What Might The New gTLD Rollout Look Like?

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Joe Alagna

What New Domain Names Will Be Released First?

New TLD Rollout Order?[UPDATE: I’ve had some feedback to this and realize that I’ve not accounted any time for Contract Negotiations, and  Pre-delegation Testing.  That could easily add about 3-4 months to the estimates I have below.  When I get more time I’ll update the dates.]

ICANN has indicated that they would like to begin rolling out new gTLDs in 2013 and that they are capable of rolling out about 20 TLDs per week.

I’ve put together a spreadsheet that can help you to visualize how this might  look over the coming 18 months including the general order of TLDs released on a week by week basis. This is based on the prioritization draw and a set of ideal presumptions.  I don’t discuss much about IDNs since I can’t understand them, I’m not really into them, and we all know they will come first anyway. I do account for them in the timeline however.

 

Below are my (very generous 🙂 ) assumptions:

  1. That no TLDs will be released before the April, 2013 ICANN meeting.
  2. That evaluations & contracting goes well (fingers crossed).
  3. That TLDs are released in the general order of priority.
  4. That TLDs in contention will be prioritized based on the highest/last number pull in the contention set and that contention is resolved in reasonable time (contention and auctions will likely add delays but most strings are not in contention).

If these things happen and no other land mines go off in the process then we could possibly see new TLDs released according to the schedule in my spreadsheet.

Take a look at the video and screen shots below.  If you’d like a copy of the full spreadsheet, send me an email using my contact form.  I’ve done this primarily for our own use but am happy to share it with friends that write to me (I am not responsible for mistakes and/or omissions though).

—
Joe

 New TLD Rollout Schedule?

Note: The spreadsheet is just a speculative post meant for fun but, I think, useful too.  I put this together as best I could with the information and time available to me.  Please don’t rely on this for any important planning. I’ve already found a few mistakes and ICANN is famous for delays and stoppages that can occur in this process. If enough people are interested, I’ll make the full spread available for download.  Below is my reading through end of 2013:

TOP DRAW  |    STRING        |    POSS. DATE(S)

(Note: IDNs would be before any of these)

