.PARIS : can the Backend Registry help sales?

As published on the 06/24/2025, it is with no surprise that the AFNIC was renewed as the Backend-Registry provider of the .PARIS new generic Top-Level Domain.

The announcement

What caught my attention in the announcement is this paragraph :

"Afnic’s remit will also be expanded to include communication and promotion of the .paris TLD, as well as the development of initiatives designed to increase its adoption by businesses and private individuals."

The Backend Registry is also going to include communication to its role. My understanding of this paragraph is that the number of domain name created ("sold" ?) should evolve to...more domain names on the market.

An interesting test

If more communication to me means more domain name registrations, it is going to be easy to check if the Backend Registry does a good job : .PARIS domain name registrations have stagnated around 25,000 in 2023 and dropped to 19,500 in 2024 and 2025 (up to June 2025). These numbers should therefore ...increase.

The role of the Backend Registry provider

If such a communication role was not really the role of Backend Registries in the first Round of the ICANN new gTLD program in 2012, this trend could develop since :

• some Backed-Registry providers also own one or more Registrars which can greatly contribute to launching a new Registry (and help bringing more domain names to the market faster).
• there are more Backend Registries who want clients for the next Round of the ICANN new gTLD program : they come in competition with already existing providers.
• there are now lots of Backend Registry providers with experience from the first Round of ICANN new gTLDs : they need to add that little something more to their offer to generate interest. Contributing to a Registry's communication is a strong asset in an offer.
• some Backend-Registry providers already offer the "key-in-hand solution", adding the feasibility study to writing and submitting the new gTLD application to the ICANN. These are very competitive solutions but are they enough? They don't address the important question : how do you increase sales?

It is a good announcement by the AFNIC to take such role in contributing to the .PARIS communication. For those interested, we have asked the following question to an AI : "New gTLDs: when creating a new Registry, do you need sales roles?". It is answered here : www.gtld.blog.

This article was first published on CircleId.

New gTLD Registry Software by Google

Google now has an official page for the introduction of its free backend registry solution entitled "Nomulus".

Nomulus is the Google solution for new gTLDs such as :

• .GOOGLE
• .FOO
• .HOW
• .NEW
• .SOY
• .みんな
• and a few others.

It previously used Nomulus.foo to redirect to the URL of its free code available for download on GitHub, but there is now an official URL (and logo) presenting the product.

Good to know

When launching a new gTLD , the below is required:

1. The Company (and team) to operate the Registry;
2. Applying for the required TLD at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which means writing the application on the basis of the new gTLD Applicant GuideBook (AGB);
3. The mandatory ESROW service provider;
4. The mandatory backend registry solution provider: Nomulus is the code to create such a technical solution, it does not offer the service to maintain a registry technically. This is very important to understand prior to applying since the backend registry solution provider is one of the most important aspect of a new gTLD project.

Reminder: note that the free Nomulus solution created by Google is just the code, it requires to host the solution and maintain it and Google does NOT offer that service.

Surprisingly, the GitHub repository delivering the Nomulus code also advertises for other technical solutions.

Number one French Registry just changed

I just published (with a slight delay) the November 2019 new gTLD reports for all 20 categories and noticed a few changes:

1. All (or almost all) registries belonging to Backend Registry Verisign had an increase of domain name registrations: this is rather strange ad I had noticed this already last year.
2. OVH, wich ".ovh" domain names are open to all for registration saw a decline in registrations in November from 63,000 down to 62,000 and let the .BEST registry become number one in registrations from 51,000 to 69,400 domain names.

That Corporate Registrar Sucks

Note for my December new gTLD report: I also noticed that my reports are used by - at least - one American Corporate Registrar for his clients. For this reason, I might delay the publication of coming reports. This is not the first time that it happens unfortunately so expect my contents...not to be free to read anymore, unless you want to sponsor them ;-)

2 new gTLD Reports in 2020

I am considering 2 new reports in 2020:

1. The .BRAND new gTLD report (note that this one will note be published publicly;
2. The TOP 10 new gTLD report.

If you have ideas of a new report, I am happy to consider.

Looking for (new gTLD) Sponsors

I publish about new gTLDs "only" and I don't do write much, but I can ensure that what is said about your company will be read by your next potential clients and the entire new gTLD community.

