Community new gTLD applications: wrong choice

This article was first published on CircleId.

Community new gTLD applications were one of the three options offered by version 1 one of ICANN new gTLD applicant guidebook. It was also possible submit a "generic" or a "geographic application". I dug on the ICANN website and found out that, in the end - and according to me only - it was a bed choice to submit such application.

The figures

• The ICANN website lists 84 applications submitted to the ICANN;
• 52 were delegated;
• 20 were withdrawn;
• 10 have/had objection(s);
• 9 receive a warning from a government (at least);
• 5 had a string contention;
• 4 are still "on hold" (.MUSIC - .KIDS - .MERCH - .HOTEL);
• 3 were not approved;
• none received an applicant support from the ICANN;
• the .BUGATTI new gTLD is a community application (...), not a .BRAND
• Many trademarks submitted community applications;
• some city names and territories are listed as community applications (.PARIS - .WIEN - .BZH ...);
• ICANN sometimes forgets to update its datas so some of the 84 applications mentioned could have changed.

"Volumes", "usage" or both?
I went through the 52 delegated applications to investigate which ones have lots of domain name registrations and which ones don't. Volumes of domain name creations are important because they are a good indicator if the new gTLD is a successful project or not. Now: are volumes an indicator of usage: it is up to you to decide and don't care what you think ;-) This is what I found:

• The .OVH new gTLD has 62,000+ domain name registrations;
• The .BERLIN new gTLD has 54,800+
• The .PARIS new gTLD has 20,900+
• The .SWISS new gTLD has 17,900+
• The .WIEN new gTLD has 15,400+
• The .HAMBURG new gTLD has 23,400+
• The .SCOT new gTLD has 11,500+

All other new gTLDs unlisted here have less than 10,000 registrations. This is surprising because we have very generic terms such as .ARCHI (for architecture), the .SKI and .NGO new gTLDs. The .ECO domain name extension has 3,8400+ domain names created.

Conclusion
We can easily see that none of these applications has passed the 100,000 registrations. If I perfectly understand that prices are not the same to register a domain name and "usage" matters; well, I also know how much it cost to maintain a registry and I would not want to operate a registry that has less than 10,000 registrations. In all of these cases, and no matter if a multiple registry lowers its cost operating multiple extensions, I am not sure that it is worth it to submit "another" community application in the next round of the ICANN new gTLD program...just because it limits domain name registrations to that specific community and also...because figures demonstrate that on a list of 52 TLDs, 7 only have more than 10,000 domain names on the market. Note that this does not even mean that they are used with a real website. We also know that restricting registrations to a so called community is just a line on the paper, anybody can pay to register a .SKI domain name (for example), it is absolutely not "restricted" in reality.

So: worth it for the next round? No...but that's just according to me.

Bank surveys and .BRAND new gTLDs

Like me, you probably receive surveys from your bank, wondering about their level of service and how satisfied you are about them (also how they could improve their service), but how do you ensure that your bank is the one asking you questions...and not a third party or a frauder?

This article published on CircleId explains how banks could (should?) improve their level of service - AND TRUST - using their personalized domain name extension.

Jovenet Consulting offers Banks and Trademarks to study the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to (not) create their personalized domain name extension.

New gTLDs and Politics: one Year in Review

There are domain name extensions dedicated to politics. Right after is a link to my recent article published on CircleId and which covers the year of 2018 with a few notes on registration volumes. The article is entitled "Political New gTLDs: One Year in Review" and this is the list of new gTLDs covered:

1. .DEMOCRAT
2. .EXPOSED 
3. .FAIL 
4. .GIVES 
5. .GRIPE 
6. .GURU 
7. .GOP 
8. .BEST 
9. .REPUBLICAN 
10. .VOTE 
11. .VOTING 
12. .VOTO ("vote" in Spanish)

And by the way: "happy new year"!

