ICANN Issues a Timeline for Approval of New gTLD Procedures: Light at the End of the Tunnel or Collision Course for Brand Owners?
By June 20, 2011, the future of internet domain names may become much clearer. After years of deliberation, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the not-for-profit corporation that regulates and governs the internet domain name space, has set a timeline for approval of procedures that would allow private individuals and companies to register and operate their own top-level domains. Since the early days of the internet, companies seeking to stake out their territory online have been restricted to a limited number of generic top-level domains (gTLDs), such as .com, .net, or .org, or country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), such as .de, .fr, or .au. However, under the timeline issued recently by ICANN, the arrival of private, branded TLDs (such as .cojk or .yourbrandhere) appears close at hand. While ICANN had discussed the possibility of TLD expansion for years, without any firm timeline, it concluded its most recent international public meeting in March by passing the "Process for Completion of the Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs," which sets forth the following timeline for finalizing and implementing the new gTLD rules: April 15, 2011: Publication of Revised Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs April 15, 2011 to May 15, 2011: Public Comment Period May 30, 2011: Publication of Final Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs June 20, 2011: ICANN Vote on Approval of Final Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs Assuming the new gTLD procedures are in fact approved in accordance with this timeline, the application window for new gTLDs is likely to open in October 2011 (after a proposed 4-month media and awareness campaign). However, the cost of applying for a new gTLD may deter any potential "land rush." Although the current proposed regulations are still subject to change, the current draft sets forth a $185,000 application fee. Despite the significant investment required, brand owners may wish to weigh the costs and benefits of operating such an individualized TLD - and of keeping such a branded TLD out of competing hands. The text of the current proposed Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs is available here: gTLD Applicant Guidebook. Look for further updates from COJK regarding new gTLD guidelines as they progress toward approval. If you would like to discuss in further detail how ICANN's new gTLD proposal may affect your trademark enforcement or brand management strategy, COJK attorneys would be more than happy to discuss this matter.
