Friday, June 28, 2013

.WINE passes Initial Evaluation (IE)

.WINE new gTLD application by "June Station, LLC" (Donuts) passed its initial evaluation today. Donuts now has both of its two wine application to have passed IE.
  1. .VIN new gTLD passed;
  2. .WINE new gTLD passed.
Remain two other candidates for their .WINE application to pass IE.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Aggregated Registration Data Service (next Whois platform) is for sale

The debate starts to be around the next Whois, the Aggregated Registration Data Service, also known as ARDS. Basically, the ARDS is the name of a new central platform which should replace the actual Whois system with more security: Registrars and Registries would update this platform with information about their Registrants.
Many articles have been published already so I will let you read them to understand what the next Whois will be:


For sale

When a 4 letters name is announced ("ards"), I like to search for its .COM* domain name and guess what: "ards.com" is for sale. Once you have submitted an offer (mine was $100), you are informed about a start price which is, most of the time, much higher than the offer submitted. That was expected.

But today, I received another email from the platform selling this domain name:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Hello Jean,

Thank you for your interest in ards.com.

The seller has advised us he is seeking $50,000.00 USD for this domain name.

If this is within your budget and you would like to proceed with the purchase of this domain name I'm happy to set up a transaction for you via Escrow.com. If not I'd be happy to help you find another name or weigh the merits of a counter offer.

I hope to hear from you soon.

XXX (name changed)

Review & Respond Online
Sent using the DomainNameSales.com platform.
A Trusted Marketplace for Premium Domains
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

It is possible the service provider to be selected by ICANN to manage the ARDS want to use that name. I seriously doubt anybody will pay that price but, who knows, maybe ICANN will (unless it is decided to use ards.icann, which I would love for less confusion, but since the service provider should be external to ICANN, I doubt it).

Remember when the Trademark Clearinghouse launched, a 2 words domain name (also difficult to protect), was chosen for this database: trademark-clearinghouse.com (not trademarkclearinghouse.com). Reading this name, I like it better than tmch.com (which must probably be for sale too by the way). I understand it better.

So, will the new service provider want to use aggregatedregistrationdataservice.com or aggregated-registration-data-service.com ? I personally find these names - still available for registration** - far too long. 

Let's see what happens with ards.com.

* I had done the same for rrdrp.com and pddrp.com
** I guess this is changing soon (today is 27 June 2013)

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

New gTLDs Infographics

Have you ever tried buying a domain name?

If yes, then you know the pain that comes along with it. Everytime you think of a name and assume that it can’t be taken, you end up being wrong. Almost anything imaginable has been taken by someone and some of them are just hoarding it. They buy the Top Level Domains and hold on to it like their life depended on it.

So with the popular TLDs almost impossible to acquire, what new extensions will make an appearance in this field? Let’s have a look.

New TLDs: The Future of Domain Names

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

L'Oréal to withdraw its .GARNIER new gTLD application

"Prends soin de toi. - GARNIER"

L'Oréal withdraws another of its new gTLD application. The .GARNIER Top-Level Domain. The question remains on every lips in the new gTLD industry: why?



Check the Garnier web site here. The withdrawn application is available here.

Friday, June 21, 2013

L'Oréal to withdraw its .MAYBELLINE new gTLD application

L'Oréal has just withdrawn another of its top brands: the .MAYBELLINE application. Maybelline is a family-owned business and the number one cosmetics company in America.

Surprisingly, L'Oréal seems to withdraw more and more applications. There are rumors about the reasons why more and more brands are withdrawn but unless L'Oréal gives a reason*...


Review the new gTLD application here and Maybelline web site here.

* Don't call me, I won't talk :-)

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Slides of the last TMCH and IDNs webinar can be downloaded

Yesterday took place the latest ICANN Webinar on the Trademark Clearinghouse & Internationalized Domain Names.

I personnaly could not understand anything to what was said due to a very poor sound.

