Losing auctions: the next new gTLD business model

Reading that small line, in the link below, reminds me that I never signed any NDA to participate in the Famous Four Media project: what if I had published or distributed their list of strings prior to the first round of the ICANN new gTLD program to close?

You don't understand?
Here is an explanation - and again - it focuses on the number one reason why participants in the next ICANN new gTLD program should pay attention to confidentiality.

What the text says
The link I am referring to, points to this line which says: "An additional $2.4million of cash due as a result of the private auctions for .llc and .inc in which the Company withdrew its applications".

In more simple words, it means that this participants (called a "multiple registry"), earned $2.4 million by withdrawing two of its applications in the ICANN new gTLD program: this in return of participating in an auction for a third party (the winner of the auction) to become sole operator of these two extensions.

As a reminder, it cost $185,000.00 to submit one application (in fact it cost more than this but let's focus on basic figures) and in that case, by withdrawing it because of an auction, it generated $1.2 million.

Thinking fast

Let's assume that a participant to a new gTLD project gets info prior to the next round to begin: developing competing projects for the sole purpose to participate in auctions becomes highly profitable. It is risky but much faster to reach out to profitability and much more profitable than selling domain names.

Another line below in the linked document says: "H1 2016 group losses of $1.9million reduced to $0.5million group loss H1 2017". The first new gTLD launched in 2013.

Feed-back on recent new gTLD events

Premium .CLUB auctions are always an event in the new gTLD world: the specialized online press often reacts to auction results. One of the reasons for this is that the Registry in charge does a lot of buzz before these happenings. Another reason is that a lot of investors participate and "buy". I just found two interesting covers of these events and I suggest to read them. The first one is from OnlineDomains and is entitled "Top 10 .Club Domain Name Sales". The other one is from DoomainNameWire and is entitled: "With one day to go, there are some good deals in this .Club auction".

New domain name registration volumes:

1. HOT - GENERIC new gTLDs;
2. New gTLDs related to CARS;
3. New gTLDs related to HEALTH.

HOT - Tonight's cool Newsletter:
To subscribe and receive the latest NEWS in your email, click here.

Wine cans? Come on...
It's week-end and I will probably drink wine: not because I am French, but because I like wine and...and...really...I can help it but I saw this publication on Facebook (using a great ".wine" domain name by the way): http://www.backpack.wine/. Website is nice and I believe the product is drinkable too but...IT IS OFFERED IN CANS. I will complain immediately to the European Commission for a law to be created to prohibit offering wine in cans. I am joking of course but I'd rather drink wine coming from a glass bottle.

Previous Campaigns can be viewed here.

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Start of the school .YEAR

Companies are back to business and the reason why this is noticeable is because there are more new gTLD NEWS published, some new gTLDs which were in the red, are getting back to normal in terms of domain name registrations and...I receive more emails and much, but much more robot calls.

Registration volumes:

• New gTLDs related to HEALTH;
• New gTLDs related to "Vive la France";
• New gTLDs related to RELIGION;
• SINGULAR & PLURAL versions of a similiar new gTLD;
• New gTLDs related to CARS;
• GENERIC new gTLDs (to possibly replace ".com").

Meet the .CLUB Team:

1. The Domain conference: 10th-14th September;
2. Dmexco: 14-15th September;
3. DomainFest Asia: 19th-22nd September.

Tonight's Newsletter:

To subscribe and receive the latest NEWS in your email, click here.

In our previous Newsletters:

1. Acquisition of the Internet domain names "YellowPages.green" and "WhitePages.green";
2. We launched .SKI one year ago, now what?
3. The Battle Over .GAY;
4. .GDN domain names: the next .COM?
5. How are Chinese .IDN extensions doing?
6. 15 reasons why we’re excited for the .GAMES TLD;
7. dot brand, adwords & SEO – a matter of keyword;
8. .TRUST gTLD might be for sale as NCC closes domain business;
9. URS on SANOFI domain name;
10. Premium domains can boost sales and revenue;
11. The Seattle Times Embraces .NEWS TLD for Branded Short Domain Links;
12. Apple.news or News.apple?
13. Korean .닷컴 and .닷넷 Domains Are Now Available for General Registration;
14. Lowering prices for .BUSINESS and .COMPANY domains
15. Donuts: Down to business;
16. Second IRP Winner Dot Registry files amicus curiae brief in support of Appellee .AFRICA Applicant DCA Trust against ICANN;
17. Bold has launched.

