with the intention to sell domain name and whose application is not in competition with a similar one.

More on CircleId.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Update: slides of the latest ICANN new gTLD webinar

Agenda of tonight's new gTLD Webinar (14 November 2012):
  1. Application statistics
  2. Evaluation progress
  3. Clarifying questions
  4. Prioritization draw
Download the PDF presentation (slides) for the update.

Recent new gTLD application statistics


What to read about new gTLDs at the moment

A few articles I recommend the reading:
  1. ICANN's agenda by FAIRWINDS PARTNERS, click here;
  2. Applicant auction for Top-Level-Domains:
 resolving contention fairly, efficiently & transparently, click here (a must-read);
  3. .WINE et .VIN pourraient poser problème (you probably noticed it is written in French), click here;
  4. .BIM new gTLD story, click here for the lawsuit (1) and here for some more info (2);
  5. The Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress (March 11 & 12, 2013 in New York City);
  6. Selling your new gTLD application is possible, click here;
  7. ICANN CEO to announced expanded partnership initiatives, click here;
You will need to be logged in LinkedIn.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

"I'm the new ICANN president and I'm new"

Remarks by Fadi Chehadé at the Opening Ceremony of the 7th Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan – 06 November 2012

We should give a big hand to the people who have been sitting here through all these speeches; so Under Secretary Wu and Dr. Ali, thank you. I am last, so I have to be quick because I stand between you and a fabulous lunch.

First, my big thanks to the people of Azerbaijan. If there are people from Azerbaijan here, you should know we feel very welcome. This is a great place to be, very warm hospitality. Thank you for that. Thank you for all the work you have put to make us comfortable.

Okay, so I'm the new ICANN president and I'm new and so it's a new beginning and a new season at ICANN. I say it's a new season because one of the things we are committed to do at ICANN is to open ICANN to the world and to bring ICANN to the world. So the first things we are doing are to demonstrate our commitment that ICANN is not an organisation that is limited by its geography. On a practical level, we are getting out of Los Angeles and we're going to the world, we're going to be opening offices around the world, sending our people around the world and reducing our focus from our internal operations to focussing on engagement.

So we brought on board Sally Costerton who is based in Europe and Dr. Tarek Kamel who will soon be based also in the Asian region so we can bring what we do and who we are closer to you, our stakeholders, the people we're supposed to serve and we're committed to do that.

The second thing we're going to do is to stop being a fortress. ICANN should be an oasis that people find as a great place to get their business done, to get their work done. We are going to remove the walls, we are going to make it easier to engage. One of the ministers here asked me, "How do we work with ICANN? Tell me how. We want to engage." We're going to make that possible by engaging, by inviting, by facilitating, by making our structures easier to understand so that all of you can be part of this great mission that we were entrusted with.

On that point, I want to be clear, I am now clear after having spent a couple of months on this: our mission is a limited mission. It is an important mission but it is a limited mission. We belong to an ecosystem of organisations that have roles in the internet. We do our part, they do their part. You saw as a beginning of this new season today when Secretary General Toure brought up how we will work together in this new season. His work at the ITU, the work that our friends at ISOC do, the work that our friends at the IETF do, the work that happens in all the organisations that co-ordinate together to make this possible is important.

My commitment as ICANN is to make sure we're open and we remove the walls and we're truly an oasis of partnerships of real work, of committed work. Finally, I just want to remind us why we're all doing this, why we're all doing this. We're doing this for two reasons: (1) I'm an internet entrepreneur and for 25 years

I've built internet-based companies and I've benefited from the internet. We should make sure that this opportunity that I had is available to all the children and all the youth on the planet who have the possibility to build their dreams on the internet today. This is why I am here because I want to allow others to benefit in the same way I was lucky to benefit from this great enterprise.

The second reason we're here is best embodied in the little girl Malala. Malala, at the age of 11, decided to write a blog and because of it today she lies in a hospital bed trying to live. It is for her that we need to keep this open, we need to work with all the organisations with a deep commitment that young people like Malala can continue voicing what is on their mind, what is in their heart and what they believe and together with all the organisations that I mentioned (the ISOC, the ITU, the W3C, the IETF), all the organisations of goodwill, we are going to make this happen. Thank you.

Remarks by Fadi Chehadé | Opening Ceremony | ICANN

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress

Thursday November 8, 2012. New York: The Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress today announced the keynote, speakers, initial sponsors, partners and dates for the inaugural event taking place March 11 & 12, 2013 in New York City.

By mid-2013, the current top level domains (TLDs) such as .com, .net and .org will be joined by several hundred new generic TLDs (gTLDs). These include branded additions such as .Walmart, .Amazon and .Google as well as generic category TLDs like .shop, .money and .app.
The Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress has been created to bring together digital marketing & branding leadership from the world’s most iconic brands, the creative minds from many of the leading branding agencies as well as the domain and registry community for two days of learning and networking in advance of the release of the first tranche of these new top level domains.

“More than 1900 applications for new TLDs have been received by ICANN, the internet’s governing body, many from leading brands who are looking to dominate or protect their own corner of the web” remarked Christine Hess, event director. ''Today's digital brands need to work fast to ensure that they have a strategy in place for a future with more than 1000 new top level domains.”

The congress is supported by The Advertising Club of New York, Afilias, Domain Diction, Domain Incite, CircleID, WIPR, The Domains, Domain Name Wire and Jovenet and features senior speakers from Afilias, Neustar, Landor, Donuts, Citibank, Dot.Org (The Public Interest Registry), Dot.Ski, Columbia Business School, and Deloitte.
Roland LaPlante, CMO and Senior Vice President of Afilias commented. “ICANN’s new gTLD program will forever change the way brands leverage the Internet. Brand Managers and Agencies that figure this out early will gain first mover advantages and a real boost versus competition.”