Here is yesterday's Agenda:
  • Introduction;
  • Basic review of TMCH function;
  • TM verification process with focus on IDNs;
  • Sunrise and Claims processes;
  • Status of IDN projects at ICANN;
  • Any other topics / Q&A.
A few nice things I read in these slides:
  • "Trademark Name, Detailed description of goods and services, Name and address of the Holder should be submitted in the language as provided on the TM certificate";
  • "New gTLD registries are required to offer a Sunrise period of at least 30 days".
Something I have serious doubts about:
  • "Reasons that initiate a re-correction process: address of the holder is incorrect and no documentery evidence has been provided".
Something I hate reading:
  • "Project 7: Updating the gTLD Applicant Guidebook and IDN ccTLD Process to incorporate the Label Generation Rules in the respective evaluation processes and account for recommendations from the Report on User Experience Implications of Active Variant TLDs study".
Slides are available for download (PDF document) here.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Is there a safeguard for this in the new gTLD program?

Is there a risk to pre-register a domain name?

With ICANN allowing Registries to own a Registrar, the lack of protection provided by the Trademark Clearinghouse and the increasing number of  serive providers offering domain name pre-reservations, I was asked this question again: "is there a risk to pre-register a domain name and if there is one, what is it?"

Here is part of the answer I gave in French to an interested party today:

My English answer: "There is none if your Registrar is honest but below is a little story of what has already and can still happen":

"Lorsque nous avons lancé le .XX*, un matin j'ai reçu XXX contrats en même temps, tous de la même organisation.


Ce schéma est un classique car il permet au titulaire de chaque contrat de bénéficier d'une porte "supplémentaire" pour interroger le serveur du Registre le jour de l'ouverture.

La liste de pré-réservations permet à chaque nouveau bureau d'enregistrement accrédité d'interroger le serveur du Registre et de lancer ses enregistrements. Généralement un Registrar à 1 seule accréditation, pas XXX.

Pour simplifier, le jour de l'ouverture, le Registrar qui a 1 accréditation à 1 chance sur XXX contre l'autre groupe de Registrars... Pour bien comprendre, le jour de l'ouverture, les 2 Registrars lancent leurs enregistrement tous en même temps et le premier arrivé est le premier servi. 

La pré-réservation est SANS garantie car si vous voulez enregistrer XXX.VIN, vous risquez de ne pas être le seul et si par malchance vous avez confié votre pré-enregistrement à plusieurs Registrars pour augmenter vos chances, dont un (ou plusieurs) qui fait partie des XXX cités ci-dessus...c'est très risqué. Voici pourquoi:

L'intérêt d'un groupe de Registrars de s'approprier le plus grand nombre de noms de domaine, est de les récupérer souvent le compte de ses clients afin qu'il puissent les exploiter mais aussi...pour les vendre aux enchères (aussi comme noms de domaine PREMIUMS). Lors du lancement de l'extension .XXXXX, ça n'a pas raté.

Côté acheteur (vous), voici ce qui peut se produire: alors que vous avez passé commande pour pré-enregistrer votre nom, vous recevez un email qui vous propose de participer à une enchère avec un prix de départ à 60 € (par exemple) alors que ce type de noms se vend 20 € chez un autre prestataire (notez toutefois que chaque Registrar est libre de pratatiquer les tarifs qu'il souhaite). Ensuite, pour ceux qui n'ont pas appelé leur Registrar (mieux, le Registre!) pour hurler contre telle injustice, il faut surenchérir pour prétendre à son nom de domaine. A savoir, certains prestataires malhonnêtes, savent comment faire pour "auto-surenchérir" de façon anonyme.

En ce qui me concerne, en aucun cas je ne divulguerai à quelque prestataire de service que ce soit les noms qui m'intéressent !"

* Info has been modified.



Question to ICANN:

Is there a mechanism to block a Registrar form registering his clients pre-registered domain names to offer them for auction?

Predictable answer:

This is not our problem.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

.CLUB auction winners caught on video

Congratulations to the happy winners:


.CLUB DOMAINS, LLC application can be downloaded here.

Friday, June 7, 2013

L'Oréal to withdraw its .LOREAL new gTLD application

Made public yesterday, French Luxury brand L'Oréal has decided to withdraw its application from the ICANN new gTLD program. Apply the "withdrawn" filter in this page to check withdrawn applications.
Allication withdrawn: .LOREAL (download the application).

