The .FUN Sunrise Period starts but...

The Trademark Clearinghouse is launching the .FUN Sunrise Period today:

• STARTS: Monday, 23 January, 2017;
• ENDS: Friday, 24 March, 2017.

There were three applicants for the .FUN new gTLD.

An interesting thing to know for future registrant of a ".fun" domain name is that there is a similar domain name extension: the .FUND new gTLD.

If I would not really worry about securing a similar ".fund" domain name as the registrant of a ".fun", I would certainly secure a ".fun" if I already owned of a ".fund". If the chance to add a "d" hitting a ".fun" domain name is very low, the chance to forget the letter "d" when entering "fund" is much higher.

I have no idea how much it is going to cost to register a ".fun" domain name but if the price is low, the 8,600+ owners of a ".fund" domain name might consider participating in the .FUN Sunrise Period...if they have a trademark registered.

.BRAND new gTLDs: vive la France

200 .BRAND new gTLD applications.

It is the recent number I was given by a major law firm in regard to the number of French companies which could be interested in acquiring their own new domain name extension. Of course, this does not mean that 200 french companies will apply but it gives an idea of how many more people are interested in understanding what it takes and what they could do with their .BRAND new gTLD.

For this reason, and also because Jovenet Consulting is a French company based in Paris, our website was translated into French. A few things like the page listing our publications in French and English are missing but these will be added in a close future. We appreciate your feedback on content and possible small mistakes.

What you missed in our previous Newsletters:

• Largest multiple Registry changes CEO;
• .SKI new gTLD : our legacy;
• The biggest .BRAND has 50,000 domains...but are they legit?
• Is the future of new gTLDs in India?
• .RADIO set for November launch, weird tiered pricing;
• New Sunrise Period: .FUN - Monday, 23 January, 2017 (details);
• Are you a member of the .ART world?
• Why might .brand TLDs be so important;
• Webinar: .BRAND new gTLDs (Tuesday, February 28, 2017);
• New York to auction 24 fashion .NYC domains;
• To Rightside: what are your thoughts on the new TLDs?
• Amazon, for example, posts holiday ads to amazon.BLACKFRIDAY
• Oracle launched https://go.java/
• New registry website for .RADIO
• The Future of new gTLDs (podcast);
• SEO : Play the Domain Name Game;
• HOT - Event Information: New gTLDs: the 2017 Update;
• Chinese Email Address and new gTLDs;
• Did you read that old post from the ICANN?

New gTLDs at Namescon

NamesCon is a conference dedicated to domaining: how to sell domain names, how to buy domain names...and of course, new domain names from the ICANN new gTLD program are a subject today. Let's not forget that the objective of registries, registrars and domain name investors is to sell domain names.

The interesting thing about this kind of conferences is that they tend to become more and more popular and the image domain name investors had in the past is changing today. Let's be honest: how were domainers considered before the launching of new gTLDs? ;-)

With the arrival of new gTLDs, I feel these conferences generate more interest. The example I like to use here is the presence of "institutions" from the new gTLD business in these conferences. Did you expect so see the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (the ICANN) to attend and talk at these conferences? It is a reality today.

Another sign that investing in domain names is becoming natural is the presence of major players from the industry: registries get to these conferences to promote strong added value domain names called "Premium" domains. Even backend registries attend to explain how to invest in new gTLDs. Did you notice: the speech is evolving from investing in domain names to...investing in new domain name extensions!

Conferences I would attend on the NamesCon 2017 Agenda:

1. Monday, January 23rd:
1. Investing in New TLDs - Making Money in the Short and Long Term, 2:00pm - 2:45pm.
   Join Rightside and a panel of industry experts to discuss strategies for investing in gTLDs and where they see the opportunities are going forward.
2. Tuesday, January 24th:
1. Five Facts that Will Change the Domain Game in 2017, 11:00am - 11:45am.
   24 days have already gone through in 2017 – but the new Domain year will bring five significant changes. In this session two true experts will explain what awaits you in 2017.
2. China Masterclass, 12:00pm - 12:45pm.
   No one can deny that China made a huge impact on the domain industry in the last two years. A panel of industry experts will discuss the latest changes to this enormous and complex market and help us understand the important differences between the Chinese and 'Western' world of domains.
3. HOT - Will Branded TLDs Impact the Marketplace in 2017 and Beyond? 2:00pm - 2:45pm.
   In 2016 we saw the initial roll out of the strategies for many of the world’s largest companies using their .brand Top Level Domains. Why are these companies doing this and what is the value proposition in moving away from the well-known .com digital footprints? Is this just a fad or are we witnessing a change to domain name branding for the future?
3. Wednesday, January 25th:
1. DNS Industry SWOT Analysis, 2017 Edition, 9:30am - 9:55am.
   Scaling the Internet’s TLD space from 22 top-level domains to hundreds, and one day potentially thousands is a game-changer on many levels. Akram Atallah, President of ICANN’s Global Domains Division, will sit with Christian Dawson, Executive Director of i2Coalition, to discuss developments within the evolving DNS industry including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
2. India Masterclass, 11:00am - 11:45am.
   While India has a low internet penetration rate of 19% it is close to replacing the US as the 2nd largest market with almost 300 million internet users. With more than 50 million new users per year, India cannot be ignored. Find out what makes this unique nation tick.
3. A Look Ahead at New TLDs, 11:00am - 11:45am.
Look forward and anticipate the prosperity and growth of TLDs for existing and future launches. Utilizing experiences and insight from current cases into the next round and beyond.