I am the product
I publish a lot about new gTLDs and .BRANDs "only" and I do that because, when working as a consultant, I just have to. I once read that when doing that for free, I was the product, and this is actually why I look for sponsors. I am fine with being a product :-)

It's over here
Following up with all that is said about new gTLDs is rather easy, I'd suggest to select a communication channel at www.gtld.today, hit the subscribe button and you're set.

My future sponsors
On the list of sponsors that I look forward to have are:

1. One Backend Registry;
2. One Escrow service provider;
3. ICANN;
4. One Registrar (Retail or Corporate);
5. Registries;
6. One law firm offering services "related" to new gTLDs;
7. Trademarks are welcome too.

My offers
My promotion offers are available at Jovenet Consulting, in English and in French, but I am happy to work on something different, according to specific needs.

Some new gTLD registries could develop...

...but why isn't it so and can this be changed?

We are referring to non .BRAND specification 13 TLDs here, but to new gTLDs dedicated to selling domain names through the network of accredited registrars.

New gTLDs for niche markets
The idea here is not to mention them but if some niche TLDs have certainly been a good idea in some applicants' mind, the market targeted might not have been the good one: too small maybe. Also, were enough people invited in the same room to wonder about the potential market prior to take the decision to invest or was this the choice of a single person ot two? And buy the way...were potential technical service providers invited to the meetings to push for a decision? I hope not.

I personally thought that he 1.5 to 3% population rule to decide about a new gTLD market was a good one but it appears that it was not and most domain name registration volumes have proved this today.

Niche markets have a strong potential but counting on the network of accredited registrars is not the ultimate solution to sell domain names: existing registration volumes are proving this right now. If Premium domains help generate a small income, they don't help to deploy massively: in the case of niche TLDs, it is the diaspora targeted who can help.

Some TLDs cost too much to maintain
Whether or not they sell domain names, registries already have to pay a minimum of $25,000 a year to the ICANN, "plus the rest". I saw an invoice to be paid recently at a back-end registry with a line entitled "minimum annual commitment" with a $40,000 to be paid. I found that expensive for an annual commitment... I read again and it appears that the amount was a monthly one so multiply this by 12 and you get a $480,000 a year more on your global project.

In this case, whether you sell domain names or not, you already know that it will cost you $500,000+ a year for one TLD: "plus the rest".

Many registries are "stuck"
How do you expect to develop a niche new domain name extension when your costs are so high? I want to know about the magic formula because in this case, I don't see this as possible, especially when 1,038 registries on a list of 1,226 have less than 10,000 domain names registered (apologies for including .BRAND new gTLDs in these numbers but I am lazy).

I can understand that a company wants to pay the price to acquire a monopolistic position but I don't understand that a company starts a registry project with a monthly fee of $40,000 for nothing. There is a much better negotiation to have with a backend registry today. And of course...I am not even talking about the leaving fees which are just...ridiculous. A registry should not sign a contract with a backend registry if it blocks the entire project to develop.

The solution(s)
I shared with a friendly backend registry recently and he told me: "Jean: there is no magic solution to develop domain names", and I wondered: "Wow, he is a backend registry and he has absolutely no imagination". There are solutions:

• There is one that I have seen working, it is similar to parking domains and combining the automation of SEO on a large amount of newly created domains. Added to this, bla, bla, bla and bla, bla, bla. You will have to call me for more ;-)
• But there is another one that can match (not for all registries) if both the registry and the backend registry have found the right agreement to lower the price at the minimum at the backend, agreeing on a certain volume of domain names to be installed and paid. Same here, you will have to call me for more.
• There is another one which requires that your application can be changed and that your TLD is not yet launched, but if you have no imagination, you should certainly not read about it.

I will leave all this here and you can contact me at Jovenet Consulting for more. For the note, I receive more and more requests from companies which don't have a website and people who don't exist neither on LinkedIn nor on Google so, I am happy to answer all emails but you know...we also had Internet in France 20 years ago :-)

Are new gTLDs profitable?

A Registry to operate its own Registrar (or a Registrar to operate its own Registry) is a good solution to lower down the price to maintain a domain name and the reason for this is simple: tech costs are split and most of the money stays in...

Who's who
It is even better when the Registry owns its own Backend Registry and its Registrar.