With ICANN presently expected to make their initial approvals by June 2013, this essential event is perfectly timed and located to provide applicant brands with the information and support they will need prior to launch - as well as give non applicant, and prospective applicant brands the information and guidance they need to navigate the new Internet landscape.
Conference keynote, Louis Cohen, SVP, Citibank, North America Marketing, Head of Search & Affiliate Marketing remarked “Whether your organization has applied for a Top Level Domain or not, any digital marketer or brand manager that is not already working on their strategy will be at a marked disadvantage once the new gTLD’s come onstream in 2013.”

To review the agenda outline and to inquire about the few remaining speaking opportunities please visit www.gtldworldcongress.com . For more information on speaking, sponsoring, partnering or attending, please contact Christine Hess at christine@convenecom.com.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

.WINE et .VIN pourraient poser problème

Dans son organisation lourde et complexe, l'ICANN propose de participer à la méthode de l'ordre dans lequel seront traitées les candidatures.

Comme vous le savez, il y a 3 candidatures pour une extension .WINE et une seule pour le .VIN

Bien que je souhaiterais que ces extensions voient le jour le plus rapidement possible, l'ordre dans lequel 2 candidatures pour une extension traduite dans 2 langues différentes entre dans son processus de validation pose problème: non seulement si elles ne sont pas traitées en même temps mais aussi si les 2 candidatures ne proposent pas les mêmes conditions d'éligibilités.

Imaginez un instant vous voir refuser l'enregistrement à marque.wine alors que vous êtes le titulaire de marque.vin (...)

Il est difficile d'imaginer qu'un candidat souhaitant enregistrer son "domaine.wine" ne puisse pas prétendre au même "domaine.vin". De même, il me semble tout à fait inconcevable qu'un risque puisse exister de ne pas pouvoir accéder au même nom de domaine sous le prétexte que les conditions d'enregistrement diffèrent d'une extension à l'autre, pire: qu'un candidat puisse rater l'enregistrement de son second nom de domaine (dans l'autre extension) car les dates de lancement des deux extensions sont décalées de plusieurs mois. N'oublions pas que plus le délais entre le lancement de 2 extensions en langues différentes est important, plus celui-ci donne de temps aux cybersquatteurs et spéculateurs potentiels de s'organiser pour faire leur marché. 

Si aucun mécanisme n'est prévu pour contrer les exemples cités ci-dessus, le lancement des extensions du vin  pourrait causer bien des dégâts chez les intéressés.

Ces questions ne sont pas soulevées, ni dans le processus de traitement des candidatures, ni dans la méthodologie générale proposées par l'ICANN ("Applicant Guidebook") et viennent s'ajouter à celle de la protection des Indications Géographiques et autres appellations.

J'ai donc participé au processus ICANN en écrivant une brève publication dont je recommande la lecture: http://forum.icann.org/lists/drawing-prioritization/msg00018.html

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

New gTLD Infographics by United Domains

Monday, October 29, 2012

Nouveaux gTLD: prennez votre temps

Je lis avec intérêt la chronique de Mailclub sur l'état d'avancement de la procédure URS (Uniform Rapid Suspension System), une procédure "améliorée" créée spécialement pour les nouvelles extensions Internet.

Pourtant, comme de nombreux candidats, je pense à autre chose.

La suite sur le Journal Du Net.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Reminder about the Independent Objector (IO)

The official web site of the Independent Objector was just launched in English and...in French*

Again, I would like to insist on how important his role is in the new gTLD program as he acts solely in the best interests of the public and can object to highly objectionable gTLD applications. I encourage readers of this blog to read about his role again on his web site:

http://www.independent-objector-newgtlds.org/english-version/introducing-the-independent-objector/role-of-the-independent-objector/

If a public comment was submitted on the Limited Public Interest and/or the Community ground, the IO can submit an objection.

* I wonder who pays for Translations but if it is Icann and if it plans to have other languages translated, I have a very good address.


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

"The Community wants the work done at ICANN"



This is an interview from Fadi Chehadé (ICANN President and CEO) at the end of the Icann45 meeting.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Submission in the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH)

Today's Toronto session provided an update on the status of the Trademark Clearinghouse's implementation:
  1. Procedures for submission of trademark data into the Clearinghouse (the Trademark Clearinghouse is scheduled to accept entries from Q1 2013);
  2. Implementation of Sunrise and Trademark Claims processes during the startup phases of new gTLD registries.


Download the complete presentation located down this page (if not there, it should come soon).
Official web site for the Trademark Clearinghouse is: http://trademark-clearinghouse.com

How to resolve string contentions sooner

The applicant auction is a private auction to resolve string contentions in advance of the ICANN last-resort auction.

The advantage of the applicant auction is that all the value of the auction stays with the applicants. Moreover, since the contentions are resolved more quickly, ICANN may award the top-level domains to the winning applicants sooner.

What are the key benefits of the Applicant Auction?

Relative to the ICANN last resort auction, the applicant auction has many benefits. The applicant auction:
  1. maximizes the value of the domains by putting them to their best use;
  2. rapidly resolves contention leading to faster ICANN assignment;
  3. allows the applicants to retain the benefits of resolution, rather than sharing the benefits with ICANN;
  4. lowers the price paid by the buyer—the applicant with the highest bid; and
  5. compensates sellers—the applicants with lower bids—with a share of the buyer’s payment.
Workshops ended yesterday but I am sure interested applicants will learn more here.

A summary of yesterday's ICANN meetings

Simple, fast, efficient:


Kieren McCarthy is an acknowledged authority on the Internet and Internet governance. I also suggest to ckech .nxt, an information service covering the Internet policy and governance worlds.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

New gTLDs: lost? Then, read this

ICANN recently set up an extremely interesting web page called the "Applicants' Corner". This page, is an entry point to anything an applicant can be searching for: Trademark Clearinghouse, URS, Objections, etc...

I strongly suggest anyone involved, or not involved, in a new gTLD application to bookmark this page.
It would be appreciated to have an updated date next to each title anytime something new is added. I will send this request to ICANN.

Also, many more news are added daily into the new generic Top-Level Domains group on LinkedIn.

To check the Applicant's corner web page, click here: http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/corner

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Hypocrisy in new gTLDs: come on...of course not!

The interesting part of this video starts at 0:20.

Again, this video focusses on Donuts, a new gTLD applicant applying for multiple strings, but the fun part of this video is about the fantastic hypocrisy that exists in the world of new gTLDs and which starts at 0:46 when the Internet Property Lawyer starts to criticize Donuts (you will also find much more reading public comments by the way in the comments made by anonymous persons).

These are a few questions to Mr. David E. Weslow, an "Internet Property Lawyer":
  1. What do you think about an applicant applying for a new gTLD, which is a generic term such as "grocery", and who wants one single supermarket to own it for himself ?
  2. What do you think other Supermarkets in the world would think about this?
  3. Do you think it is fair for the average grocery store who would have the use of such domain names but who won't be able to use them beause they are "reserved"?
  4. For what reason on earth would one (1) American supermarket become the only legal entity to be authorized to register domain names ending in .grocery and, for example, allow itself to register such a valuable domain names like store.grocery ?


You did not understand this post? Download the public portion of the .grocery application and read its "Mission/Purpose".

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

An encrypted letter sent to ITU

This is a paragraph I picked up from an answer written to Petko Kantchev, Chair of the Informal Group of Experts, World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2013 (ITU) by the Internet Society (ISOC), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the Number Resource Organization (NRO):

"While we acknowledge and appreciate the openness in which the discussions of the WTPF-2013 have been held so far, we would hope that WTPF discussions not be pre-constrained to specific outcomes as expressed in paragraph 1.1.5. Furthermore, those contradictions that paragraph 1.1.5 calls to avoid may need to fully disclosed in order for the openness of the WTPF process to be maintained".

Okay...

The letter ends with "we strongly suggest finding an agreement on a main theme first": I would be happy if someone coud explain to me, with no acronym, what the main theme is.

Thank you.

:-)

For more, you can download the letter here (click on the PDF).

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Google's search engine is ready for new gTLDs

I recently read about a new search engine for the .XXX generic Top-Level Domain recently launched. Yes, it is possible to search for pornography only.

With niche registries about to launch, these new search engines may become of a serious interest for specific industries and communities.

I myself find it interesting to be able to search in a specific domain name extension only. As a wine and rugby fan, I would love to avoid .COM web sites and focus on .WINE web sites exclusively when it comes to searching an info. Chances are high that content found on a .WINE is more relevant than on a .COM.

Well, Google has always been ready for new gTLDs and here is an example on how to find content on .museum web sites only. Let's try with a search in Virginia for example and see if there is content available on Internet on web sites using .museum domain names:

When in google, enter "virginia" in the search box and look for the advanced search which allows to search in a specific domain name extension. It is located down the search page, look for "Advanced search" (below in yellow):


Then, you should enter ".museum" in the "site or domain" search box (below in yellow) and hit on the button "Advanced Search".


All results found will only be on .museum domain names, you can check the URLs:


Basically, it means that Google may be able to provide much better results according to a search related to a specific community, an industry or even a brand represented by a new generic Top-Level Domain.
The number of mouse clicks to reach the advanced search is important and I doubt that a person searching an information goes as far as this. Shall we ever see any www.google.football or www.google.art domain names to focus on niche strings and facilitate a search? Will a search on Google.com offer the option to target a specific extension?

Future will tell...when ICANN is ready.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

More public comments for .VIN and .WINE new gTLDs

As the end of public comments is approaching (today), participants, applicants, new comers, brands, competing applicants, imbeciles and law firms are publishing their last public comments.

A few were submitted by Richard Tindal, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Donuts, an applicant in competition for the .WINE new gTLD and only applicant for the .VIN (wine in French). His comment comes in two parts and is submitted to the attention of the String Similarity Evaluation Panel.

It starts with: "Donuts takes this opportunity to contribute to application comments relating to administration of new gTLDs, the issue of confusing similarity, and the potential addition of new rights protection mechanisms (RPMs)":
  1. Part one: "Walled Gardens and Community" is available here;
  2. Part two: "Confusing similarity" and "Uniform applications of new RPMs" can be read here.
The same public comments were submitted for the .VIN new gTLD.