What you missed in our previous Newsletters:

1. Just announced: the .VUELOS new gTLD. Check latest announcements from the TMCH;
2. INTA Impact Study on Costs of New gTLDs (Reserved to INTA corporate members);
3. 2017 the .RADIO launch year!
4. NewG talk #21: how are NewG domain names being developed into websites?
5. HOT - Regulating Online Content through the Internet Architecture: The Case of ICANN’s new gTLDs;
6. Most wanted new gTLD in 2017:
1. Instead of .com users will choose .web;
2. Spartans, what is your profession?
3. Countries, Cities & Places;
4. How it’s done.
7. The TMCH just announced:
1. The .ECO Sunrise Period;
2. The .BROADWAY Sunrise Period.
8. DotBrand thinking for 2017;
9. To Uniregistry: your thoughts on new gTLDs?
10. .BRAND new gTLDs: release of Country and Territory Names;
11. Analyzing new top level domain registrations by country (Part 2).

New gTLDs & Universal Acceptance

The Universal Acceptance working group at ICANN deals with new gTLD recognition.

The purpose of this group is (according to my understanding) to spread the word that the technical side of some companies and administrations need to do adjustments to be able to read new domain name extensions. Many French administrations, for example, just reject emails because they are not yet ready to receive emails with a new ending such as ".consulting" or ".photos". This is a common problem and the Universal Acceptance working group is there to discuss such questions and provide solutions. It is also offered to participate in this absolutely not exciting debate.

What is the Universal Acceptance?
Sometimes, you send an email and...it is rejected by the server receiving the email. The reason of this is that the "machine" does not recognize an email with a domain name extension ending in ".email", instead of ".com".

The same happens with some forms, when you fill in the URL (website) field and a message tells you that there is an error when you try to submit the form.

With the development of new gTLDs, these developments are becoming a necessity, and the UA working group offers its help to solve technical problems of this kind.

I just noticed that their website offers a quick guide, translated in most languages (even in French) so I strongly suggest a download.

It's the end of the .YEAR & predictions

It is the end of the year and, as a new gTLD fan, promoter and evangelist, I will keep updating my new gTLD reports on a monthly basis starting 2017. Now most of the new gTLDs have launched, registration volumes will probably be constants...more or less.

I am enthusiastic about new gTLDs but studying registration volumes on a daily basis taught me a lot about what to submit an application for in round two of the ICANN new gTLD program and what NOT TO submit an application for.

For those interested in submitting an application in future rounds of the ICANN new gTLD program, I strongly recommend to check registration volumes from round 1: each category of TLD expresses a need for new domain name extensions...or not. For example, I would not invest in an application related to Real Estate anymore. I think sport applications are of great value as well as applications for cities. I also think that a lot of niche applications will be highly valuable and have a lot of potential.

My predictions for 2017

I predict that a date to submit a .BRAND new gTLD application will be announced before mid 2018, possibly earlier. The reason for this is that nothing blocks ICANN from allowing new "specification 13" applications from being submitted today and there is a strong demand for this. I am also confident that there will be more .BRAND new gTLD applications in coming rounds. I also think that it will cost less to apply...and.. that there will be more service providers to offer to submit a .BRAND new gTLD application. There are already a lot of signs about this: there are more tools available, it reduces the number of service providers to sign a contract with, and there is more money to earn by offering such a service to an existing list of clients: I heard about a law firm who's already understood this.

What you missed in our previous Newsletters:

1. Must listen to podcast - New gTLD predictions for 2017: hear predictions for 2017 from 15 people in the domain business;
2. URS comes to .mobi as ICANN offers Afilias lower fees;
3. Who do you think...has done the most to promote new gTLDs in 2016?
4. December 2016 Dot Brand Insights;
5. Donuts extends brand protection offering;
6. GDD Industry Summit Sponsorship Opportunities (8 - 11 May 2017);
7. In which extension(s) should companies secure their domains? (Last update of the year);
8. Useful - Confusing New gTLDs (The complete list of confusingly similar new gTLDs);
9. Here’s the Largest URS Complaint Ever Filed;
10. Interesting - Updated Staff Report on Proposed Amendments to Base New gTLD Registry Agreement;
11. Non .com in Snickers Commercial;
12. Global bars and restaurants set to benefit from newly released pool of .bar and .rest domains;
13. French - Amélioration des mécanismes de protection des marques dans le cadre des new gTLDs.

Starting 2017, we welcome new sponsors to gTLD.club and its daily Newsletter.

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.