Tuesday, September 22, 2020

News from the .BASKETBALL new gTLD


The "Fédération Internationale de Basketball" (FIBA) just updated us with some noticeable info:

  1. The Trademark claims period will open on the First of February 2021;
  2. The Limited Registration Period (LRP#4), which started yesterday on the 21st of September, will end on the 31st of January 2021.
This is at least what the ICANN website says.

Number of domain names registered in total (as of today): 324

Saturday, September 12, 2020

The .CONTACT new gTLD: some fresh news

The .CONTACT new gTLD was delegated in 2015 and a date was finally announced for its Sunrise Period.

Donuts Inc (Dog Beach, LLC), owner of this domain name extension, announced that the Sunrise Period will start on the 29th of September 2020, and end on the 28th of November 2020.

From what I understood from this project, there should be "a little more" than just registering a domain name when you go for your ".contact". Also, the TLD Marketing asset kit from Donuts offers nothing for this string so...can that be a sign that the .CONTACt new gTLd will be different from other TLDs? Let's wait and see what comes out.

More details here.

Monday, August 24, 2020

Why you should NOT apply for a .BRAND new gTLD

I read LOTS of publications about how fantastic .BRAND new domain name extensions are, and I fully agree that they are a wonderful tool.

I noticed that none covers why one applicant should NOT apply: no new gTLD specialist explains what can the disadvantages be to submit a .BRAND type new gTLD application so here is my personal cover published on CircleID:
There are two kinds of new domain name extensions: those dedicated to selling domain names through the network of accredited Registrars and those dedicated to a personnel use. I call these "dotBRANDs" or ".brand" new gTLDs since they are used — most of the time — by Trademarks for their own benefit. This article focuses on .BRAND new generic Top-Level Domains. In the ICANN vocabulary, these are "Registry Agreements with Specification 13”...
Read the full article here.

Monday, August 17, 2020

Gartner kills .CEB new gTLD after acquisition

Gartner Inc. terminated the Registry Agreement for .CEB after acquisition. This is what the content of the letter to the ICANN says:
Gartner, Inc. is the successor-in-interest to the Corporate Executive Board Company “CEB”), having completed an acquisition of CEB in 2017. This letter is to notify you that pursuant to Section 4.4 (b) of the Registry Agreement (RA) between ICANN and The Corporate Executive Board Company of April 9, 2015 Gartner, Inc. hereby terminates the RA for CEB. The Corporate Executive Board Company kindly asks if ICANN can initiate the termination process as soon as possible. Please do let us know if any further information is required.

Termination letter is available here (PDF download)

The ICANN Preliminary Determination letter is available here.

Monday, July 27, 2020

Termination of Registry Agreement for .JCP

On 23 April 2015, ICANN and JCP Media, Inc., entered into a Registry Agreement under which JCP Media, Inc., operated the .jcp top-level domain.



J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc. jut terminated the .JCP new gTLD on June the 23rd, 2020. Read the letter here (PDF download).

The ICANN acknowledged:
"In conformance with Section 4.5 of the Registry Agreement (as modified for a .Brand TLD), ICANN org may not delegate the TLD to a successor registry operator for a period of two years without the Registry Operator's consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed."
Read the answer here (PDF download)

Unfortunately, I can't point to JCP.com since the front page says: "We Are Currently Unable to Provide a Shopping Experience for This Country" (France).

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

ICANN to ACTO on .AMAZON : now talk to AMAZON

ALEXANDRA MOREIRA, Secretary General of the ACTO* wrote to the ICANN again with the intention to "to resume negotiations on the TLD’s governance with the Amazon Corporation., from the point where their side interrupted it, with a view to arriving at a satisfactory agreement." The letter can be downloaded here (PDF download).

Göran Marby, President and Chief Executive Officer Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) kindly answered some sort of a "no" with the option to talk directly to AMAZON:
"ICANN no longer can serve in a role of facilitating negotiation of the means..." and "I kindly encourage the ACTO Member States to resume negotiations with the Amazon Corporation ..."
"The process to complete the delegation of the .amazon top-level domain spanned over many years and took into account the interests of the applicant for the strings, the interests as expressed by ACTO and its member states, , and the relevant ICANN’s multistakeholder processes as limited through the ICANN Bylaws." 
The full ICANN answer can be downloaded here.


*The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) is an Intergovernmental Organization formed by eight Member Countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, encouraging sustainable development and social inclusion in the region.

Monday, July 20, 2020

The COVID ended the .SHRIRAM new gTLD

This is the Notice of Registry Operator Request for Termination of Registry Agreement. The .SHRIRAM Top-Level Domain was terminated.

The notice was sent in May by SHRIRAM and it is due to the COVID situation:
We refer the registry agreement dt.23.01.2014 entered by Shriram Capital Ltd with you. Due to unprecedented Covid-19 effect on the business, we have no other option but to terminate the registry agrcement with effect from 3l't March 2020. We request you not to transit the domain name .SHRIRAM to any third party as we are the registered trademark owner of the name SHRIRAM. We requcst you to kindly do the needful at the earliest.
Download the notice of termination by the ICANN (PDF download)

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Just updated: the .GAY new gTLD

The TLD Startup information page from the ICANN website was just updated with detailed information for the .GAY new gTLD. Important Dates:
  • Sunrise Period: 10 February 2020 to 31 March 2020;
  • Trademark Claims Period: 11 May 2020 to 07 December 2020;
  • Limited Registration Period: ''Sunrise II'' - 6 Apr 2020 to 6 May 2020.

Check the official page.

.BRAND new gTLD Reports are updated once a month.

.BRAND new gTLD Reports are updated once a month.
Cick here !