Reminder: Project dotVinum, created in 2009 for wine new generic Top-Level Domains, supports Donuts new gTLD applications. The reason of this support is given in a public comment.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

New gTLDs latest news

I want to apologize for not publishing so much recently but you may have noticed many things are happening with ICANN at the moment :-)

Please check my latest news about new gTLDs:
  • Free Speech Coalition is against .Sex, .Porn and .Adult new gTLDs (more here);
  • ICANN meeting in Toronto: Full Schedule View (more here);
  • The new gTLD Early Warnings (Governmental Advisory Committee) - (more here);
  • ICANN seeks service providers for the URS (more here);
  • Trademark Clearinghouse Update (more here) ;
  • Better new gTLD trademark protections could come in the first round (more here);
  • Next ICANN webinar on Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) - (more here);
  • Icann "hastening the threat of monopolisation" through its new scheme to sell generic words (more here)?
  • New gTLD applicants to tell ICANN to keep dotless domains an option (more here);
  • Delaware secretary of state opposes .INC, .CORP and .LTD new gTLDs (more here);
  • Why some brands stayed out of first Dot-Brand auction (more here). According to this article, you can still acquire an new Top-Level Domain (...)
Please remember you should be registered in LinkedIn to check these links.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The .CLINIQUE Top-Level Domain

What is the purpose/mission of this proposed .CLINIQUE generic Top-Level Domain?

Applicant is part of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (“Estee Lauder”), one of the worldʹs leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products.

The proposed .clinique gTLD is a restricted, exclusively-controlled TLD that would potentially serve the purpose of enhancing and expanding Estée Lauder’s ability to:
  • Facilitate the achievement of Estée Lauder to develop, manufacture, market and sell the world’s best cosmetics, skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products;
  • Create a connected digital presence and personalized brand experience for customers, prospects, employees, joint ventures, business partners and communities where we do business; 
  • Deliver product and service marketing⁄advertising;
  • Enable marketing⁄technology campaign activation; 
  • Facilitate secure interaction and communication with individuals and entities with whom Estée Lauder has a business relationship; 
  • Improve business operations; 
  • Simplify Internet user navigation to information about Estée Lauder products and services; 
  • Demonstrate market leadership in protecting customer⁄member privacy and confidential information online; and
  • Meet future customer expectations and competitive market demands by continuing to develop & deploy leading edge products and services.
Operating rules
  • There will not be multiple applications for a particular domain in the proposed .clinique TLD because this will be an exclusively-controlled TLD where only 1 party, Estée Lauder, will be able to seek registrations;
  • The proposed .clinique TLD will be a self-funded, exclusively-controlled TLD available only to Estée Lauder. Thus, there will be no per domain name registration cost incurred by any party for this TLD and thus, no price changes and⁄or escalations for which registrants will need to be notified. 
Read the complete application details here.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

The .NGO Top-Level Domain

dotNGO, the project to establish and run the new generic Top Level Domain for the charity and NGO community is working with Public Interest Registry – the .org people.

Together they are working on the community bid to run .NGO. dotNGO was set up in 2008 to campaign for and promote the launch of a secure gTLD exclusively for the NGO sector. Until 2011 there was only a commercial initiative available (set up by dotNGO and partnered by another back-end registry provider) to apply for the domain as a “standard” or commercial application.

This commercial bid was backed by funding from an investors who saw commercial value in adding the domain to their proposed portfolio of applications. The dotNGO project as an organisation was not eligible to stand as a Community Applicant under the ICANN rules stating that the applicant for a community bid must be a pre-existing community member and not an organisation set up in response to the opening of the new gTLD space. dotNGO was of course set up in response to the ICANN process opening in mid 2008. 

In 2011 the campaign among NGO community members was taken up by Public Interest registry – who run the .org domain. dotNGO is now working exclusively with the community bid and PIR to make sure that the .NGO gTLD is a success, and rests in the hands of the NGO community themselves.

www.dotNGO.net is the project’s website.

Friday, September 14, 2012

New gTLDs events and Timeline: the WHEN question

There are many questions on the ICANN new gTLD program at the moment: many members of the new gTLD community start to wonder not "if" but "when" their application will see the day. Topics of the moment are:
  1. The Clarifying question;
  2. The Trademark ClearingHouse (...);
  3. Objections and change requests;
  4. Public comments;
  5. Batching.
There are probably many others but these are the one I keep an eye on at the moment.

I have been talking to a few "future" Registrants recently and there is one question that comes back frequently: "when can I buy a new domain name?"
Well, I am sorry but I do not have this answer and with the ICANN new gTLD program delays, I doubt no one can have an answer to that question.

But, part of his answer can be found down this page on the ICANN web site and in English (fot those who understand how to read it): http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/ but again, I am sorry to say that it does not tell much so I checked around and read the Com Laude Newsletter dated September 2012. Page 3 is their version of the new timetable and the processes involved.
Once again, the content of the Newsletter is a must read for anyone who needs an update on the ICANN new gTLD program but I strongly suggest to read page 3 to have a better visibility of the WHEN question.

What are the Clarifying Questions?

Monday, September 10, 2012

LinkedIn "New gTLDs" group to reach 900 members

A Milestone is reached today, the "new generic Top-Level Domains" group on LinkedIn reaches 900 members.

To join, click here: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/New-generic-TopLevel-Domains-1840166

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Top new gTLD discussions of the moment

These discussions were opened recently on LinkedIn:
  • Any new generic Top-Level for sale? More here.
  • New gTLD application change request process and criteria. More here.
  • Here are the first four new gTLD applications that have been withdrawn (isenbergondomains.com). More here.
  • TLDH (a new gTLD company) wants to unmask mystery gTLD commenter. More here.
Reminder: a free subscription to LinkedIn is required.


Friday, August 31, 2012

The .museum Top-Level Domain's potential

I support the .museum Top-Level Domain and prepared a presentation I would like to share. The article which introduces the presentation was posted on Circle ID.

Please read the article on CircleId.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Links to official documents (Specification 5)

Many of us have read Specification 5 of the Applicant Guidebook (4 June 2012) regarding reserved names at the second level in gTLD registries. Basically: which domain names should be reserved, and not allowed to be registered.

