New gTLDs for the Law: 2019 in Review

I listed eleven new Top-Level Domains (domain name extensions) which are connected to the law: it can be a profession or a generic term. In 2019, nothing extraordinary happened but here is what I noticed:

• One is a Trademark (a .BRAND new gTLD);
• One is a Chinese IDN (Internationalized domain name);
• The .ESQ new gTLD, operated by Google, was delegated in August 2014 and had two domain names created in January 2019, same as December.
• Four of these Registries have more than 10,000 domain name registrations and the number one had 27,324 domain names beginning of December 2019. Surprisingly, this Top-Level Domain is the .TRADEMARK new gTLD in its Chinese version: the .商标 (trademark) domain name extension.
• Two of these gTLDs exist in English and Spanish: .ATTORNEY and .ABOGADO. Note that "abogado" is the name of a fruit too.
• Three of these TLDs lost registrations during the year, it means that they had less registrations in December than in January of the same year: .LAWYER - .ATTORNEY and .ASSOCIATES
• Two had the exact same number of domain names during the entire year: no increase, no decrease.
• One of the TLDs that I like best is the .POLITIE new gTLD: is stands for "Police" in the Netherlands. It is the only one that I found from this kind: it's the only Police in the world to operate its own domain name extension. The application submitted to the ICANN says: "In addition, an Internet portal for the National Police will offer opportunities for partnerships with local stakeholders and provide a platform for local partners to share information concerning a particular incident or a structural problem within a neighborhood" but unfortunately, I was not able to locate that Internet portal. The .POLITIE new gTLD had eight domain names created as of December 2019.
• The .LEGAL and .LAW new gTLDs both gained an average of 600 domain names from January to December. Adoption is slow by end users but it is there.
• The .PARTNERS Top-Level Domain gained 1,000 domain names in one year.

Read the full report here.

Coming: "HEALTH new gTLD: 2019 in Review"

Politics and new gTLDs: 2019 in review

I was first wondering if I would do a single publication for Politics and Legal new gTLDs but since I just learnt that am stuck home due to the Coronavirus' French containment - and it appears that it is going to last for the next 45 days - let's say that...I have time in front of me...

Political new gTLDs
I was already asked twice that question: "what do you use registrations and creations?" Well, this is a very good question because some domain names are not "bought" but they can be created by the registry. Some Premium domain names for example are created but they don't belong to a Registrant (yet) but to the Registry who tries to sell them.

I listed twelve Political new gTLDs and here is what I noticed in 2019:

• Two have more than 10,000 domain name created: .GURU has 55,680 and .BEST has 86,600. At the moment I am writing these lines, the .BEST new gTLD should approach the 100,000 creations;
• Three strings are very close one to the other: .VOTE - .VOTO and .VOTING can create lots of confusion to Registrants (domain name owners) who would want to build a website around the subject. I would personally register all three of them and use the .VOTE new gTLD since it is the word used in several languages. Two of these strings are stagnating and .VOTING lost half of its registrations since January 2019.
• Three of these TLDs have a negative meaning: .GRIPE - .FAIL and .EXPOSED. This is why I added them to this report. All have their registrations to decline in volume and all are below 5,000 domain names. I did not add the .SUCKS new gTLD. It was added to the Adult new gTLD report.
• Three other Top-Level Domains are seriously political and represent two political parties. None has more than 1,500 domain names created:
• .DEMOCRAT (volume of domain names has declined since January 2019);
• .REPUBLICAN (volume of domain names has declined since January 2019);
• .GOP (volume of domain names has stagnated since January 2019 for a total of 1,146 domain names in December).
• Five Top-Level Domains on a total of twelve had more registrations in December than in January. The .GIVES new gTLD is one of them with...1,774 domain names created in December 2019.
• The only political new gTLD to have "exploded numbers" is the .BEST new gTLD which started 2019 with four thousand registrations only and ended it with more than 80,000 !
• I wonder how long it takes for American political parties to clearly identify under a .DEMOCRAT or a .REPUBLICAN

Read the full report here.

Coming: "Legal new gTLD: 2019 in Review"

How SKY is improving the use of its .SKY new gTLD

I recently shared with Dawn Shackleton, Head of Online Brand Protection (Sky Technology) at Sky. Dawn is also Vice President of the Brand Registry Group so she often meets with other .BRAND new gTLD applicants. Dawn is also the person to talk to for the .SKY new gTLD.

The .SKY new gTLD

I had read about this job offer: a position related to the .SKY new gTLD and the SKY domain name portfolio (which must be an important one). I dug a little about .SKY and noticed that SKY is one of these rare .BRANDs to do something with its TLD. In France, we have the .ARTE new gTLD but I found no reference using a ".arte" domain name but redirections. I then asked her if anything new was coming and here is what I wrote down:

• The use of dotSKY is building month on month;
• Its primary use is for Corporate purposes and the growth of use stems from the decision to move Sky's corporate website over to skygroup.sky from being a sub domain of sky.com;
• The most recent website is productionservices.sky which showcases Sky first class TV production talent and studio facilities for hire;
• Their biggest success to date is the adoption of sub domains of contact.sky that they use where 3rd party agencies are sending bulk emails out to customers or internal Sky people. This gives assurance to people that the email they are receiving is authentic.

This is why you need your .BRAND

Did you read that sentence from Dawn: "This gives assurance to people that the email they are receiving is authentic". There are other reasons to apply for a .BRAND but this short sentence is one of the main reasons why Banks and other major Trademarks should acquire their own dotBrand domain name extension.

Being able to seal an email is one thing that a personalized domain name extension allows: ".com" or any other domain name extensions do not offer that option.

Just Updated: the .CYOU Sunrise Period

The Sunrise Period details page at ICANN was recently updated with something new:

• Sunrise Period: 14 May 2020 to 15 Jun 2020;
• Trademark Claims Period: 16 Jun 2020 to 14 Sep 2020.

This Registry was acquired recently but the latest purpose of the TLD was not updated on the official ICANN application so I am not providing it here.

More here.

New gTLDs for Catering and Culinary: 2019 in review

We, French, like Food...and actually, this report is one of the first that came to my mind in 2016 when I started to publish weekly (then monthly) domain name registration volumes from specific industries. There were three applicants for the .FOOD new gTLD and one only for the similar IDN Top-Level Domain (.食品) which makes that string exist in two versions: English and Japanese. The funny thing about this example is that the Japanese version (belonging to AMAZON) has more domain names created - 58 in total - than the ASCII version which had one only in December 2019. It stuck to one since it was delegated in November 2016.
I compiled a list of 23 Top-Level Domains and noticed a few things for catering and culinary new gTLDs in 2019:

• There is another IDN for the .RESTAURANT Top-Level Domain. It is its Chinese version, the .餐厅 new gTLD. If the ASCII version had a total of 8,000 domain names in December, the Chinese version had 70 (but it is increasing).
• There were seven .BRANDs new gTLDs and three were withdrawn before 2019. One .BRAND is active, it is .FAGE which has created 61 personalized domain names in total but none were created in 2019 (it stuck to 61 from January to December).
• The three withdrawn applications were .PAMPEREDCHEF and surprisingly, the two other were from McDonalds: .MCD and .MCDONALDS. I wonder how long it will take McDonalds to submit an application again :-)
• Two ASCII TLDs exist in two languages: French and English: the .COFFEE (19,521 registrations) and .CAFE (15,959) new gTLDs.
• The two surprises of the year are .BAR and .REST: both had more than 20,000 domain name creations in December. The two of them gained an important number of creations in the end of 2019: +12,000 for .BAR in November and +16,000 for .REST in December. Interesting, isn't it? Note that I am not sure about .REST and still wonder if it means "restaurant". It is possible that I remove it from this report in the future.
• I personally like the .EAT new gTLD which is operated by Google but for some reason, nothing happens with it and it sticks to two domain name creations. I can't wait to see what's Google plan for this one.
• The other TLDs listed here do progress slowly, very slowly in volume.

Read the full report here.

Coming: "New gTLDs for Sex and Alcohol: 2019 in Review"

Interview: Ten Years Between New gTLD Applications Is Too Long

This is an interview from David Goldstein: Domain Pulse Q&A With Jovenet Consulting’s Jean Guillon. If interested in new gTLDs, I strongly suggest that section from Domain Pulse entitled "New gTLDs"

Dismay at the time it’s taking for ICANN to launch a new round of new gTLD applications is an underlying theme for Jovenet Consulting’s Jean Guillon in today’s Domain Pulse Q&A, as well as it’s the insiders who are framing the new applicant guidebook and the larger companies are the ones with the resources to put into submitting applications from an anticipated overly complicated applicant guidebook. But it’s not all dismay as Jean is excited about the future of new gTLDs, the .BEST registry, and he has a French city waiting to apply for its own gTLD and he believes he’s worked out what works and doesn’t.

Questions asked by Domain Pulse:

1. What were the highlights, lowlights and challenges of 2019 in the domain name industry, both for you and/or the industry in general?
2. What are you looking forward to in 2020?
3. What challenges and opportunities do you see for the year ahead?
4. How have new gTLDs fared in 2019?
5. What progress do you see on a new round of applications for new gTLDs in 2020?
6. What one thing would you like to see addressed or changed in the domain name industry?

Read the full interview here.