February 22, 2013
A recent survey has found European registrars seem to be regarding new generic Top Level Domains (gTLD's) with little enthusiasm.
According to David Goldstein, reporting on day one of Domain Pulse 2013 in Davos, some registrars are simply not interested in acting as a registrar for new TLDs and would rather approach them as resellers. Mr Goldstein says given the reluctance of registrars to devote resources to the new extensions, any new TLD relying on public registrations may have a difficult time in attracting attention.
Registrars are also not particularly concerned of the impact the new TLDs may have on country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs).
The survey was part of Registrar Atlas 2013, which will be released later this year.
Still on the topic of gTLD's; General Motors Co. has withdrawn applications for .Chevrolet, .GMC and .Cadillac. Hasbro's only application, .transformers, has also been withdrawn. 18 applications have reportedly now been withdrawn. With applications costing $180,000 a pop; withdrawing is a decision likely not taken lightly.
Objections to applicants seeking to grab certain domain name extensions are also mounting. Most recently, the Iran-based Economic Cooperative Organization has registered its objection with ICANN concerning several applicants vying for .eco and ICANN's own ALAC (At-Large Advisory Committee) plans to submit an objection concerning 5 bidders hoping to score .health.
ICANN recently announced the approval date for the first gTLD's for delegation will occur on April 23rd. Applicants must then past a technical test and sign relevant agreements before a registries can be launched; which could take up to 12 months.
As we reported earlier in the month, the American Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has urged ICANN to enhance trademark protections before rolling out any new generic Top Level Domains, fearing trademark holders may need to spend up big on registering their marks under each new gTLD to prevent cybersquatting or fraudulent activities.
ICANN has since announced it has appointed Deloitte and IBM to operate a Trademark Clearinghouse, proposing an annual fee of $150 per submitted mark. The Trademark Clearinghouse will be used to protect trademarks at the second level of new gTLDs.
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