SPOTLIGHT
Dot Gay Ready to Show Its Pride
Top Level Design, an established registry with other TLDs already available, announced the upcoming launch of .gay. The TLD aims to “bring together the world’s most proactive and vocal brands interested in equal representation and LGBTQ advocacy.” The use of .gay domains for anti-LGBTQ content, or to malign/harm LGBTQ individuals or groups, is strictly prohibited. In addition to providing a safe and advocacy-based space, the registry will donate a portion of revenue from domain registrations to LGBTQ nonprofits. Two Sunrise Phases will be offered for .gay. The first sunrise will follow the traditional sunrise phase format for trademark holders with a TMCH filing beginning February 10, 2020, and run through March 31, 2020. A second sunrise phase will follow for brands that wish to register, but do not have a corresponding TMCH filed mark. Sunrise II runs from April 6, 2020, until May 6, 2020. An Early Access Program phase beginning May 11, 2020, leads into General Availability on May 20, 2020. All phases will be first-come, first-served, and the registry will observe a brief quiet period in between each phase. CSC is collecting specific phase requirements, and we will communicate these additional details as the information becomes available. Please contact your Client Service Partner with questions or to express interest in the launch.
Start Planning for the .New Year
Google Registry is now accepting applications for the Limited Registration Phase of the .new launch. Applications for this phase must clearly describe the intended use case for the requested .new domain name and comply with the .new registration policy. Applications in this phase also require the site be live within 100 days from registration.
The registry will review and evaluate Limited Registration applications in monthly batches to ensure applicants can secure their domains without additional delay. Successful applicants receive a token that can be submitted to the registry to complete the registration of their domain at the conclusion of each batch. First-come, first-served principles will not apply to applications within a single batch. If the registry rejects an application, the applicant can resubmit with corrections in a subsequent batch.
Batch Evaluation Dates:
Batch 1: December 2, 2019 to January 5, 2020
Batch 2: January 6, 2020 to February 2, 2020
Batch 3: February 3, 2020 to March 1, 2020
Batch 4: March 2, 2020 to March 29, 2020
Batch 5: March 30, 2020 to April 26, 2020
Batch 6: April 27, 2020 to May 24, 2020
Batch 7: May 25, 2020 to June 21, 2020
CSC can submit token applications to the registry. Please contact your Client Service Partner for more information.
Palestine Releasing One Character Domains
The Palestinian National Internet Naming Authority (PNINA) announced that the registry will release one character .ps domains starting on January 6, 2020. One-character domains are considered premium names by the registry. Domains will be available first-come, first-served to interested applicants. Please contact your Client Service Partner for more information.
Adult Blocks – UPDATE!
Back in 2011, over 80,000 trademark owners applied for the .XXX blocks categorically known as Sunrise B (“SRB”) Blocks. The SRB afforded Trademark owners the right to enable blocks on their brands over the course of a 10 year period.
As mentioned in our previous Launch Guide, the ICM Registry launched a new blocking mechanism with the AdultBlock featuring:
- A collective block coverage of all four ICM Registry TLDs – .XXX, .SEX, .ADULT and .PORN
- AdultBlock A basic block coverage on single exact match terms
- Adult Block+ A more comprehensive block that has a wider coverage of protection for the exact match term against variations of confusingly similar character sets with variant protection in over 20 different languages and scripts. (i.e. – homoglyphs; IDNs; TMCH variant coverage).
- Eligibility of the Adult Block coverage can be enabled through an original .xxx SRB or through a valid Signed Mark Data file (“SMD”) attained from the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH).
To help our clients determine what, if any, .XXX Blocks they should consider converting into an Adult BLock, we are offering a complimentary consultation to ensure you make the best decision based on your current trademark and brand protection strategy:
- Adult Blocks – What you need to know
- What is the process/policy for Sunrise B blocks renewing in 2021?
- What happens if I want to cancel my Sunrise B registration?
- What happens if you do nothing?
CSC can provide a comprehensive analysis of the Adult TLDs in your portfolio – including a potential costs savings analysis.
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.
.cat (1 & 2 character)
.basketball
.mt
.bot
.rugby
.pa
.new
.ar
Launches within 30 days (bold indicates where dates fall within time frame)
| Extension | Start Date | Order Entry Deadline | First-come First-served (FCFS) | Registry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Registration Phase | ||||
| .New | 15-Oct-2019 | 10-Jan-2020 | Yes | Google Registry |
| .Cat (Priority 2 – 1&2 characters) | 20-Jan-2019 | 27-Feb-2019 | No | Fundacio puntCAT |
| Limited Registration Phase | ||||
| .New | 14-Jan-2019 | 10-Jul-2020 | No | Google Registry |
| .Cat (Priority 2 – 1&2 characters) | 9-Dec-2019 | 16-Jan-2020 | No | Fundacio puntCAT |
| .Cat (Priority 3 – 1&2 characters) | 20-Jan-2019 | 27 -Feb-2020 | No | Fundacio puntCAT |
| .AR | 28-Nov-2019 | 23-Jan-2020 | No | Presidencia de la Nación – Secretaría Legal y Técnica |
| Grandfather Registration Phase | ||||
| .xn--xpry57d | 7-Jan-2020 | 6-Feb-2020 | No | TWNIC |
The information provided is intended for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice.