Trademarks more exposed starting January 2017

I force myself not to talk about the .SUCKS new gTLD because I strongly believe that it is the worst think that was brought by the ICANN new gTLD program. The latest announcement received from this registry - which front page states: "...is designed to help consumers find their voices and allow companies to find the value in criticism" - says that it will drop the wholesale price of .sucks domains to $1.99 in January.

What it means:
It means that the registry offers to buy a domain name for a cheap price starting January 2017 and it will then try to have buyers to renew the domain name at a much higher price at the moment to renew the domain name.
My suggestions:

1. don't buy these domain names;
2. don't participate in making the web worst than it already is;
3. don't be fooled by such practice.

What does it mean for Trademarks and other Registrants:
During one year, starting in January 2017, your Trademark will be more exposed to infringements because of the low price of these domain names. Also, it will cost almost nothing to register yourname.sucks or yourtrademark.sucks for a third party.
My suggestions:

1. don't pay attention if someone tries to annoy you because the price to renew these domain name will be higher so a squatter will probably not renew it;
2. when paying attention to squatters, you increase their willing to renew a domain name;
3. if you think this is going too far, have a look at the PDDRP Procedure at ICANN (Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure): "The Trademark PDDRP generally addresses a Registry Operator's complicity in trademark infringement on the first or second level of a New gTLD".
4. don't participate in making the web worst than it already is...

What you missed in last Friday's Newsletter:

1. Coming new gTLD: the .HOSPITAL new gTLD should be delegated soon;
2. Cognac Producer Successfully Obtains Domains Reproducing its Brand Under new gTLDs;
3. NAR Has Moved to nar.realtor;
4. HOT - Your Trademark never wants to face this: http://hyatt.sucks/
5. Coming in 2017, new domain name registration volumes for businesses related to adults;
6. ICANN picks Madrid for next gTLD industry meeting.

Domain name registration volumes: 

• New gTLDs related to CATERING; 
• New gTLDs related to PHOTOGRAPHY; 
• New gTLDs related to CITIES;
• New gTLDs "sounding French"; 
• HOT - New gTLDs related to COMPANIES; 
• New gTLDs related to the LAW; 
• New gTLDs related to FINANCE (a lot of red this week); 
• New gTLDs related to COLORS. 

Our reports are available here.

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.

Sunrise Period starts for .ART new gTLD

Announced yesterday, the .ART new gTLD Sunrise Period starts...today:

• START: Wednesday, 7 December, 2016 - 16:00;
• END: Tuesday, 7 February, 2017 - 16:00.

Interesting extract from the application:

It is difficult to anticipate the number of registrations in the restricted registry for .art, as the number may be determined by the effectiveness of marketing and the reception of internet users to the new gTLDs more generally. It is estimated that between 25,000 and 80,000 registrations may take place in the first year. It is difficult to estimate the number of people engaged at different levels within the visual arts community worldwide; however as a portion of the population, the number is likely to be significant and growing. In 2009 there were over 400,000 listed businesses engaging in the art market worldwide and between 5 and 15 million individuals engaging in arts related activities.

What you missed in our previous Newsletter:

1. .CLUB Gets Approved by Chinese Government (Official announcement);
2. Just delegated: the .HAIR new gTLD;
3. Overseas TLD Registries Licensed by Chinese Government;
4. Donuts,Inc:
1. Bellevue startup Donuts finds success with domain-name registry;
2. Jobs at Donuts Inc:
1. Business Intelligence Analyst - Bellevue, WA;
2. Director of Digital Marketing - Bellevue, WA.
3. Why Donuts is Called Donuts.
5. New gTLD Conference: ICANN New gTLD Program: Exploring Impact & Future Direction;
6. HOT - Identification card to register a .TOP ?
7. The .CLUB Registry approved in China;
8. .xyz, .club and .vip get the nod to sell in China;
9. The .BANGLA new gTLD;
10. Innovation - Apple reveals self-driving car plans;
11. The future of .COM after new gTLDs boom!
12. Cross-Community Working Group on new gTLD Auction Proceeds Home;
13. Imagine and Inspire with a .DESIGN Domain;
14. Lancement du .RADIO par l'UER;
15. The most surprising new TLDs so far;
16. Amazon launches a new Brand TLD website;
17. What Is A TLD? gTLD? ccTLD? newgTLD? IDN?
18. Good read - Quelles sont les opportunités SEO des nouvelles extensions de domaine?

Domain name registration volumes: 

• For Companies;
• For the Law;
• For Finance;
• For Colors;
• For Sport (check the .XBOX new gTLD);
• For Real estate.

Our reports are available here.

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.

All City new gTLDs have launched

We are now done with all new gTLDs related to Cities.

38 cities in the world submitted one or more applications to own their name as a domain name extension:

• Some applied for several TLDs such as .BCN and .BARCELONA for the city of Barcelona;
• Some, like the city of Moscow applied for the same string in their ASCII and IDN version;
• In certain cases, the TLD does not only represent the city itself but an entire municipality or an emirate like it is the case for Abu Dhabi;
• Some strings were applied for the same name but in different languages like the city of Koeln (and Cologne).
• We added .TOURS as a city since it also represents the city of Tours in France (even if the city of Tours has probably not noted its existence yet);
• The last to have been added is the .BOSTON new gTLD which was delegated last week.

The complete list of cities can be checked here and we welcome new strings (since it is possible that we forgot some). The .SPA new gTLD maybe?