After searching in the Applicant Guidebook annexes and the entire new gTLD web site, I remember finding the documents on the United Nations' web site...after 20+ minutes searching. The two documents I am refering to*:
  1. The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World;
  2. The list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names.
I visited the web site yesterday to check the documents again and I found a draft dated 2006. I didn't want to spend 20 more minutes trying to locate the documents again so I sent an email and received a very fast and kind answer which I want to share with you:


The first document you list is only available for purchase and is not current.  If you want to purchase it, here’s the link:

The second set of information is available in the following document, which is current as of May 2012:


Even if most back-end registry providers will take care of these lists for their clients applicants, I suggest to double check if they have the latest documents.


* These are just 2 of the documents concerning reserved names. For the rest of them, I suggest to read Specification 5 again (page 46 of the Registry agreement in the Applicant Guidebook).

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

View a new gTLD Objection

Soon, the first objections can be viewed. According to the objection ground, it will be required to go to   individual Dispute Resolutions Service Provider's web sites; Here are the links:
  1. String Confusion: The International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR);
  2. Legal Rights: World Intellectual Property Organization = Cases Filed;
  3. Limited Public Interest: The International Center of Expertise of the International Chamber of Commerce = Cases Filed;
  4. Community: The International Center of Expertise of the International Chamber of Commerce =  Cases Filed
A report will be provided once the first String Confusion Objection is filed with the ICDR. As of today none have been filed, but my little finger tells me this will change.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Looking for the latest info about new gTLDs?

There is a funny thing about the "new generic Top-Level Domains" group I moderate on LinkedIn: I never really had to do any promotion. I was just the first one to think about opening such a group. Then, progressively, people came to subscribe naturally. There will soon be 900 members.

I am pretty much familiar with new gTLDs (I created one entire project - you possibly heard about the dotVinum project for wine domain names - and I provide(d) consultancy services for many companies) but I must admit I don't write so much about new gTLDs. When I do, it is on my blog but then, I like to share it with my LinkedIn group. I also like to comment when someone posts.

Of course I could use 10 more lines here to write about my holidays with my kids and how much I like wine but I am no sure it is what you want to read here :-)

What matters reading this post is that...when you post the link of something you wrote on another web site, here is what happens:

  1. Your link to your article is sent with its Title to all of the 874 subscribers of the group;
  2. You offer the group a possibility to comment, ask or answer a question;
  3. You offer another approach to understanding the ICANN new gTLD program;
  4. If you did not write an article on another web site, you can still post a new conversation.
To post your new gTLD articles, please join the New generic Top-Level Domains on LinkedIn.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Will BRAND work without the "." in front of it?

A frequently asked question is: If I register "dot BRAND", will I be able to use the label “BRAND” alone in a URL or an email address? What will happen if I do?

The SSAC is the ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee which advises the ICANN community and Board on matters relating to the security and integrity of the Internet's naming and address allocation systems.

Far too technical for me, I did not read the report entirely and was interested to know if:
  1. It was possible;
  2. Will dotless domains allowed to be used.
SSAC recommendation:

Dotless domains will not be universally reachable and the SSAC recommends strongly against their use. As a result, the SSAC also recommends that the use of DNS resource records such as A, AAAA, and MX in the apex of a Top-Level Domain (TLD) be contractually prohibited where appropriate and strongly discouraged in all cases.

You can download the PDF here to read the entire report.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Wine TLDs press review (.wine and .vin)

Wine new generic Top-Level Domains are mentionned in the online International press:
  • In China; in the ChinaDaily: OIV拟定.WINE和.VIN两个顶级域名;
  • In Italy, in Winenews: DOMINIO “.WINE”, DOPO LE PERPLESSITÀ DELL’OIV SUI POSSIBILI RISCHI DI UN UTILIZZO IMPROPRIO PER LE DENOMINAZIONI, L’ARABIA SAUDITA DICE NO PERCHÉ “SERVIREBBE A PROMUOVERE SOSTANZE CONTRO MORALE E RELIGIONE”. E I TEMPI PER IL VIA LIBERA SI ALLUNGANO;
  • In France, in Les Marchés (l'agroalimentaire au quotidien): Internet : le «.vin» mal vu par l’OIV;
  • In China, in Winechina.com: OIV关注.WINE和.VIN顶级域名使用;
  • In China, in Wine-info.com: .wine和.vin域名引起争议;
  • In England, in the drinks business: SAUDI ARABIA AND OIV OBJECT TO .WINE DOMAIN.
It took years for the wine industry to "notice" wine domain names are being created to give wine more vissibility on Internet. Now these domain names are being created - and will probably see the day - what matters now is that...they see the day the proper way.

More information about wine domain names can be found at www.dotvinum.org

Monday, August 20, 2012

Many new gTLD projects are French strings

This article is about French strings.

You kow, French are these guys who invented Internet, French fries, and who, apparently, advised fast foods to serve Hamburgers with bread and cheese ;-)
http://www.otherwine.fr/fr/rouge-narcissique.html
Some of the new gTLD applications published by ICANN are French strings. Most of them are words commonly used by French speaking persons. Most of them have a strong potential which could represent a serious interest.

Read the article, in French, on Le Journal Du Net

A special Thank to OTHERWINE

Saturday, August 18, 2012

New gTLD apps: statement of the problem

ICANN just published an update on the roadmap for processing new gTLD applications.