In simple words: a Registry makes more money when the money paid to mandatory service providers are the same people.

The example that I like to give here is based on Afilias: a Backend Registry provider, also applicant (Registry) for five of the six existing colors. Afilias is not a Registrar.

What when registration volumes drop?
Since 2016, Jovenet Consulting tracked weekly, then monthly, domain name registration volumes from various groups and industries and this post will focus on new gTLDs that have the name of a color.

There are six of them and one is a Trademark so we won't pay much attention to it since it does not sell domain names to end users:

1. .RED (€11/year)
2. .BLUE (€11/year)
3. .PINK (€11/year)
4. .BLACK (€31/year)
5. .GREEN (€54/year)
6. .ORANGE (a dotBrand new gTLD = no price)

(there's .GOLD too but does it count as a color?)

I went to retail registrar Uniregistry and extracted prices that you can see above. The first three are acceptable prices but I find .BLACK and .GREEN quite expensive and since Uniregistry is a cheap Registrar, you can easily expect that these domain names will probably cost much more at other service providers.

When looking at the new gTLD report entitled "New gTLDs related to COLORS", you will note that almost ALL registration volumes continue to drop starting January 2017 and if you look at May 2017, something strange even happens.

So: profitable?

Does it mean that such extensions are not profitable? I don't think so.

I heard a story which said that "red" was a special color in some countries in Asia and this was the reason why ".red" domain names were so successful...until May 2017 apparently. I won't count .GREEN here because this TLD was acquired lately by Afilias and you will note that registration figures are quite different from the first four TLDs.

The .RED new gTLD is now below the 50,000 registrations so it does not pay ICANN the $0.25 fee per domain anymore. Even if the curve is dramatically going down, it still has 48,000 domains with a probable majority being paid by Registrants. Since Afilias is Registry and Backend Registry for its TLDs, it pays the minimum to maintain its own domain names: below $5 per year? Less than $1 maybe?

Let's imagine that these 48,000 domains are paid by Registrars at the price of less than $10. It still means quite a lot of money for the Registry in the end. A lot less for .PINK and .BLACK.

What about "strategy"?

In 2016, and during a period of 7 months, the .RED Registry had between 308,000 and 318,000 domains on the market. I have no idea how nor why these numbers were so high but I believe that the only question to have today is: "was it worth it?"

If it takes so much domains to end up with so few: it is still 48,000 domain names on the market. Let's assume that these domains are paid, and hopefully renewed, I consider that such strategy is a good one because all Registries want to have 48,000 domains names renewed on the market. Should Afilias have adopted the same strategy for it other "colored TLDs"? The question remains.

Trust in the next new gTLD round

Potential new gTLD applicants are exposed prior to submitting their application, below is a suggestion to protect them from potential bad behaviors.

This is an email that I sent to an ICANN insider. I am myself a member of several working groups but I was not able to locate the right one to submit this suggestion. I received an answer with the right directions and it appears that this issue is already taken into account, which is a good thing for future applicants...if lobbyists and other ICANN insiders can't block this from being taken into account.

Email sent

Dear "Whoever", 

There is a suggestion that I would like to do for the next AGB* but I have no idea where I should submit it and if there is still time for this.

I faced this problem in round one and I strongly believe that it makes sense to consider it.
I think that new gTLD applicants should be able to submit their application before they have to choose a back-end registry provider. The reason for this is to avoid an idea of a TLD project to go in the ears of another applicant with deeper pockets.

New gTLD applicants are obliged to select a backend registry provider for their application to enter the ICANN validation process. Allowing them to submit without a backend registry (how: I don't know), would increase chances of the applicant to be able to finalize his project.

Trust/Confidentiality is an issue and an application that a backend registry provider will lose to another is just a word pronounced to other potential applicants. Whatever NDA is signed, an applicant is at risk when having to meet several backend registry providers to discuss his project.

It makes sense, for an applicant, to be able to meet with a backend registry, after ICANN has accepted his application. Before that is a high risk.

What is the idea?

The idea is to protect potential new gTLD applicants from speaking too loud and too early; an obligation when consulting potential partners to submit a new gTLD application. Of course, everyone is honest - we all know this - and I am not targeting back-end registry providers here but putting such a solution in place would:

1. Limit the number of multiple new gTLD applications in the next round (unless it is decided that applications are validated on the basis of first come first served);
2. Fasten the process to validate applications at ICANN.