Previous Campaigns can be viewed here.

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Verisign is confirmed as .WEB Registry

A lot of people are talking about the .WEB new gTLD acquisition by Verisign for an amount of $135,000,000. Stories are covered in our Newsletter. Many new gTLDs have been delegated with some dispatched in different of our new gTLD reports.
We are working on a new website with A LOT of content coming. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of this website? Contact us now.

News:

1. The .QUEST new gTLD Sunrise Period starts today;
2. New Ombudsman begins;
3. Give .GAY to the gays, roars exiting ombudsman;
4. ICANN - The .RIO Case study;
5. IANA Insanity - or, how I learned to stop .worrying and .love the .new .internet;
6. Registration volumes:
1. New gTLDs related to CITIES;
2. New gTLDs related to CATERING;
3. New gTLDs related to PHOTOGRAPHY.
7. Announcement - JCB Launches New Website;
8. The .WEB auction cover for today:
1. Excellent read - Why Verisign Bought The .WEB Domain Extension And What NOT To Expect";
2. Thoughts About Verisign’s $135 Million Dollar .Web Acquisition & What It Means For Domainers;
3. Article - Verisign Buys .web Domain Rights For US$135 million;
4. Article - Verisign likely $135 million winner of .web gTLD;
5. Article - $135 Million Winning Bid for .WEB Sets a Stunning High Water Mark for Rights to Run a New gTLD.
9. Legal - A new gTLD for the Finance industry;
10. .PHARMACY new gTLD - Illegal Purchases of Controlled Substances Are Made Easier via Rogue Internet Drug Outlets, Reports NABP.
11. Just delegated new gTLDs:
1. The .LILLY new gTLD
   (added to the HEALTH report)
2. .MCKINSEY
3. .AFAMILYCOMPANY
4. .LADBROKES
5. .UCONNECT
   (added to the CARS report)
6. .ABC
7. .HYATT
8. .INTEL
9. .GLADE
10. .PRU
    (not added to the FINANCIAL new gTLD report)
11. .JEEP
    (already added to the CARS report)
12. .SRT
    (added to the CARS report)
13. .VISA
    (added to the FINANCIAL report)
14. .BANAMEX
    (added to the FINANCIAL report)
15. .PRAMERICA
16. .CHRYSLER
    (already added to the CARS report)
17. .DISCOVER
    (already added to the FINANCIAL report)
18. .CITI
    (added to the FINANCIAL report)
19. .AMERICANFAMILY
20. .HONEYWELL

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

More and more new gTLDs are delegated

You probably noticed that many new gTLDs are (and keep) being delegated during the holidays. According to each new delegation,we add gTLDs to the right report. The .SWIFTCOVER new gTLD was added to the CARS report and the awaited .DOCTOR was added to the HEALTH report. The .LUNBECK (a Trademark) just has its first domain name registration listed.
The Generic new gTLD report (see link below) was updated to day and we are happy to see that the .INTERNATIONAL new gTLD receives more registrations than previous weeks before.

News:

1. Registration volumes:
1. HOT - Generic new gTLDs with a potential to replace ".com" domains;
2. New gTLDs related to HEALTH;
3. New gTLDs related to CARS;
2. dotBrand - Barclays new domain name strategy and operations decrypted;
3. COOL - data on domain growth: geographic top level domains are more popular than IDNs, at least in terms of registration volume;
4. The .WEB auction goes ahead after ICANN denies new gTLD applicant's appeal;
5. Article - 8 companies saying yes to new gTLDs;
6. dotBrand - New gTLD benchmarks: how do your brands compare?
7. Nine new gTLDs were delegated:
1. the .DUCK new gTLD (nothing to do with the animal);
2. .RAID (nothing to do with the French Police élite forces);
3. .SWIFTCOVER (added to report)
4. .SCJOHNSON
5. .IEEE
6. .OFF
7. .DOCTOR (added to report)
8. .RIGHTATHOME
9. .TIAA
8. ICANN Publishes gTLD Statistics and Trends Report, Asks for Community Feedback;
9. If you missed a new gTLD newsletter,they are archived at www.newsletter.domains.