Law Enforcement Agencies, Authority, and new gTLDs

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union:

Competent authorities should be able to request any relevant information from any public authority, body or agency within their Member State, or from any natural person or legal person, including, for example, payment service providers, internet service providers, telecommunication operators, domain registries and registrars, and hosting service providers, for the purpose of establishing whether an infringement covered by this Regulation has occurred or is occurring.

Read my publication on CircleId.

New gTLDs: a good read

New TLD Launch: Lessons Learned

1. Far Too Much New GTLDs at Once
2. High Complexity on the Introduction of New gTLDs
3. Technical and Operational Challenges Due to Non-Scalability
4. Marketing and Awareness – the Assumptions Were Wrong
5. Unpleasant Pitfalls
6. Future Prospects

Read the article on CicleId

The CircleId Newsletter

I sometimes write articles on CircleId and noticed that a newsletter's field now appears on top of articles.

CircleId is an excellent source of information to follow what's going on in the new gTLD world and, since round one of the ICANN new gTLd program, it has become THE place where to announce.

For those to write there, I strongly recommend to add the "Top-Level Domains" tags to your article.

I am now a subscriber.

Article: "studying .BRAND New gTLDs"

Many participants in the latest ICANN meeting in Copenhagen asked that same question: "when is the next round of the ICANN new gTLD program?". If the question came from new gTLD service providers, I also noticed that it was different from "the first round": now the question focuses more on .BRANDs rather than Generic TLDs dedicated to selling domain names. The question also comes more from representatives of certain Trademarks who want to acquire a .BRAND domain name extension.

Read my article on CircleId

Confusing new gTLDs

Choosing the right domain name is like choosing a Trademark, it has to be taken seriously because it is a long time image investment.

If new gTLDs have brought new options to those in charge of creating a name (precision, availability, novelty) and registering its(their) domain name(s), they also brought the possibility to make a terrible mistake when choosing the right extension for a domain name.

First, I'd suggest to take a look at the list of "Singular versus Plural new gTLDs" and wonder:

1. What if I someone else buys (and starts to use) my exact same domain name in its plural version?
2. If I buy both domain names (one to use and one to redirect): what will be the trend in 5 years? Am I sure that I am making the right choice to use the plural version of the extension or should I use the singular one?

Second - and this one takes time - I'd suggest to carefully check the complete list of new gTLD applications by alphabetical order.

The same applies for Trademarks who will start to, or have started to, use their .BRAND new gTLD. Some strings can be the same with just one letter added. What happens if someone sends an email to Aigo Digital Technology Co,Ltd. (.AIGO new gTLD) and forgets the last "O"? The email could just never be received, because it was sent to a complete different company: American International Group, Inc. (owner of the .AIG new gTLD).

This is my list of confusing new gTLDs:

1. .AIG & .AIGO
2. .ART & .ARTE
3. .AUDI & .AUDIBLE - .AUDI & .AUDIO
4. Many more to come...

The complete list was first published on CircleId and will be maintained at Jovenet Consulting.

What you missed in our previous Newsletters:

• Interesting - ICANN Publishes Updated gTLD Marketplace Health Index;
• Mitsubishi pulls plug on dot-brand gTLD;
• 4 new gTLDs were delegated:
• .FUN
• .PHONE
• .DATA
• .MOBILE
• Location.leclerc is here;
• Interesting - How brands use their new domain name extensions;
• Just deleted (to be confirmed): 
• .IINET new gTLD;
• MUTUELLE new gTLD.
• How Are New gTLDs Seen In Domain Name Dispute Cases?
• People trying to unload 1-letter New gTLDs with expensive renewals.

Domain name registration volumes:

1. Generic new gTLDs (.WEBSITE is doing good);
2. New gTLDs related to CARS;
3. New gTLDs related to HEALTH (is .HEALTH finaly coming?).

Our reports are available here.

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

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.

I wish you a merry Christmas.

A look at New gTLDs numbers: we're doing good

Like it or not, new gTLDs are here and they're here to stay. If it is still common to read that the ICANN new gTLD program was a failure and few users are using new domain names, numbers show the opposite.

I recently read very rude critics addressed to new gTLD applicants but surprisingly, critics often come from ".com" investors and my understanding of this is that new domain names lower their margins ...since the domain name offer is now larger. This being said, the good point about new gTLDs is that they offer something that ".com" has never been able to offer: precision.

Something more which is not questionable anymore about new gTLDs is the availability of these domain names.

I checked the numbers and listed new domain name registration figures according to 17 categories.

Read my complete article on CircleId.

Assessing Current Generic New gTLDs

If we are already familiar with new generic Top-Level Domains from the ICANN new gTLD program, also called "new gTLDs", are we just as familiar with these new domain name extensions, which are called "generic" and which could be an alternative to the existing ".com" domain name extension?

As the list of new gTLDs is very long, we can easily say that there is a Top-Level Domain for any kind of business: a ".club" for Clubs, a ".news" for News, a ".dentist" for Dentists, a ".actor" for Actors, etc… But what about these domain name extensions which could become an alternative for the already very popular ".com" domain names?

Read my latest article on CircleId.

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

20+ Photography Related TLDs

A few days ago, Canon announced its move to a new domain name using its ".canon" extension, but did you know that there is a .NIKON new gTLD too? While the photography industry strengthens its presence online with these two major trademarks launching their dedicated top-level domains, there are a lot more generic extensions in the world of photography:

1. Branded New TLDs in Photography;
2. Generic New TLDs in Photography;
3. Registration Volumes.

Read the complete article on CircleID.

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Wednesday: the new gTLD info of the day

Wich protection for acronyms?

Acronyms can be considered by panels dealing with objection procedures, insofar as a likelihood of confusion exists between the concerned acronym, its meaning and the string proposed within the disputed new gTLD application.
http://www.philippelaw.eu/Front/c2-760/NewsDetails.aspx?News=427

Year-End Stats and 2016 Predictions
DomainIncvesting reached out to .Club CMO Jeff Sass and I asked him for some predictions for 2016. Here are some of his thoughts.
http://www.domaininvesting.com/club-shares-year-end-stats-2016-predictions/

Data points from domain name dispute filings at WIPO last year
At 62 disputed domain names, .xyz represented the new gTLD that appeared most often in a UDRP complaint. (The .xyz domain became popular because of an early free-registration program, and Google’s new parent company, Alphabet, brought attention to it by registering abc.xyz.)
http://www.gigalaw.com/2016/01/13/wipo-udrp-2015/

Birthplace of the World Wide Web CERN Launches home.cern
As many internet industry participants would be aware, the development of the World Wide Web is attributed to a project team at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, commonly known as CERN.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20160111_birthplace_of_the_world_wide_web_cern_launches_homecern/

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

Wednesday: the new gTLD info of the day

www.wing.club

Best year yet for ‘dot brands’
Many more noteworthy brands across different industries have introduced their new domain name extensions in the past year. Samantha Demetriou of FairWinds Partners reports.
http://www.trademarksandbrandsonline.com/article/best-year-yet-for-dot-brands

Rethink your domain name
The reasons to consider a not-com domain name run from the practical (the ‘dot-com’ domain that fits most logically with your business name may already be taken) to the more forward thinking: many companies now realize that their website address can perfectly replicate their full company name, which, as Sam Rooeintan, founder of design firm Marstudio, notes, “breathes a whole new life into branding.”
http://www.inc.com/make-a-name/5-ways-to-dominate-digital-branding-in-2016.html

What's in a Name?
What's the difference between .local and .here? Or between .onion and .apple? All four of these labels are capable of being represented in the Internet's Domain Name System as a generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), but only two of these are in fact delegated names. The other two, .local and .onion not only don't exist in the delegated name space, but by virtue of a registration in the IANA's Special Use Domain Name registry, these names cannot exist in the conventional delegated domain name space.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20151222_whats_in_a_name/

Must-read: Is Google Changing the Internet with the New TLDs?
A wake-up call for brands in the new Top Level Domain (TLD) era.
http://authenticweb.com/is-google-changing-the-internet-with-the-new-tlds/

.Club Domains is participating in the Right of the Dot/NamesCon auction
Live auction starts on January 11, 2016 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time (5:00 PM Eastern Time) at the NamesCon conference. Online Auction starts NOW and will be extended for an additional 10 days following the Live auction. The extended auction will include the domains in the live auction that do not hit reserve, and will close completely on January 21, 2016.
http://nic.club/auction/

2016 Predictions: What to Expect for the Next Year in New TLDs
Turning our gaze forward, I think 2016 is shaping up to be the biggest and best year that we've enjoyed to date and will surpass many expectations as we continue the push towards mainstream adoption of these wonderful, innovative digital assets.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20151222_2016_predictions_what_to_expect_for_the_next_year_in_new_tlds/

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

UPDATE: the new gTLD info of the day (Friday)

Porn firm wins .cam after years of objections

The controversial new gTLD .cam has been won at auction by Dutch porn site operator AC Webconnecting, putting an end to over two years of back-and-forth objections.
http://domainincite.com/19723-porn-firm-wins-cam-after-years-of-objections

Verisign IDNs: Landrush details and Premium Domains
Verisign is getting ready to launch its first internationalized domain name, a Japanese transliteration of .com .コム.
http://domainnamewire.com/2015/12/18/verisign-idns-landrush-details-and-premium-domains/

Cheers! Registries and Registrars Doing the Right Thing by Patients
The good news? There are many registrars out there who take action and hold registrants accountable. The behavior of Rebel as discussed in the 2015 Notorious Market List is the exception, not the rule, at least when it comes to registry and registrar action against illegitimate online drug sellers. The majority of registries and registrars are doing the right thing by patients.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20151218_cheers_registries_and_registrars_doing_the_right_thing_by_patients/

.MUSIC new gTLD
Imogen Heap wrote to ICANN
There are no other applicants willing to support and nurture our music community in the way DotMusic are bound to do so, should they win.https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/correspondence/heap-to-icann-eiu-16dec15-en.pdf

.feedback and .sucks: podcast
Invited to expand on their offerings, Top Level Spectrum CEO Jay Westerdal and Vox Populi CEO John Berard both joined us on the latest episode of the World Trademark Review podcast.
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/Blog/detail.aspx?g=7787177a-40c5-4d20-babb-adbddaf7baa2

Domain Name Industry Brief
The third quarter of 2015 closed with a base of approximately 299 million domain name registrations across all top-level domains (TLDs), an increase of 3.1 million domain names, or 1.1 percent over the second quarter of 2015. Registrations have grown by 14.8 million, or 5.2 percent, year over year.1
https://www.verisign.com/en_US/innovation/dnib/index.xhtml

Google confirms: Yes, you can switch to a new .melbourne domain without penalty
In the past, Google has been notoriously tight-lipped about the search performance of new TLDs, stating only that they will “not be treated any differently” than legacy TLDs such as .com and .net. This is despite independent research that has demonstrated some search benefits of new extensions and reports from businesses which have seen an increase in customers because of their new domain name.
http://live.melbourne/media-release/google-confirms-yes-you-can-switch-to-a-new-melbourne-domain-without-penalty/

What is a URL?
Is a URL the same as a domain name? Surprisingly to many, the answer is no. But the terms are used so interchangeably, it’s understandable why people confuse one for the other. But there is a difference.

https://www.verisign.com/en_US/domain-names/online/what-is-a-url/index.xhtml

How I just registered Twitter.sucks for free in just five clicks
This morning, I caused the registration of and was given control of a web site at twitter.sucks.
http://domainincite.com/19706-how-i-just-registered-twitter-sucks-for-free-in-just-five-clicks

Could a new gTLD help you achieve your business goals?
Consider what registrations in generic new gTLDs would make strategic sense, but also brainstorm whether your own .BRAND might be a good idea. It’s a long evaluation process that, to paraphrase Nao Matsukata, starts with one question: Would it solve a problem for you?
http://blog.fairwindspartners.com/gtld-basics/creating-a-strong-domain-name-portfolio

CentralNic’s growing very rapidly
CentralNic CEO, Ben Crawford discusses the company’s involvement in Alphabet’s “.xyz” domain name and how they’re performing compared to the “GoDaddy’s of the world.”
http://cnb.cx/1PcMofE

Going on Holidays?
http://visit.rio/

.XYZ Registry Reports Nearly All 5 Number Domains Sold Out
Daniel Negari, CEO of the .xyz registry has reported to TheDomains.com that there are less than 10,000 five number .xyz domain name combinations left before they are all registered!
http://www.thedomains.com/2015/12/17/xyz-registry-reports-nearly-all-5-number-domains-sold-out/

Domain Management Starter Guide: Strategy, Policies and Procedures
The bad news is domain management pain will aggravate further as the Top Level Domain (TLD) space expands from 22 (.com, .net, .org etc.) to 1,000+ TLDs (.news, .tech, .bank etc.), resulting from ICANN's domain name expansion program.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/domain-management-starter-guide-strategy-policies-andre-forrester

The Nameshield Group: Registry, Corporate and Retail Registrar

Most recent Trademark Clearinghouse Sunrise Period announcements

I questioned a Club Manager

I asked a famous club manager about changing his domain name to a .club domain name and it turned to an interesting discussion.

Extract: "It started with the same good old talk about Search Engine Optimization ("SEO"), losing positioning on the first page of Google results… If I clearly understood that reasoning on the part of a small club, I think it is a non sense for a club that already has some notoriety because notoriety is considered in Google search engine's algorithm".

Read my complete article on CircleId:
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20150623_i_spoke_to_a_club_manager/.

Register your .CLUB domain name with Namebay.

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.

Alternatives for .COM ? (Part 1)

This is the first article of a serie of two: which new domain name extension will replace .COM?

There are plenty of new domain names and if .COM never had any real identity or true meaning, it is quite possible that new gTLDs may bring new ideas to those who want to acquire a global identity without focusing on a country, a niche market, a specific industry, a community or just anything which does not cover “the world”. I made a list of these new domain names with potential to replace .COM and I believe that the alternatives might be in the article after.

Read my article on CircleId.

New gTLDs Will Work Way Better Than Vanity Domains Did

Now, new gTLDs are coming ...

Taking those as examples, one will notice that it is just a matter of "saying something" and not sticking to the norm. When the norm was mainly made of .COM .NET and other sponsored TLDs, the minor ones, often in need of innovation to drive registrations in their TLDs encouraged Registrants into to registering "vanity domains". Today, new domain names are here to replace them.

Read my complete article on CircleId

Are “International TLDs” the key to a successful Registry?

That is quite possible as the results of the recent .CLUB launching show that it generated a lots of interest in a short period of time. The .CLUB registry is now number 3 on the list of most registered domain names with 37 806 domains registered and .EMAIL is in position 6 (source http://ntldstats.com/).

Read my article on gTLD.club: http://gtld.club/2014/05/14/are-international-tlds-the-key-to-a-successful-registry/

A New Blog About "New gTLDs"

I am partial to those from Law Firms which develop and offer their own gTLD products, with more often than not, many flaws in their offers. In the end, as you will doubtless find out, it is actually their ICANN Accredited Registrar that solves problems for their client for which the law firm bills at three times the price of the registrar.

Read my article on CircleId.