A few things I note:

  • There are 2 phases: two phases: Evaluation followed by Pre-delegation steps, then Delegation;
  • The evaluation of all the new gTLD applications in a "single batch" can be completed in 11-12 months, possibly less;
  • Proposed solutions for Metering are being considered in coordination with the ICANN community;
  • Development of a metering solution (tentative) (December 19, 2012 – January 18, 2013): Solution implementation;
  • October – November 2012: GAC early warnings anticipated;
  • June 2013: Publication of Initial Evaluation results;
  • August 2013: First delegation request;
  • HOW I LOVE TO READ THIS: The current Evaluation phase is estimated at eleven months. This has been significantly accelerated from previously posted timelines. Additional acceleration is being sought and will be reported if and when new timelines are agreed.
Read the announcement here.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Trademark Clearinghouse explained

The Trademark Clearinghouse explained by two service providers:

  1. gTLD STRATEGY, a FairWinds blog;
  2. IP Rota, Briefing Note on ICANN’s Trademark Clearinghouse.
Probably many, many more to come in the coming months :-)

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Public Comments: the new end date is now 26 September 2012

ICANN considers your requests:

"The Applicant Guidebook states that the public comment period could be extended based on the number of applications received. Leading up to the original 60-day deadline, ICANN received input from the community that this window should be extended to provide for the additional time needed to analyze and provide thoughtful comment on the significantly larger than 500 applications originally anticipated".



Read the official announcement here.

To submit a public comment, click here.
To lear IN FRENCH how to submit a public comment.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

New gTLD Program Update: start of Initial Evaluation

The PDF presentation of the Webinar can be downloaded here.

Agenda included:

  • Status (dates):
  • Communications;
  • Evaluations Underway;
  • Initial Evaluation;
  • Early Observations & Clarification Questions;
  • Metering / Batching (dates);
  • Key Dates (dates).

More on the ICANN web site.

Video about .post new gTLD recently launched

More Wine new gTLDs Public Comments (23)

Many public comments for both ".wine" and ".vin" domain name extensions were published these last days, subjects of public comments were:
  • Rights Protection Mechanisms;
  • Avoiding bad faith registrations;
  • Objection statement;
  • Geographical indication in wine sector;
  • عدم السماح بتسجيل هذا الاسم.
Some comments are the same "copy-paste" for different applicants.

Panels and objections grounds are:
  • Registry Services Evaluation Panel;
  • String Similarity Evaluation Panel;
  • String Confusion Objection Ground;
  • Geographic Names Evaluation Panel;
  • Community Evaluation Panel.
Affiliations of entities publishing these comments are:
  • Prudential Financial, Inc.;
  • TIFFANY & CO.;
  • AIM - European Brands Association;
  • H.J. Heinz;
  • Public TLD;
  • International Organisation of Vine and Wine;
  • Self;
  • Sunkist Growers, Inc.
Most of these comments are not made to protect the wine universe and most are general: I mean they could have been submitted for any string.

One is interesting, it tries to defend an existing .WINE string in an Alternative DNS root. Unfortunately, an interesting comment addressed to the "Community Evaluation Panel" is in a language I cannot read but should probably be taken into account by panelists*.

The one addressed to the "Geographic Names Evaluation Panel" and which is entitled "Geographical indication in wine sector" is written by The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). This organization, based in Paris, is also an intergovernmental organisation (www.oiv.int) directly affiliated to a strong wine community worldwide: it represents 44 Member states (Australia, France, South Africa...) and has many observers.
It is possible panelists consider this comment.

To read .wine public comments, you should go to here, "search by string" and enter "wine", then click on "Go": the list will appear.

* I finally translated it with Google Translate and for what I read, all I can add is "no comment".

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Correspondences with ICANN and notices of breach

ICANN is an organization which deals with issues through correspondences. For a better transparency, these are made public.

The ICANN correspondence page lists all letters sent to the organization. Senders give a name, a title and an affiliation. Such affiliation can be the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), one of its sub organizations or any other: a new gTLD project or an organization affiliated to it. Below is the list of affiliations for the month of July 2012:
  • The Association of National Advertisers (ANA);
  • ICANN Board;
  • The DotGreen Community, Inc.;
  • Foundation for Assistance for Internet Technologies and Infrastructure Development (FAITID);
  • United Nations;
  • SSAC (Security and Stability Advisory Committee).
Then, the type of issue is mentioned. Most of the time it is a "notice of breach". Here is a list for the month of July:
  • Notice of Breach;
  • Extension of the Application Public Comment Window for New gTLDs;
  • Processing of Applications for New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs);
  • The New gTLD Program and the Public Interest;
  • Support of the SSAC Letter to ICANN Board;
  • IGO Domain Names;
  • New Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) Process.
You can write to ICANN for any issue transmitting your document via electronic mail (email), facsimile (fax) and postal mail.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Trying to submit a comment on new TLD applications

Saturday, July 28, 2012

2 public comments for the .WINE new gTLD applications

The "public comments" allow any interested party to comment any new gTLD application in the ICANN new gtLD program.

On July the 27, two comments were submitted by to the applications of 2 of the 3 applicants for the .WINE string:

  1. dot Wine Limited based in Gibraltar (application);
  2. Affilias Limited based in Ireland (application).
The comments were sent to the "Registry Services evaluation Panel" and the subject is "The Rights Protection Mechanisms".

The comment is the same for both applications:

The inclusion of stronger Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) would improve the operation of this applied-for new gTLD. Such additional mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, the blocking mechanism put in place by ICM Registry for the launch of the .XXX gTLD, the blocking mechanism proposed by Uniregistry, Corp. in its gTLD applications, or the Domain Protected Marks List (DPML) proposed by Donuts, Inc. and DMIH Limited in each organizations’ respective gTLD applications.