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Today is ".RIP" Nice

For the second time recently, France is facing another terrorist attack. Today is a sad day and all my thoughts go to these families in Nice whose kids were murdered. I strongly believe that one of the reasons why France is hit so hard is because our Government is so slow at taking the right decisions: our forces are not even allowed to react when they are thrown rocks at during demonstrations. French are seriously pissed by this situation.

News:

1. Auction - ICANN: please postpone the .WEB auction;
2. Is Verisign .web applicant’s secret sugar daddy?
3. Registration volumes:
1. HOT - GENERIC new gTLDs (".com" challengers);
2. New gTLDs related to CARS;
3. New gTLDs related to HEALTH.
4. Rightside reveals premium and .live stats, date for 2-character release;
5. Just delegated:
1. the .INTUIT new gTLD;
2. the .MINT new gTLD;
   (was added to the FINANCE new gTLD report)
3. the .MACYS new gTLD;
4. the .LEFRAK new gTLD;
   (was added to the REAL ESTATE new gTLD report)
5. the .ALLSTATE new gTLD;
6. the .GOODHANDS new gTLD.
6. Article - 5 Things You Should Advise Your Client to Do with That Defensively Registered Domain;
7. The .MOI new gTLD Sunrise Period ends today.

The new gTLD info for Wednesday, May 11th

We are completing our reports and adding .BRAND domain name extensions. For example, our report related to FINANCE new domain name registration volumes has been completed with Banks who acquired their own domain name extension. These .BRAND can be identified with a "®" sign next to them.

1. Article - ".GDN" domain names: the next “.COM”?
2. Interesting - Looking Back on the First Round of New gTLD Applications: Implications for Trademarks and Freedom of Expression;
3. Specialized Domain Names: The Secret Weapon for Boosting Sales?
4. New gTLD reports (weekly updates):
1. New generic Top-Level Domains related to SPORT;
   (the .GAME new gTLD was added to the report)
2. New generic Top-Level Domains related to ALCOHOL.
   (the .REHAB new gTLD was added to the report)
5. Must read - Report on active Brand Top-Level Domains;
6. There are now 1,300 new gTLDs;
7. Domain name "s.club" was sold for $38,000 !
8. Multiple Registry predicts $75m new gTLD revenues;
9. More coming by the end of the day (newsletter sent at 8PM CET).

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

The new gTLD info for Wednesday, March 16th

Today, there is an extremely interesting article related to new domain names and Search Engine Optimization with a concrete example that ranking in search engines can go up due to new gTLDs.

1. Car Brands: are they taking a leading role in the new Internet?
2. New domain name auction: more than €20,000 and hosting.club sold for €3,950;
3. Get on the Right Side of the ".";
4. Report - Update: new gTLDs related to SPORT
5. Charter Approved to Review All Rights Protections Mechanisms in All Generic TLDs;
6. Startup raises $1M using a .CLUB domain names;
7. Case figure - Changing to a new descriptive domain name: "We have observed direct evidence that the site’s overall search engine rankings have gone up".
8. In French - Le nom de domaine, inutile à l’heure des services Web gratuits ?
9. Website designed for Chinese domain name buyers: the Zhongwen Club;
10. Domain names ending in .EARTH to gain momentum;
11. More content at 8PM tonight: subscribe to receive our Newsletter.

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

The new gTLD info for Thursday

The .SHOP new gTLD is coming to the market and I have no doubt that - with the money invested in winning this domain name extension in an auction, there will be more money spent to install it on the market. There are .BOUTIQUE domain names already and +7,900 have been created already but my little finger tells me that .SHOP domains could break sales record. Future will tell.

• HOT: the .SHOP new gTLD won in an auction for $41.5 Million;
• How to upgrade to a new Top-Level Domain;
• New gTLD Complexities Continue to Challenge Brand Owners;
• .WINE and .VIN new domains are open to the general public;
• Sunrise Periods ending soon;
• 3 Reasons why Brand TLDs can Boost your SEO;
• XYZ Launches .Security, .Protection, & .Theatre;
• 1 & 2 Character Domains Now Available;
• Time to promote the .GOLF new gTLD;
• More News coming during the day.

Don't forget to subscribe to gTLD.Club

to receive the complete info, with links, in your email.