If a new gTLD applicant can demonstrate upfront that his intention is to work with one "already ICANN accredited back-end Registry", can't he then contract with him after his application was validated by the ICANN?

Brokers: get prepared!

* "AGB" stands for Applicant Guidebook: the bible to submit a new gTLD application to ICANN.

Google answers questions about Nomulus

Nomulus is a backend registry tool made available by Google and for free. The Nomulus team kindly informed me about the place where to go for questions. I expect this discussion group to be able to answer technical questions but I believe it is going to be worth trying to ask questions on (a) potential coming offer(s).

Reminder: a backend registry is mandatory when it comes to applying for a new gTLD. The backend registry is the technical platform which manages daily operations related to the creation, renewal, registrars'payments, etc...for domain names. Nomulus comes as an alternative for coming .BRAND new gTLD applicants with few knowledge and Generic new gTLD applicants in round 2 of the ICANN new gTLD program.

Ask your questions here

What you missed in our previous Newsletter:

1. Why Some Brands Stayed Out of First Dot-Brand Auction;
2. Fast thinker: founder of .XYZ Registry;
3. 4 Career-Changing Benefits of a Personalized Domain;
4. Rightside’s first webinar series;
5. Domain Name Pick Up – 5 Mistakes To Avoid!
6. Verisign and Afilias in open war over $135m .WEB
7. CentralNic will ‘continue to benefit from recurring revenues;
8. Interesting - “Zhi Bo” (Live Video Streaming) Is Growing;
9. Good survey - New gTLDs in 10 years;
10. What's in a Brand Name?
11. 8 myths about new domain names;
12. 5 Ways To Use Your .CLUB Domain (watch the video);
13. Must read - GAC Hyderabad Communique;
14. New gTLDs & ICANN: Adopted Board Resolution;
15. .WEB new gTLD: "Afilias' Cynical Attempt";
16. Verisign to .WEB losers: stop griping and carry on;
17. The .Blog registry is not releasing ANY 1, 2 and 3 character domains;
18. Free SSL certificate for .SHOP Registrants?
19. The .Blog registry registered the best .blog domains for itself!
20. “Shadow content policing” fears at ICANN 57;
21. Google Does Not Promote Or Demote Based On Top Level Domain;
22. History of AUC's failure to get the .AFRICA legitimately;
23. Get ready for thousands of new two-letter domains.

Domain name registration volumes: 

• Singular VS Plural New gTLDs; 
• New gTLDs related to FRENCH applications; 
• New gTLDs related to RELIGION; 
• Generic new gTLDs; 
• New gTLDs related to HEALTH (hot); 
• New gTLDs related to CARS;
• New gTLDs with a French connotation.

Since most new gTLDs have launched, reports will be updated on a monthly basis starting January 2017.

Recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Note to our readers: starting January 2017, the content of our Newsletter will be sent by email only. It will not be made available online anymore on www.newsletter.domains.

Backend registries still needed in Round two?

Not fast enough today :-)
I wasn't fast enough today to ask my question during the Registry Service Provider Certification conference at ICANN 57 (Hyderabad). As a non native English writer, I need to write down my questions before posting them because it does not look nice when a question comes with a mistake or a mistype (and when it is read as such by the entire audience). Unfortunately, I could post it but far too late and from a potential dotBrand future new gTLD applicant prospective, it is to me a very important question so here it is:

Google recently revealed "Nomulus", a backend registry tool to operate a Registry. Since Google Registry (Charleston Road Registry Inc.) is already technically certified by the ICANN since it uses Nomulus for its TLDs; will future users of Nomulus need to become certified as backend registries too?

I understand that such question might not please backend registry providers, but since Nomulus is already in use and hosted on Google's technical platform (Google Cloud Platform); why would future new gTLD applicants have to deal with the technical aspect of running a registry when it could be just a matter of choosing a provider...just like when registering a domain name?

I emailed my question to the ICANN.

New domain name registration volumes
The .食品 (food in Japanese) new gTLD increased its number of registrations from 1 to 13 in one week (see the Catering new gTLD report). The .NIKON dotBrand new gTLD goes from 1 to 17 domain names registered since last week (see the Photography new gTLD report). In the City new gTLD report, the .BARCELONA has 2,100+ more registrations.
Domain name registration volumes: 

• New gTLDs related to CITIES; 
• New gTLDs related to CATERING; 
• New gTLDs related to PHOTOGRAPHY. 

Since most new gTLDs have launched, reports will be updated on a monthly basis starting January 2017.

What you missed in our previous Newsletter:

1. Verified Top-Level Domains Consortium;
2. Balancing a robust defense with an exciting attack in the domain name world;
3. High-Bid Auctions Deflate the .nyc TLD;
4. The Extreme Power Of Generic Domain Names;
5. Program Reviews & Policy Timeline (Projected);
6. The new gTLD program introspective;
7. Cooking Up The Perfect Domain Name;
8. We don’t run Internet, we enable it: ICANN.

Recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Note to our readers: starting January 2017, the content of our Newsletter will be sent by email only. It will not be made available online anymore on www.newsletter.domains.

Nomulus: what do you think?

I am working on an article related to Domulus, the new backend registry tool offered by Google to existing applicants, and new ones willing to submit a new gTLD application in "Round 2" of the ICANN new gTLD program.
I look for first impressions from potential interested parties in this tool. Please contact me.

Update on new gTLDs' registration volumes:

• New gTLDs for COMPANIES: the domain name extensions in which companies should secure their name (see tonight's Newsletter);
• New gTLDs related to the LAW: Corporate Registrar FairWinds Partners, a domain name strategy consultancy company, also sole Corporate Registrar to have applied for its own .BRAND new gTLD, has now 4 new domain names registered (ending in ".fairwinds");
• New gTLDs related to the COLORS;
• New gTLDs related to FINANCE: the .ACCOUNTANT new gTLD loses 6,000 registrations;
• New gTLDs related to CATERING;
• New gTLDs related to PHOTOGRAPHY: the .ART new gTLD now has 10 domain name registered and website says it should launch in November 2016 but no official announcement has been made yet.
• New gTLDs related to CITIES.

Tonight's new gTLDs' Newsletter: subscribe here.

What you missed in our previous Newsletter:

1. gTLD Marketplace Health Index Metrics;
2. Il punto davanti a Roma e Milano (article about new gTLDs in Italian with info on coming new gTLD project);
3. Chinese Naming Tip: Sometimes even words that sound negative in their English translation (for example “poisonous chicken soup”) can have a more trendy and positive meaning in Chinese usage, making it a more valuable and brandable domain name as well: read the full story;
4. Ending soon: .网站 (web) Sunrise Period
5. Have you claimed your digital real estate?
6. New gTLD .WEB and .AMAZON update;
7. Busting the Myths of Not-Com Domain Names;
8. NewG talk #9: the usual strong performers (.top, .club, .site, .bid, .vip, .online) continued their uptrend.

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

The new gTLD info for Monday, May 16th

A lot of interesting NEWS on this Monday (even if very few people are working in Europe today). I stopped by the Inbound Marketing platform for Top Level Domains and I really need to have this explained because I noticed that 5 Registries have applied to it already.

1. Pop.swatch : the .BRAND story;
2. Interesting - The TLD platform: Inbound Marketing for Top Level Domains;
3. The lucky back-end Registry to run .BLOG is Nominet;
4. Verisign (.COM Registry) settles one of its lawsuits against the .XYZ Registry;
5. The .GROUP and .SALON Sunrise Periods are ending;
6. Multiple Registry just acquired .SHOPPING and .JETZT new gTLDs;
7. A major Registrar just finalized its accreditation to .GDN;
8. The new gTLD review from Domain Mondo  (.BLOG/.AMAZON and .AFRICA new gTLDs);
9. 250.000 ".blog" domain names in 2016?
10. New gTLD reports:
1. New gTLDs related to Cities;
2. New gTLDs related to Photography;
   (Two trademarks: the ".yodobashi" and ".goldpoint" new gTLDs were added, as well as the generic ".club" new gTLD: this due to the important number of photography clubs)
3. New gTLDs related to Catering.
   (the ".pizza" new gTLD was added)
11. Landrush for .コム new gTLD has started (".com" in Japanese);
12. Can we assess who is leading the new dot brand gTLD?
13. This post is updated during the day: all NEWS are sent at night in the Newsletter.

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements