New gTLDs: lost? Then, read this

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

These are a few questions to Mr. David E. Weslow, an "Internet Property Lawyer":

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

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

An encrypted letter sent to ITU

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

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

Okay...

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

Thank you.

:-)

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

Google's search engine is ready for new gTLDs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Future will tell...when ICANN is ready.

More public comments for .VIN and .WINE new gTLDs

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

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

It starts with: "Donuts takes this opportunity to contribute to application comments relating to administration of new gTLDs, the issue of confusing similarity, and the potential addition of new rights protection mechanisms (RPMs)":

1. Part one: "Walled Gardens and Community" is available here;
2. Part two: "Confusing similarity" and "Uniform applications of new RPMs" can be read here.

The same public comments were submitted for the .VIN new gTLD.

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

New gTLDs latest news

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

Please check my latest news about new gTLDs:

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

Please remember you should be registered in LinkedIn to check these links.