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

The new gTLD info of Tuesday

1. What you recently read is wrong
2. Results of the ".club" yesterday's auction
3. .BOSTON new gTLD sold to M+M?
4. Internet Governance and new gTLDs
5. Premium ".global" domains are for sale this week
6. For those who still pay interest to the .SUCKS new gTLD

1. TRUE or FALSE Questions
   Conclusion? There is a lot of lying or "hype" going on when it comes to domain names--in the domain name industry, at ICANN, and elsewhere.
   http://www.domainmondo.com/2016/01/china-icann-domain-names-lies-facts.html
2. Results of the NamesCon auction
   (".club" domain names)
1. night.club was sold for $12.000
2. space.club : $3.750
3. athletic.club : $9.000
4. strip.club : $10.000
5. pot.club : $10.000
6. running.club: ?
   More names are available here (bottle.club - breakfast.club - fitness.club)
   
3. Boston Globe sells .Boston domain name to Minds + Machines
   Minds + Machines has acquired the .Boston top level domain name from Boston Globe Media, the company announced today. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
   http://domainnamewire.com/2016/01/12/dot-boston/
4. Internet Governance Outlook 2016Cooperation & Confrontation
ICANN & IETF: In the Internet Governance Microcosms, the management of critical Internet resources, the completion of the IANA transition and the further development of the new gTLD program will dominate the 2016 agenda...
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20160111_internet_governance_outlook_2016_cooperation_confrontation/
5. Premium ".global" domains
   (valid until January 15th)
   These domains are offered at a significant discount to what we would normally quote, and on a first-come-first-served basis until January 15.
   http://newsletter.cloudnames.com/t/ViewEmail/j/9082920D1FBB2FE3/8A5DF97399E0ECCA33C48669A65BFAC1
6. .sucks “gagging” registrar critics?
   .sucks may be all about freedom of speech, but some registrars reckon the registry is trying to ban them from criticizing the new gTLD in public.
   http://domainincite.com/19762-sucks-gagging-registrar-critics

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Why would you buy a domain name in an auction?

Auctioning new domain names has become a trend: not only to sell Premium domains to potential investors but also...to install new extensions on a crowded market. If investors usually buy generic domain names to re-sell them, many Registrants (traditional buyers) buy them to promote a product or a service like this is the case for soap.club and coffee.club.

NamesCon
NamesCon has become an event most (new) Registries attend, and the reason for this is simple: it is where Premium domain names are sold to investors. It also gives a good visibility to domain names with potential. Many domainers attend this conference but not only... Registrars attend too, even the ICANN sends its speakers.

Don't like domaining ?
Think twice. Major Corporations buy Premium domains - with a meaning - because they have understood the potential of a generic domain names. The reason why I believe that keeping an eye on these auctions is a must do for Trademarks is because...speaking as a consumer... "dior.jewelry" looks nicer than "www.dior.com/couture/en_int/jewellery" to me. Lucky me, Christian Dior Couture is the owner of this domain name.

A new auction for ".club" domain names
The Registry has already been very successful offering Premium domain names: wine.club was sold for $140.000,00. Many other .club domain names were sold during various auctions on several platforms. On January 11, 2016 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time (5:00 PM Eastern Time), the .CLUB Registry will offer to participate in an exclusive domain names auction for:

• athletic.club
• bottle.club
• breakfast.club
• pot.club
• space.club
• trip.club
• fitness.club
• running.club
• night.club

Major clubs or Trademarks representing a sport are welcome to join to participate. More information is available here.

Football.club

This domain name, like many sports ".club" domain names, won't be for sale during this auction but I'd suggest any representative of any sport to do the test: try to enter the name of a sport in your browser and add ".club" in the end. See what happens ;-)

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

The new gTLD info of the day (Tuesday)

• The .TORONTO new gTLD
• The .BAIDU new gTLD is live
• New gTLD Associations
• Call for Volunteers
• Prediction from new gTLD auction specialist
• Call for Volunteers (endiing soon)
• Starting January 11th: Premium ".club" auction
• RightSide to auction "xyz" domains
• FFM past 1.75 million domains
• Premium TLDs, Real Value for Money

The .TORONTO new gTLD

The idea to create Toronto’s very own domain was inspired by a trip to New York City, where Ainslie took notes on that city’s use of “.nyc,” which has been available to New Yorkers since 2014.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/01/04/city-councillor-wants-torontos-very-own-domain-name.html

Baidu, China’s Google, gets its dot-brand gTLD
Chinese web giant Baidu had its dot-brand gTLD, .baidu, go live in the DNS root zone today.
http://domainincite.com/19751-baidu-chinas-google-gets-its-dot-brand-gtld

New gTLDs: Associations Offer Innovative Benefits To Consumers

1. .REALTOR and the National Association of Realtors
2. .AARP and AARP, Inc. (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)
3. .BANK and the Financial Services Roundtable
4. How Associations Can Use gTLDs – Now and in The Future

http://blog.fairwindspartners.com/gtld-usage/associations-offer-innovative-benefits-to-consumers-members-through-new-gtld-program

ICANN: Call for Volunteers
New GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP) Working Group to Establish a Policy Framework for a Next-Generation gTLD Registration Directory Service to Replace WHOIS (Next-Gen RDS)
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-01-04-en

Prediction from new gTLD auction specialist

Auction expert predicts next auction to be the largest ever with ".com" and ".club" domain names.

http://www.domaininvesting.com/monte-cahn-predicts-namescon-auction-will-be-largest/

Ending soon: 22 of January
The gTLD Marketplace Health Index Proposal: Call for Comments and Volunteers.

https://www.icann.org/public-comments/gtld-marketplace-health-2015-11-17-en

Reminder for Premium ".club" auction

Live auction starts on January 11, 2016 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time (5:00 PM Eastern Time). Domains concerned are:

• athletic.club
• bottle.club
• breakfast.club
• pot.club
• space.club
• trip.club
• fitness.club
• running.club
• night.club

http://nic.club/auction/

Rightside to auction “xyz” domains at NamesCon
.xyz made a bit of a splash with domain investors in 2015, but is the meaningless string “xyz” inherently attractive? Even at the second level?
http://domainincite.com/19749-rightside-to-auction-xyz-domains-at-namescon

Increased momentum blasts
Famous Four Media past 1.75 million domain names in record time
Tuesday, 5th January 2016, Gibraltar: Famous Four Media, one of the largest new registry management groups providing generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), today announced that is has passed one and three quarter million domain name registrations. This comes only 10 weeks after it announced that it has 1 million names under management in its registries.
http://www.realwire.com/releases/Increased-momentum-blasts-Famous-Four-Media-past-175-million-domain-names

Premium TLDs, Real Value for Money
There is an intrinsic value proposition to new gTLDs. They mean to give users fresh naming possibilities and provide more meaningful Internet addresses. And to do so at much reduced prices.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20160105_premium_tlds_real_value_for_money/

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Single And Double Letter Domains Launch .CLUB’s First China Auction

High Value ".club" Domain Names

A Strong Appeal in Asia and the West for C.club, DK.club, PC.club and PJ.club

C.Club and twenty-four 2-character .CLUB domain names are set to hit the auction block on October 29, 2015 in a series of five fast-moving auctions with each auction lasting three days. The popularity and value of one and two-character domains is well documented as witnessed through their global sales and usage by major corporations across verticals such as:

• YP.com (Yellow Pages),
• HP.com (Hewlett Packard),
• SI.com (Sports Illustrated),
• EA.com (Electronic Arts),
• QQ.com (Tencent QQ),
• W.org (WordPress),
• and more. In fact, many companies’ brand identity has naturally morphed to be more prevalent in their two-character abbreviated form rather than full name.

This auction, to be held on the Chinese EachNic.com platform, marks the first time .CLUB Domains, the Registry behind one of the world’s most popular new domain extensions, is offering this set of domains in a public auction format. The domain inventory included in this auction has been hand-selected by the EachNic.com team to specifically appeal to Eastern and Western businesses and investors alike. Auction bidding starts as low as $5,000USD for the majority of two-character domains, making them accessible for businesses of all sizes and budgets.

.CLUB Domains has already sold reserved domains at considerable auction prices, including the sale of Wine.club for $140,000 in 2015 at the NamesCon Auction, which set the worldwide auction record for all new domain extension sales to date. This was their first and only auction, showing the demand for .CLUB domain sales. Likewise, interest in the first Eastern and Western auction of .CLUB names is expected to attract strong participation, especially with .CLUB’s active focus on buyers worldwide.

The auction platform will be available in both Chinese and English, and .CLUB will be offering a Concierge Service to assist Western buyers, thus allowing two ways to bid:

• Bid online from the EachNic.com auction platform. Once the auction begins, create an account and bid as frequently as you like. You can also enter a proxy bid for each auction for automated bidding. 
• Use the free Concierge Service and work with a professional bi-lingual domain specialist to guide you through EachNic.com’s registration and bidding process on your behalf and under your directions. This provides you the freedom to set your limits anonymously before the auction ends. To learn more, contact us at auction@nic.club.

Payments will be made through the familiar website Escrow.com for non-Chinese investors and through Union Pay for Chinese investors. To accommodate investors everywhere, teams of bilingual speakers will be available throughout the auction in U.S. and China time zones.

Be sure to frequently check http://nic.club/auction/ for the latest news and bidding links for this coveted set of 25 valuable domains. Auction inventory, reserves and dates can be found below.

Each auction will end promptly at 10:30 pm Eastern (7:30 pm Pacific) on the indicated End date.

List of domain names:

1. HJ.CLUB
• $5,000 USD
• 29-Oct-2015 (start date)
• 1-Nov-2015 (end date)
2. JC.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 29-Oct-2015
3. 1-Nov-2015 
3. YM.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 29-Oct-2015
3. 1-Nov-2015 
4. JS.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 29-Oct-2015
3. 1-Nov-2015 
5. GZ.CLUB
1. $5,000
2. USD 29-Oct-2015
3. 1-Nov-2015 
6. PC.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 30-Oct-2015
3. 2-Nov-2015 
7. YX.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 30-Oct-2015
3. 2-Nov-2015 
8. QC.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 30-Oct-2015
3. 2-Nov-2015 
9. DK.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 30-Oct-2015
3. 2-Nov-2015 
10. PK.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 30-Oct-2015
3. 2-Nov-2015 
11. ZS.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 31-Oct-2015
3. 3-Nov-2015 
12. CG.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 31-Oct-2015
3. 3-Nov-2015 
13. SQ.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 31-Oct-2015
3. 3-Nov-2015 
14. KF.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 31-Oct-2015
3. 3-Nov-2015 
15. ZI.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 31-Oct-2015
3. 3-Nov-2015 
16. YC.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 1-Nov-2015
3. 4-Nov-2015 
17. DS.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 1-Nov-2015
3. 4-Nov-2015 
18. YQ.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 1-Nov-2015
3. 4-Nov-2015 
19. ZQ.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 1-Nov-2015
3. 4-Nov-2015 
20. TB.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 1-Nov-2015
3. 4-Nov-2015 
21. C.CLUB
1. $50,000 USD
2. 2-Nov-2015
3. 5-Nov-2015 
22. JD.CLUB
1. $10,000 USD
2. 2-Nov-2015
3. 5-Nov-2015 
23. PJ.CLUB
1. $10,000 USD
2. 2-Nov-2015
3. 5-Nov-2015 
24. LY.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 2-Nov-2015
3. 5-Nov-2015 
25. GW.CLUB
1. $5,000 USD
2. 2-Nov-2015
3. 5-Nov-2015

About .Club Domains, LLC
Led by Internet entrepreneur Colin Campbell, whose prior successes include Tucows Interactive and Hostopia.com, .Club Domains, LLC is the award-winning registry behind the .CLUB top level domain name. The company recently launched Startup.club to support entrepreneurs building businesses around a .CLUB domain name. With more than 290,000 domain names sold to date .CLUB leads the pack of new domain extensions in sales and usage and was recognized at the 2015 Domain Industry Awards for Best Registry and Company of the Year. More information and links to register .CLUB domains are available now at http://www.get.club.

About EachNic.com
EachNic is China’s first professional domain trading and investing website. With over 400,000 registered members, and certified by both ICANN and CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center). Its services include domain registration, aftermarket trading, brokerage, auction, reservation cancellation and parking and other relevant value adding services. Established in 2000, EachNic is one of China’s oldest and most trusted auction platforms for global domain name auctions. Built on powerful, robust bidding software and more than a decade of experience, EachNic is the only choice for internationally-minded domain investors and for new gTLDs in China.

EachNic was founded by one of the best-known Chinese Internet industry leaders, Mr. YAO Jinbo (current CEO of 58.com) on August 18, 2000, and was acquired in 2008 and ran independently since then by EJEE Group, one of China’s largest registrar service providers headquartered in Zhongguancun, Beijing, the Silicon Valley of China.

Hillary.club : the Name Game of Politics

With the 2016 Presidential election already looming large, two key web addresses are up for sale to the highest bidder as Hillary.club and HillaryClinton2016.club are currently accepting bids at a SnapNames.com domain name auction that will begin at midnight Eastern on September 1, 2015. It’s anybody’s guess who will walk away with the politically charged online real estate, but bids start at just $69.00 for each, and are expected to go higher once the three-day auction commences.

