SPOTLIGHT
The Magic of Las Vegas Dot Vegas Inc. has announced the release of 2000+ previously Registry Reserved names, as well as 3,500+ names previously listed as premium. This release begins August 1,2019 through October 31,2019. The domain names will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants with a valid signed mark data (SMD) file issued by the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) can apply for a domain name previously listed as Registry Reserved. Beginning November 1, 2019 the domain names will be open to all interested registrants, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. CSC is order ready for this release. If you have any questions or interest in the name release, please contact your Client Service Partner. Adults Only A new domain blocking mechanism has arrived, and this time, it is adults only – adult themes, that is. ICM Registry, (acquired by Minds & Machines (MMX) registry), recently announced a soft launch of a new blocking program that allows defensive minded Organizations to block registrations aimed specifically at its 4 adult-themed TLDs – .xxx, .adult, .porn, and .sex. ICM is no stranger to blocks, having been a pioneer of this type of protection service for .xxx in 2011, with a “Sunrise B” phase to protect rights holders from infringement in a domain space that they may otherwise have no interest in registering. ICM now looks to expand that program to their subsequent adult-themed TLDs (.adult/.sex/.porn), which launched in 2015. The ‘AdultBlock’ program is partnering and utilizing the same platform of the recently launched Uniregistry’s Uni EPS and EPS+ Block programs and will operate in a similar manner. Adult blocks are available at two levels, ‘AdultBlock’ standard and AdultBlock Plus (“+”). The standard offering protects a single label across all four of the TLDs, inclusive of any premium domains. The AdultBlock+ allows a wider coverage of an unlimited number of variant labels from the owners’ SMD file or their original ICM “Sunrise B” label from the 2011 launch of .xxx. The AdultBlock+ level of protection also covers variants using homoglyphs and IDNs, which can appear confusingly similar to the English (ASCII) characters in a domain name. CSC will continue to provide details on the launch as more information becomes available. If you have questions, or would like to express interest, please contact your Client Service Partner. Australia Prepares For Top-Level Launch The .au Domain Administration (auDA) announced plans to allow second-level registrations in the .au domain space. The launch was anticipated to occur in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2019 and last approximately 6 months. The Registry has announced a delay in the top-level .AU launch. The release is pushed to the first half of 2020. The Registry will carry out additional three-month public consultation as it is critically important that the changes are widely understood, backed by an education program and supported by robust business processes throughout industry. The outcome of the consultation, together with a summary of technical and process improvements, will be considered by the Registry Board in late 2019 or early 2020. If you are interested in registering a top-level .au name during the Grandfather Phase, please ensure to review your existing 3rd level .au’s Registrant details. Which includes ABN/ACN/TM, to ensure the data located on the WHOIS is up to date. Holders of existing third-level .au domains (such as .com.au, .net.au, .org.au, id.au & .asn.au) receive priority status for the corresponding second-level domain, and will be assigned a category for a Grandfather Phase. Third-level domains registered on or before February 4, 2018, are assigned Priority Category 1. If registered after February 4, 2018, the domains fall into Priority Category 2. Category 1 is the first priority. If multiple parties hold Category 1 for the same domain name string, and wish to register the exact match in the second level .AU, they may negotiate an agreement as to which will be the Designated person to register the .AU domain. The registry will provide a tool prior to the launch for registrants to view any domains in conflict. The tool aims to provide registrants with information on domains that have matches across all .au sub-extensions and the priority level for each. The tool will also show the application status for the top level domain, if submitted. If you are interested in registering a top-level .au domain name, please reach out to your Client Service Partner to place an Advanced Registration Request. Still Launching The following TLDs have launch phases (Pre-General Availability) that are currently still in progress. If you are interested in participating in any of these launches, please contact your Client Service Partner. .basketball .mt .bot .rugby .madrid .pa Launches within 30 days (bold indicates where dates fall within time frame)| Extension | Start Date | Order Entry Deadline | First-come First-served (FCFS) | Registry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registry Reserved Name Release | ||||
| .Shop | 10-Sep-2019 | N/A | No | GMO Registry |
| Limited Registration Phase 1 | ||||
| .Basketball | 22-Aug-2017 | 12-Sep-2019 | No | Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) |
| Limited Registration Phase 3 | ||||
| .Basketball | 17-Sep-2019 | 16-Sep-2019 | Yes | Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) |