Companies related new gTLDs are a good business

Once a month I update the volumes of domain names registered according to a specific subject or category. I allocate a certain number of extensions to each category so such process allows me to see if, in each category, domain name extensions meet with adoption of not. In the category that I created for Companies, it appears that registrants (end users) tend to buy these domain names. Generally speaking, the volume of domain names registered in these extensions does increase.

This report is my personal choice on extensions in which I believe that companies should secure their domain name with and this is what I noticed from the October/November report:

• There's not so much red in the report compared to other reports:
• In blue, registration volumes increase significantly;
• In red, they decrease.
• Six extensions have more than 100,000 domain names registered and from that list, only .APP kept growing and never saw a decrease in its volume of domains registered. The TLD has now more than 330,000 registrations.
• I think that the .EMAIL is an absolute "must have" for obvious reasons.
• The .WORLD new gTLD also exists in its Chinese script, the .世界 Top-Level Domain.
• The .COMPANY new gTLD also exists in its Chinese script, the .公司 Top-Level Domain (this one stands for "business organization actually".
• The .BEST new gTLD changed hands recently and its volume of registrations is growing again. I registered jovenet.best.
• The .APP and .PAGE new gTLDs belong to Google and are growing fast, none lost registrations since they were launched.
• Some TLDs are confusing: the .WEB is coming but .WEBSITE and .SITE are already here. In total, the .WEBSITE new gTLD gained 2,000+ registrations since January 2018 and I wonder if this is not a bad sign for this registry.
• The .CONTACT new gTLD sticks to one single domain name registration: I don't understand the strategy for this TLD and I think that "finance" is the issue.
• Four extensions only have less registrations in November 2018 than what they had in January from the same year.
• The .COMPANY and .商标 (".trademark") are on the right track and just "keep growing" in numbers.
• The .集团 (corporate group) lost half of its registrations since January 2018.
• Note that at the moment you are reading this report, the .ONLINE new gTLD passed the one million domain name registrations.
• This one is to please Jean Christophe: the .INC new gTLD is launching.

Read the full report. If you believe that a TLD is missing from that report, please contact me.

A .BRAND new gTLD Round in October 2019?

I just attended the IGF ICANN Open Forum from 12 November 2018 in Paris. I was "intrigued" by a publication that I read on CircleId a few months ago and wanted to ask the ICANN Board the question myself.

A new gTLD service provider proposed the ICANN an indicative application period for .BRAND new gTLDs starting 1 October 2019 and ending 12 January 2020.

That's early, but if such date is suggested, I strongly believe that it is feasible. So I asked the ICANN Board the question, and Avri Doria answered me.

Just asked about the October 2019 date for a #dotbrand new gTLD round. Icann Answer: "never heard about this but not impossible".https://t.co/esVPnNAgQZ#dotbrands #newgtlds #newgtld

— Jean Guillon (@jeanguillon) November 12, 2018

The Automotive new gTLD business is exciting

I recently updated the Automotive new gTLD report for the month of October/November 2018 and I am excited to note that:

• There are 60 new gTLDs dedicated to the automotive industry.
• Lots of Trademarks have applied for their own string and major luxury car manufacturers have created their .BRAND new gTLD:
• Lamborghini;
• Bentley;
• Jaguar;
• Bugatti;
• Lexus;
• Maserati;
• Ferrari.

• Surprisingly, some Trademarks are missing: Porsche, Tesla, Mercedez-Benz, Peugeot, and Renault (and probably a few others) but I would not be surprise that they submit their .BRAND new gTLD application in the future.
• 38 "known" car Trademarks have applied for their .BRAND
• 5 of Car Trademarks new gTLD applications were withdrawn.
• After 6 years in limbo, it is still unknown if the .RAM new gTLD will ever see the day.
• Some Car trademarks register a lot of domain names:
• AUDI created 1,386 domain names ending in ".audi" for its personal use;
• MINI created 653;
• SEAT created 651;
• LAMBORGHINI created 200;
• And BMW created 117 domain names.
• Tires: 1,144 domain names ending in ".tires" have been created!
• Lots of domain names from automotive businesses are being registered at the moment in the .BEST domain name extension (they cost less than $10 per year until January 2019 at some accredited registrars).
• Unless I missed something, Volkswagen is the only Trademark to have created an IDN: it's the .大众汽车 and its stands for Volkswagen in Chinese.
• Update: there seems to be a limited interest in generic TLDs offering a plural AND a singular version of the extension:
• .AUTO (423 domain name registrations in total) and .AUTOS new gTLDs (62 registrations);
• .CAR (362 registrations) and .CARS (321 registrations) new gTLDs.
• The new gTLD with the highest number of domain name registered is one dedicated to selling domains to the general public: the .TAXI new gTLD and it has 6,263 domain names created.

Read the full report.

Less than $10 at Gandi.net ;-)

1 to 10 years at Gandi.net: €9.59 (instead of €118.78)

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.

The .ING new gTLD is a crazy idea

Please see no offence in that Title because this new gTLD could be an innovation.

Reading the newsletter from Corporate Registrar CSC, I noted that the .INC new gTLD is about launch (in January 2019, the 16th). For the note, the .INC Top-Level Domain "the definitive domain ending for business".

Not alone
There are many TLDs for the business and I listed them in the new gTLD report dedicated to Companies, but another interesting thing to me is that the TLD is similar to two others: the .INK (for writers to tattooists, to print shops), and the .ING new gTLDs also exist.The .IN country code Top-Level Domain (for India) is a pretty close one too. I wrote the list of similar Top-Level Domains here for those interested.

The .ING new gTLD is a surprise
First I thought that the .ING was the .BRAND new gTLD from the same Bank: you know..."ING", but it's not. It is an extension created by Google and its description is rather surprising. The application explaining the project says:

The proposed gTLD will provide the marketplace with direct association to the term, ʺing,ʺ a common suffix utilized to denote the gerund form of a verb (singing, sleeping). The mission of this gTLD, .ing, is to provide a dedicated domain space in which registrants can enact second-level domains that provide content related to the registrantsʹ usage of the term ʺing.ʺ Charleston Road Registry expects these uses may include but are not limited to offering content that is centralized around a second-level domain name, such as sail.ing or cook.ing.

What a strange idea to develop a new Top-Level Domain. I admit innovation here and I also see the possibility to shorten domain names more. Now...will that work and catch the attention of the public?