It’s an accepted practice that political campaigns establish a strong online presence and dynamic social networking to convey their messages and that campaigns can potentially be won or lost online. Now with the plethora of new web extensions, such as .club, .vote, .gop, .democrat, and more, politicians, supporters and even the opposition can now get a great web address for branding any politically focused or campaign-related website.

“Given the sense of community the word ‘club’ represents, we know that .CLUB web addresses can play a key role in the campaigns of the future. In the 2014 Indonesian Presidential election we saw supporters rally behind the winning candidate Joko Widodo at www.Jokowi.club, and we’re confident the passion behind any political campaign can be easily expressed with a .CLUB domain,” stated Colin Campbell, CEO of .CLUB Domains. “Many of the great .com names are taken - even Hillary.com isn’t available – but Hillary.club and HillaryClinton2016.club are both great names for official or unofficial supporter websites.”

While 2016 is being hailed as a `high-tech’ election, many candidates and political supporters may miss the boat by not securing their relevant web addresses, the prices of which can vary widely. A generic word that also has other meanings, Trump.club, for example, is currently listed for sale at Sedo.com for an asking price of $20,000. Campbell, a Florida resident, has registered the web address Jeb.club, not to sell it, but rather to take it off the market and donate it to the former Florida Governor’s campaign organization.

In order to participate in the auctions for Hillary.club and HillaryClinton2016.club bids must be placed online at SnapNames.com before 9pm PT on August 31st / 12am ET September 1st.

Recognized as the most popular new domain extension, .CLUB has set records for the highest amount paid to date for a new generic top-level domain (gTLD) when wine.club sold for $140,000 at auction, and both Vegas.club and Coffee.club sold for $100,000 each.

About .Club Domains, LLC
Led by Internet entrepreneur Colin Campbell, whose prior successes include Tucows Interactive and Hostopia.com, .Club Domains, LLC was formed for the purpose of becoming the .CLUB gTLD registry. The company recently launched Startup.club to support entrepreneurs building businesses around a .CLUB domain name. With more than 280,000 domain names sold to date .CLUB leads the pack of new domain extensions in sales and usage. More information and links to register .CLUB domains are available now at http://www.get.club.

For more information, please contact:
Bridgette King
.Club Domains Public Relations
954-937-9616
Bridgette[at]get.club

Why did Google go for an ICANN auction?

Extract: It is clear that ICANN auctions are the most expensive way of owning a gTLD with, in reality, the only party coming out a clear winner is ICANN which not only takes $185,000 as an application fee from each of the applicants but also pockets the proceeds of an auction that it forces the applicants to enter into! Cynics might, however, view it as a means to grease the palm of the regulator which is to oversee how Google use gTLDs like .APP particularly given the controversy surrounding the issue of open/closed generics.

Read my latest article on CircleId: http://www.circleid.com/posts/20150304_google_chose_to_win_app_in_an_icann_auction_for_25m_why/.

Register your .CLUB domain name with Uniregistry.

New gTLD Auctions : where are we?

Please click to enlarge

.CLUB auction winners caught on video

Congratulations to the happy winners:

.CLUB DOMAINS, LLC application can be downloaded here.

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.

Auction daily inventory of expired domain

More and more Registrars announce partnership to sell expired domain names. To understand how it works, the Registrant (owner) can decide not to renew his domain name. In this case, it will expire and then, it will go for auctions if his Registrar has settled a partnership. Anyone interested to buy the domain will have to bid.

It does not mean someone will buy the domain at a higher price at all: it is another solution for the Registrar to sell the domain name to someone else and make money instead of just dropping the domain.

Of course, this is more money for the (accredited) Registrar but what is not said here is: what happens when the Registrant forgets to renew his domain name?

I believe the best quality service a registrar can offer is to provide his client “the best service”. What if I am a corporate client with hundreds of domains to manage and, for organization reasons, I can’t auto-renew my domain names?

Well: it becomes here a very risky situation to trust an accredited Registrar who is going to sell my domain name if I forget to renew it, isn’t it?

What it means is: when it comes to renewing your 300 domains and you’re not there that day, most of them can probably be renewed the next day but there’s a chance you will lose one or two in the list.

Think about it