What you missed in our previous Newsletter:

1. 4 new gTLD were delegated;
2. The tables are turned: now Donuts can delay Verisign;
3. The Business Benefits of Not-Com Domain Names;
4. HOT - Adopting a Creative Domain Extension;
5. Some article about new gTLDs & Universal Acceptance;
6. The ICRC:
1. Letter from the Red Cross asking for full protection of "redcross" and "redcrescent";
2. Answer from the ICANN.

Domain name registration volumes: 

• New gTLDs with a FRENCH connotation; 
• HOT - New gTLDs related to CITIES; 
• New gTLDs related to CATERING;
• New gTLDs related to PHOTOGRAPHY.

Our reports are available here.

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 on www.newsletter.domains anymore.

ICANN new gTLD program: permanent protection?

This is a correspondence which was just published on the ICANN website between the Red Cross and the ICANN:

The ICRC to ICANN (translated by myself): "after five years of discussions, when can you confirm that "redcross" and "redcrescent" are fully protected at the first and second level (first and second level domain names)?

ICANN's answer:

"...the Board took a decision in 2013 to grant temporary protection to the names of your national societies; thus preventing such registrations at the second level for all new gTLDs. Such temporary protection will stay in place until an agreed permanent solution is in place."

and:

"I will update you on developments concerning the latter and the process and likely timescales involved".

Sources:

1. Letter from the ICRC (download);
2. Answer from the ICANN board (download).

What you missed in our previous Newsletter:

1. Chinese registrants like .LOAN;
2. Identifier Technology Health Indicators;
3. Donuts loses $22.5m .WEB lawsuit;
4. Cool - Just delegated: .BOSTON
5. Court tosses Donuts’ .WEB lawsuit;
6. Infographic Explaining Top Level Domain System;
7. SEDO Registry services;
8. . ART domain name seeks to become dominant global online site for art.

Domain name registration volumes: 

• New gTLDs related to RELIGION; 
• Singular VS Plural new gTLDs; 
• New gTLDs related to FRENCH applications.

Our reports are available here.

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.

Chinese registrants like .LOAN

Checking domain name registration volumes for the Real Estate industry, I noticed an increase of 179,933 new domain names within a one week period of time. For a registry...

THIS IS A LOT OF DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATIONS

...so I called Famous Four Media (dot Loan Limited), the Registry for the .LOAN new gTLD to ask the question and what was the reason of this. Here is the answer I received:

It has to do with the way .loan is perceived in China and it seems they are starting to love it. We have at least 2 big registrars in China that started selling insane numbers in .loan so that’s a fact now, no longer a guess.

Famous Four Media recently established a WFOE company (wholly foreign-owned enterprises) in China and obtained a government license to be able to sell its domain names. The Chinese market now seems to be part of any new gTLD development strategy to sell domain names.

What you missed in our previous Newsletter:

1. The .BOSTON new gTLD (is coming);
2. HOT - Reminder: the .BUZZ auction is coming;
3. Update - In which extensions should companies secure their domains?
4. Involved in the consultancy side of a registry business?
5. Google’s Open-Source TLD Registry Platform;
6. New ICANN procedures for gTLD transfers (what you need to know);
7. The .GOOG Sunrise Period ends soon (read more)

Domain name registration volumes: 

• New gTLDs related to ALCOHOL; 
• New gTLDs related to REAL ESTATE; 
• New gTLDs related to SPORT.

Our reports are available here.

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.

Registration volumes tell a lot (new G's)

The .NIKON new gTLD seems to be doing tests again. When you compare with the .CANON domain name extension, it shows that chances are higher that there is a project of using .NIKON domains rather than with CANON. The .LONDON TLD has lost more than 1,000 registrations recently, same for the .AMSTERDAM extension. The .BID and .LOAN new gTLDs from Famous Four Media are...WOW...have a look t the FINANCE new gTLD report.

What you missed in our previous Newsletter:

1. New .ART Domain Launches;
2. NewG talk #14 & Beard.club (read the full story);
3. Just delegated: the .RMIT new gTLD;
4. FRENCH - L’indépendance de l’ICANN, une arme à multiples facettes:
1. Etat statistique des nTLDs au samedi 26/11/16 (données publiées);
2. Nouveaux TLDs : le Second Round en débat(s);
3. Les nTLDs seraient-ils « morts » ?
4. Des « generic-TLDs » aux « niche-TLDs »;
5. Les « prototypes » des années 2000;
6. Un difficile changement de paradigme;
7. Des registrars aux revendeurs et des revendeurs aux titulaires;
8. Gouvernance de l’Internet : alarmes aux lendemains des élections américaines;
9. L’ICANN encore et toujours sous pression.
5. HOT - New gTLDs are ranking on Google;
6. What is a unsponsored gTLD?
7. 19,000 .blog domains registered in first 24 hours;
8. HOT - New gTLDs: Competition, Consumer Trust & Consumer Choice Review Interim Findings & Next steps;
9. Nomulus for a TLD?
10. ICA on the Record at ICANN 57 Hyderabad;
11. The French corner:
1. HOT - L’extension aux enchères, (lire ce brillant article) (in French);
2. Vinci.group;
3. Flash crash de Vinci en Bourse;
12. Don't ignore the New generic Top-Level Domains;
13. The .CYCLING new gTLD request;
14. .Blog domains: 16,430 registered after GA;
15. My first new TLD sale;
16. Did You Register a .Blog Domain Name?
17. How Can We Improve for ICANN 58?

Domain name registration volumes: 

• New gTLDs related to the LAW; 
• New gTLDs related to FINANCE; 
• New gTLDs related to COMPANIES (newsletter); 
• New gTLDs related to COLORS. 

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.