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Question to the French Government on .WINE and .VIN

Question to the French Government on .WINE and .VIN new gTLDs, starts at 48:00 mn in this video.



The direct link which points to mn 48:00 is available here.

Update (slides) on the ICANN new gTLD program (05 June 2013)

Yesterday's agenda, (in red, what matters to me):
  • Initial Evaluation:
    • Results Published for Application Priorities 1 to 600:
      • 518 passed;
      • 4 eligible for Extended Evaluation;
      • 60 withheld due to CQ/Change Request or Outreach;
      • 18 withdrawn.
    • Initial Evaluation Outcomes:
      • Pass;
      • Eligible for Extended Evaluation;
      • Ineligible for further review.
    • 71 Application withdrawals to Date.
  • Continuing Operations Instrument;
  • Objections & Dispute Resolution:
    • Current Progress:
      • 262 admissible objections filed;
      • 139 admissible applicant responses filed;
      • 119 Filings in-review;
      • 4 filings dismissed due to applicant withdrawal;
      • DRSPs are finalizing applicant responses and selection of expert panels.
    • Circumstances that may alter process timing:
      • Applicant and objector interaction (e.g., responses, payments);
      • Complexity of objection filings (e.g., consolidation).
      • Additional/Supplementary activities (i.e., hearings, additional written submissions, negotiation, mediation).
  • String Contention Resolution:
    • Contention Proceedings planned to begin September 2013;
    • Community Priority Elections will be accepted beginning next week (by 14 June) via the Customer Portal:
      • Expect an announcement next week with election instructions;
      • Additional CPE may be performed after Extended Evaluation, as necessary
    • Auctions:
      • Non-community contention sets can begin auction concurrent with CPE;
      • Others will begin at the conclusion of CPE and EE, as necessary.
  • Contracting (Next webinar: 13 June 2013);
  • GAC Advice;
  • Pre-Delegation Testing (Anycast Instance Testing to be eliminated);
  • Registry Data Escrow;
  • Security & Stability Studies:
    • ICANN has commissioned two studies to determine:
      • Security impacts of delegating applied-for new-gTLD strings that are currently used in private networks;
      • Security & stability impacts of dotless domain names.
    • These studies will identify and classify potential risk levels, and provide ICANN with mitigation options, as needed.
  • IDN Variant TLD Program Webinar (27 June 2013);
  • Trademark Clearinghouse (http://trademarkclearinghouse.com/):
    • Users:
      • 636 trademark holders
      • 119 agents.
    • Trademark records submitted:  3,027:
      • Verified:  1,380;
      • In process:  1,132;
      • Incorrect:  503;
      • Invalid:  12.
    • Early bird submissions for no additional fee;
    • Trademark Clearinghouse & Internationalized Domain Names Webinar (Date: 19 June 2013).
  • Tentative timeline:
    • 30 June: Registry Agreement Approved;
    • 1-8 July: Contracting;
    • 9 July - 9 August: Pre-Delegation Testing;
    • 12-14 August: Transition to IANA;
    • 15-28 August: IANA Delegation;
    • 28 August: First new gTLD delegated;
    • 29 August - 27 September: Sunrise Notice;
    • 28 September - 27 October: Sunrise Period.
  • Questions (one answer by ICANN was: "I understand the question and I understand how important it is to you but the ICANN legal department prevents me from answering it" :-).
Download the complete presentation here (PDF file).

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Passing ICANN Evaluation & Preparing gTLD to Launch



More here: http://wolfedomain.com/

Agenda | New gTLD Program Committee | ICANN

11 June 2013

Consent Agenda:
  • Approval of Minutes
Main Agenda:
  • BGC Recommendation on Reconsideration Request 13-3
  • Info Discussion on ALAC Statement on IDN Variants
  • Plural vs. Singular
  • Any Other Business
Agenda | New gTLD Program Committee | ICANN

.BRAND new gTLD Reports are updated once a month: CLICK HERE !