During the .XXX sunrise registration period, a period where trademark owners are traditionally offered the opportunity to register their trademarks for a premium fee that is then paid every year upon renewal of the registration, ICM Registry also offered a "block" option. In other words, instead of requiring companies to register domain names containing their trademark and pay yearly renewal fees, ICM Registry offered companies the option of 1) choosing the traditional registration, which gives the company the option to use the domain name, or 2) paying a one-time fee to block the name in perpetuity. Internet users who navigated to blocked names would be greeted with a notice that the name was blocked, and the company would not have the option of using it unless it changed to the traditional renewal fee model. This has proved to be a welcome solution for brand owners. Similarly, a DPML blocks the registration of second-level domains that contain, or are a close variant of, a trademark registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse. The crucial difference between this mechanism and many of the post-registration dispute resolution procedures in development, such as the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) system, is that it will prevent third parties from infringing on trademarks in the first place, thus saving trademark owners the time and financial burden of pursuing legal action against these parties.

Over 400 applications have included one of these additional RPMs, which are a proactive approach towards rights protection.



Check public comments here.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Analysis of New gTLDs

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Meet with .WINE applicants for "internet.wine" domain names like


Meet with applicants who applied to govern .wine and .vin domain names: only one will receive ICANN's approval (ex: www.brand.wine).

I strongly recommend to click on the link entitled: "String: WINE (download public portion of application)" to download all 3 applications.

You will be required to download the web pages. Then you will find many parts numbered but 4 of them are really interesting for the end user (those who will buy these domain names to use them with their web site and email):
  1. 18 (a) - This part explains the mission/purpose of the string (ex: .wine) according to each applicant;
  2. 18 (b) - This part explains how .WINE domain names will benefit end users (Internet users with a web site which deals with wine);
  3. 18 (c) - This part explains who and how you will be able to acquire a .wine domain name;
  4. 22 - This part is a very important one. It explains how geographic names will be protected: interested in learning how each applicant plans to protect Geographical Indications? This is where you will find your answers.
To check applicants and their WINE applications, click here

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

ICANN new gTLD program monitoring

New gTLD applications are public but still very complex to understand. Many brands still DO NOT KNOW that applications can be checked.

Most brands DO NOT KNOW they can comment an application so panellist may take these comments into account.

The "ICANN new gTLD program monitoring" allows brands, brands gTLDs, and generic TLDs applicants to monitor competitors during the ICANN validation process and behave accordingly.

This offer also allows non-applicants to monitor possible future infrigements to their brands.

More offers are available on Jovenet.com

Thursday, July 5, 2012

French banks to apply for the .BANQUE new gTLD

The .BANQUE generic Top-Level Domain:

6 major French banks apply for the French string .BANQUE (bank in Eglish):
  1. BNP PARIBAS;
  2. BPCE;
  3. CAISSE CENTRALE DU CREDIT MUTUEL;
  4. CREDIT AGRICOLE SA;
  5. LA BANQUE POSTALE;
  6. SOCIETE GENERALE.
Gexban SAS's objective is to develop .banque domain names for eligible entities and banks regulators.

More about Gexban SAS here.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Promote your Top-Level Domain

Promote your Top-Level Domain with the "New gTLD expansion program"

Since June the 13th, all new gTLD applications have been made public and for those who will not be in competition, it is important to start raising interest.



As a person who has been involved in the first and second level domain business, for many years now with a Registrant, a Registrar and a Registry experience, I have decided to innovate and offer new gTLD applicants what they are going to need in the coming months: raise awareness for their domain names.

Simple, cheap and efficient, the objective with this service is to have registrants to be kept informed so that they are ready to buy, when registries launch.

For more information about this program, visit Jovenet Consulting.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Wineries apply for Top-Level Domains

A major American winery launches two generic Top-Level Domains which represent two of its brands:
  1. The .GALLO Top-Level Domain (ex: www.wine.gallo);
  2. The .BAREFOOT Top-Level Domain (ex: www.wine.barefoot).
Both Trademarks belong to Gallo Vineyards, Inc. , a leader in the U.S. wine industry and a leading provider of California wines in select markets outside the U.S.

The new .gallo and .barefoot domain name extensions will operate as restricted registries, in which Gallo Vineyards Inc. (Gallo) can create and control domain spaces that promote their brand identity and authenticity.

Given the restricted nature of both .barefoot and .gallo gTLDs, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a more limited number of domain names (50x2) will be registered in the first year for each extension. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to about 350 (x2) domain names as Gallo develops and implements new services and marketing campaigns.

Protection of Geographic Names

Gallo intends to create relevant domain names for use including geographic names in the second or third level domain names. In accordance with registration policy and the proposed measures for protection of geographic names, Gallo will use geographic names to localise its websites in the countries in which it operates. The use of geographic names is intended to:
  • connect internet users with relevant information as applicable to the territory; and;
  • comply with required rules and regulations in the national territory.
All Two-character labels and Country and Territory Names will be initially reserved.

Gallo intends to use any Two-character label and⁄or Country or Territory Name domains in Gallo’s discretion, and to participate in or implement a process by which any Government may reasonably object to that use. Gallo envisions a number of possible scenarios for ensuring Government agreement to the use of Country and Territory names:
  1. Gallo will send a letter to the chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) informing the GAC of its intention to use geographical names in the .barefoot and/or .gallo gTLD. The letter will outline the reasons for using geographical names and provide Governments with the opportunity to contact Gallo within 90 days to reserve their respective geographical name from use in the .barefoot or .gallo gTLD.
  2. Gallo will send a letter to the Government concerned and inform it of Gallo’s intention to use geographical names in the .barefoot and/or .gallo gTLD. The letter will outline the reasons for using geographical names and provide the Government with the opportunity to contact Gallo within 90 days to reserve its respective geographical name from use in the .barefoot or .gallo gTLD.
  3. Gallo will send a letter to the Government concerned and inform it of Gallo’s intention to use geographical names in the .barefoot and/or .gallo gTLD. The letter will outline the reasons for using geographical names and request the Government’s approval or non-objection to the proposed use of the geographical name. Should the Government not respond to the Gallo within 90 days, Gallo will understand this to mean that the Government does not object to Gallo’s proposed use of the geographical name.
Read more about the first winery worldwide to have applied for generic Top-Level Domains: .gallo and .barefoot gTLDs

The .WIKI Top-Level Domain

What is the purpose/mission of this proposed, .WIKI generic Top-Level Domain?

Wiki websites are a growing phenomenon on the Internet and an innovative, easy-to-use peer-production method of creating and presenting information.
They are generally open and editable and often community-driven; furthermore, individual wikis and the wiki platform are in constant flux in much the same way that the Internet as a whole is in flux.
Wikis, like the broader Internet, are repositories of information that depend on each individual user to create value; they are meeting points and revolutionary ways to share ideas and knowledge; and they are both set to be expanded through the implementation of ICANN’s New gTLD Program, and a .wiki TLD specifically.
  • The .wiki TLD will be an open TLD with wholesale pricing higher than currently available gTLDs;
  • The TLD will be targeted at subject matter wikis;
  • .WIKI will have an open registration policy targeted at wiki owners who use wikis;
  • .WIKI TLD will bring greater attention and market success to all kinds of wikis;
  • There will be no proof of legitimacy required for registration although we will encourage that the domains utilize wiki software.
Operating rules
  • Standard Sunrise Period reserved for those entities with appropriate IP and Trademark claims, which we anticipate to last about 3 months;
  • Landrush Period that will be open to the public, and which will last a few weeks to a month;
  • At the conclusion of each period we will hold closed auctions for the domains that have been applied for by more than one party;
  • We reserve the right to create a list of domain names within our .wiki TLD to be set aside and then sold or auctioned off to interested parties.




Read the complete application details here.

Friday, June 29, 2012

2 good ideas to fasten the new gTLD process

I read Twitts and many blogs, a lot of press, forums, and all source of information I can find related to new gTLDs and I found the 2 following ideas quite good to stop wasting more time entering the ICANN validation process:

  • In a Twitt, Rob Hall (from Momentous, Pool.com) wrote: " ICANN‬ should start putting new ‪gTLDs‬ in the root today. Put in 2 per day. Start testing stability. The rest is just about who owns it". Good idea but it would require the back-end registry provider to be selected;
  • Michael Berkens, President of Worldwide Media, Inc. wrote an article in CircleID entitled: "What if new gTLD applicants held private auctions where losing applicants, not ICANN gets the money?" This article introduces a very good idea: a benefit to private auctions over ICANN auctions is that: "parties can hold private auctions at anytime, rather than waiting for whenever ICANN is ready to hold them, thereby giving clarity on many strings which are in contention to all applicants".
I recommend reading this article on CircleId.

Prague Public Forum

The ICANN Public Forum is a conference where Stakeholders can listen to up-dates and express themselves regarding issues. It defines itself as: "The public forum is the Community's opportunity to make comments and ask questions on the main topics at each meeting directly to the Board and in front of the rest of the community". It is possible to follow the Public Forum watching a live video.

It usually happens at the end of all ICANN meetings. Yesterday was Prague's Public Forum meeting and new gTLDs were discussed in the end of it.

I will remember a few things from this forum:
  • The ICANN wants more stakeholders to participate.
    I am myself a member of one of these groups but I admit it, vocabulary used is the ICANN one (a difficult one to understand) and it is not in my native language so I do not participate so much. The basis of these exchanges is done through emails and sometimes through conference calls. You can also meet the groups but you must travel to do so (and pay your plane ticket).
  • Far too complex for the Internet Community to follow and understand.
    Internet users, in the case if new generic Top-Level Domains, are not the Registries who will launch soon to sell domain names but :
    • Brands who will use their domain name extension for themselves and;
    • "Registrants": those who are going to buy domain names to Registries through the network of Accredited Registrars. It is these people - brands and individuals - who are concerned and unfortunately, they are not the one to talk.
      It is these people who represent, probably 99% of the stakeholders who will buy these new domain names.
      It is these people whom are concerned by new gTLDs because they are the one who are going to face what comes next...
  • This 14 years old Asian kid who came to talk to the micro to expressed himself about the .KIDS new gTLD: on of the rare person concerned by the launching of new gTLDs.
  • Most of the people who expressed themselves have a financial interest in the launching of new gTLDs.
  • I wish I was not involved in these new gTLDs because I would have asked the right questions: those no one would dare asking.
  • I was happy to be able to follow the conference from my office here in Paris.
More details about the Public Forum can be found here: http://prague44.icann.org/node/31829

I shall soon (probably) submit comments here or provide feed-backs.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Update on the Trademark Clearinghouse - Part2

This post follows my previous post.

The PDF presentation to be downloaded down the page explains:

  • The Trademark Clearinhouse (definition);
  • Key design principles;
  • Project schedule;
  • Project status: accomplishments;
  • "Going forward";
  • Process and Function Overview:
    • Verification process;
    • Correction process;
    • Registry support;
    • User Support;
    • Sunrise Services;
    • Trademark Claims;
    • Third Party Dispute;
    • Testing Process.
  • "Next steps".
Download PDF presentation down this page.

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