111    |    DNP        |    23-Jun
112    |    DELMONTE    |    23-Jun
113    |    LAT        |    23-Jun
114    |    BLANCO        |    23-Jun
116    |    ENERGY        |    23-Jun
118    |    MORMON        |    23-Jun
119    |    CAREER        |    23-Jun
120    |    RUHR        |    23-Jun
121    |    GLE        |    23-Jun
122    |    SCHWARZGROUP    |    23-Jun
123    |    CAMERA        |    23-Jun
124    |    SAMSCLUB    |    23-Jun
125    |    MCKINSEY    |    23-Jun
126    |    KOELN        |    23-Jun
129    |    ARTE        |    23-Jun
131    |    TRANSFORMERS    |    23-Jun
132    |    MENU        |    23-Jun
134    |    KERRYHOTELS    |    23-Jun
135    |    REDUMBRELLA    |    23-Jun
136    |    VIVA        |    23-Jun
137    |    AGAKHAN        |    30-Jun
138    |    ACTIVE        |    30-Jun
139    |    FISHING        |    30-Jun
141    |    WTC        |    30-Jun
144    |    LIFESTYLE    |    30-Jun
145    |    STC        |    30-Jun
146    |    MOBILY        |    30-Jun
147    |    INVESTMENTS    |    30-Jun
148    |    HELSINKI    |    30-Jun
149    |    LIPSY        |    30-Jun
150    |    IDN        |    30-Jun
151    |    JOY        |    30-Jun
153    |    IMAMAT        |    30-Jun
154    |    WANG        |    30-Jun
155    |    FIAT        |    30-Jun
157    |    OTSUKA        |    30-Jun
158    |    LASALLE        |    30-Jun
160    |    HIV        |    30-Jun
161    |    DIGIKEY        |    30-Jun
162    |    PROD        |    30-Jun
164    |    TEMASEK        |    7-Jul
167    |    CYOU        |    7-Jul
168    |    GLADE        |    7-Jul
169    |    SHOWTIME    |    7-Jul
170    |    WILMAR        |    7-Jul
172    |    MCD        |    7-Jul
173    |    SELECT        |    7-Jul
174    |    AIG        |    7-Jul
175    |    DWG        |    7-Jul
176    |    BOM        |    7-Jul
178    |    CIMB        |    7-Jul
180    |    PASSAGENS    |    7-Jul
181    |    WIKI        |    7-Jul
182    |    CLOTHING    |    7-Jul
183    |    LIGHTING    |    7-Jul
185    |    SINGLES        |    7-Jul
187    |    TATTOO        |    7-Jul
188    |    LPL        |    7-Jul
189    |    WME        |    7-Jul
190    |    UNO        |    7-Jul
192    |    GOP        |    14-Jul
193    |    VENTURES    |    14-Jul
198    |    IMMOBILIEN    |    14-Jul
199    |    TOKYO        |    14-Jul
200    |    PARIS        |    14-Jul
202    |    ASTRIUM        |    14-Jul
203    |    ASSOCIATES    |    14-Jul
204    |    BZH        |    14-Jul
206    |    CEO        |    14-Jul
207    |    AAA        |    14-Jul
208    |    CHASE        |    14-Jul
211    |    SENER        |    14-Jul
212    |    NRA        |    14-Jul
214    |    ENGINEER    |    14-Jul
216    |    VOYAGE        |    14-Jul
217    |    YACHTS        |    14-Jul
218    |    LIVE        |    14-Jul
220    |    SWISS        |    14-Jul
222    |    PARS        |    14-Jul
225    |    EMERCK        |    21-Jul
227    |    GODADDY        |    21-Jul
228    |    EPSON        |    21-Jul
231    |    PICTURES    |    21-Jul
232    |    SCHAEFFLER    |    21-Jul
233    |    OMEGA        |    21-Jul
234    |    DENTAL        |    21-Jul
235    |    HERMES        |    21-Jul
236    |    XIN        |    21-Jul
238    |    QVC        |    21-Jul
239    |    BOFA        |    21-Jul
240    |    EMAIL        |    21-Jul
242    |    BID        |    21-Jul
243    |    SCB        |    21-Jul
244    |    CYMRU        |    21-Jul
245    |    BRIDGESTONE    |    21-Jul
247    |    TALK        |    21-Jul
249    |    CAB        |    21-Jul
250    |    GURU        |    21-Jul
251    |    GOT        |    21-Jul
252    |    STATEBANK    |    28-Jul
253    |    TKMAXX        |    28-Jul
257    |    MCDONALDS    |    28-Jul
258    |    THAI        |    28-Jul
261    |    DEMOCRAT    |    28-Jul
263    |    HOLDINGS    |    28-Jul
264    |    CISCO        |    28-Jul
265    |    ROOM        |    28-Jul
266    |    NOWTV        |    28-Jul
267    |    EQUIPMENT    |    28-Jul
268    |    ALIPAY        |    28-Jul
272    |    FLS        |    28-Jul
275    |    FIRE        |    28-Jul
277    |    MATTEL        |    28-Jul
282    |    MTN        |    28-Jul
283    |    BIKE        |    28-Jul
284    |    CAPITALONE    |    28-Jul
285    |    ESTATE        |    28-Jul
287    |    GRIPE        |    28-Jul
288    |    BUDAPEST    |    4-Aug
289    |    NASPERS        |    4-Aug
293    |    XBOX        |    4-Aug
294    |    OKINAWA        |    4-Aug
296    |    VIRGIN        |    4-Aug
298    |    DELL        |    4-Aug
301    |    DUNS        |    4-Aug
302    |    TRAVELGUARD    |    4-Aug
303    |    DURBAN        |    4-Aug
306    |    SAFETY        |    4-Aug
310    |    CODES        |    4-Aug
311    |    ITAU        |    4-Aug
313    |    FOREX        |    4-Aug
314    |    AXA        |    4-Aug
316    |    COACH        |    4-Aug
317    |    HGTV        |    4-Aug
318    |    OLAYANGROUP    |    4-Aug
319    |    CONTRACTORS    |    4-Aug
321    |    ESURANCE    |    4-Aug
322    |    DOCOMO        |    11-Aug
323    |    TALK        |    11-Aug
325    |    WEBCAM        |    11-Aug
326    |    BUSINESS    |    11-Aug
329    |    CAL        |    11-Aug
331    |    KIWI        |    11-Aug
333    |    WARMAN        |    11-Aug
336    |    SILK        |    11-Aug
337    |    ONL        |    11-Aug
338    |    MONASH        |    11-Aug
339    |    AIRFORCE    |    11-Aug
340    |    HOTELS        |    11-Aug
341    |    GUIDE        |    11-Aug
343    |    PLUMBING    |    11-Aug
345    |    WOLTERSKLUWER    |    11-Aug
346    |    CENTER        |    11-Aug
349    |    STUDY        |    11-Aug
350    |    MELBOURNE    |    11-Aug
351    |    BBC        |    11-Aug
352    |    LOTTE        |    11-Aug
353    |    SURGERY        |    18-Aug
355    |    JLL        |    18-Aug
356    |    SOY        |    18-Aug
360    |    REISEN        |    18-Aug
361    |    VANGUARD    |    18-Aug
363    |    ANALYTICS    |    18-Aug
364    |    HOW        |    18-Aug
365    |    VERSICHERUNG    |    18-Aug
366    |    WINNERS        |    18-Aug
367    |    RIGHTATHOME    |    18-Aug
368    |    YAMAXUN        |    18-Aug
369    |    BNL        |    18-Aug
370    |    ISELECT        |    18-Aug
372    |    LAND        |    18-Aug
373    |    SEXY        |    18-Aug
375    |    AMERICANEXPRESS    |    18-Aug
376    |    PRAXI        |    18-Aug
377    |    BAUHAUS        |    18-Aug
378    |    CBA        |    18-Aug
379    |    MANAGEMENT    |    18-Aug
380    |    YANDEX        |    25-Aug
381    |    HUGHES        |    25-Aug
382    |    BMW        |    25-Aug
383    |    MNET        |    25-Aug
385    |    CHROME        |    25-Aug
386    |    SKYDRIVE    |    25-Aug
387    |    UNIVERSITY    |    25-Aug
389    |    MEO        |    25-Aug
390    |    SCJOHNSON    |    25-Aug
391    |    PHARMACY    |    25-Aug
392    |    ADS        |    25-Aug
394    |    SYSTEMS        |    25-Aug
395    |    STROKE        |    25-Aug
398    |    SHANGRILA    |    25-Aug
400    |    RUGBY        |    25-Aug
401    |    AUDIBLE        |    25-Aug
408    |    MSD        |    25-Aug
409    |    NEUSTAR        |    25-Aug
412    |    LEASE        |    25-Aug
416    |    OLDNAVY        |    25-Aug
417    |    PIN        |    1-Sep
419    |    CFD        |    1-Sep
422    |    PETS        |    1-Sep
423    |    BERLIN        |    1-Sep
425    |    MOVISTAR    |    1-Sep
426    |    ROCHER        |    1-Sep
427    |    GRAPHICS    |    1-Sep
431    |    WIEN        |    1-Sep
432    |    TECHNOLOGY    |    1-Sep
433    |    PIONEER        |    1-Sep
434    |    LANCIA        |    1-Sep
435    |    REVIEWS        |    1-Sep
436    |    EXTRASPACE    |    1-Sep
437    |    GRAINGER    |    1-Sep
440    |    MOV        |    1-Sep
441    |    SOLUTIONS    |    1-Sep
442    |    GENTING        |    1-Sep
444    |    SMILE        |    1-Sep
445    |    TJMAXX        |    1-Sep
446    |    HOTMAIL        |    1-Sep
447    |    PRAMERICA    |    8-Sep
451    |    ICBC        |    8-Sep
454    |    TRAVELCHANNEL    |    8-Sep
455    |    AKDN        |    8-Sep
456    |    ECOM        |    8-Sep
459    |    WEDDING        |    8-Sep
463    |    LOFT        |    8-Sep
465    |    NYC        |    8-Sep
468    |    HOMEGOODS    |    8-Sep
469    |    AWS        |    8-Sep
470    |    MRMUSCLE    |    8-Sep
474    |    FUJIXEROX    |    8-Sep
475    |    MICROSOFT    |    8-Sep
476    |    CREDITUNION    |    8-Sep
478    |    KIM        |    8-Sep
479    |    CHESAPEAKE    |    8-Sep
482    |    TJX        |    8-Sep
484    |    CARAVAN        |    8-Sep
486    |    MINI        |    8-Sep
488    |    AUTOS        |    8-Sep
489    |    AFAMILYCOMPANY    |    15-Sep
490    |    DEAL        |    15-Sep
496    |    GALLERY        |    15-Sep
497    |    TORAY        |    15-Sep
498    |    YOUTUBE        |    15-Sep
499    |    KINDLE        |    15-Sep
501    |    CAREERS        |    15-Sep
502    |    POLO        |    15-Sep
504    |    BRADESCO    |    15-Sep
505    |    HOMEDEPOT    |    15-Sep
506    |    MRPORTER    |    15-Sep
507    |    SBI        |    15-Sep
509    |    OBSERVER    |    15-Sep
510    |    SKI        |    15-Sep
511    |    DANCE        |    15-Sep
513    |    BLUE        |    15-Sep
515    |    MARKET        |    15-Sep
517    |    TOUR        |    15-Sep
518    |    IWC        |    15-Sep
519    |    GEORGE        |    15-Sep
520    |    PINK        |    22-Sep
521    |    FOX        |    22-Sep
522    |    SPIEGEL        |    22-Sep
523    |    REISE        |    22-Sep
525    |    KINDER        |    22-Sep
526    |    HOTEIS        |    22-Sep
527    |    VIKING        |    22-Sep
528    |    NIKE        |    22-Sep
529    |    ARAB        |    22-Sep
532    |    DIAMONDS    |    22-Sep
533    |    NICO        |    22-Sep
534    |    LINK        |    22-Sep
538    |    TICKETS        |    22-Sep
542    |    CHANNEL        |    22-Sep
543    |    JAVA        |    22-Sep
544    |    ACADEMY        |    22-Sep
545    |    NEXUS        |    22-Sep
546    |    ZIPPO        |    22-Sep
548    |    ENTERPRISES    |    22-Sep
549    |    AIRBUS        |    22-Sep
550    |    GOOG        |    29-Sep
551    |    CITY        |    29-Sep
553    |    UMMAH        |    29-Sep
554    |    KIEHLS        |    29-Sep
555    |    SUPPLIES    |    29-Sep
557    |    KRD        |    29-Sep
558    |    FAN        |    29-Sep
559    |    COMPANY        |    29-Sep
562    |    TRAVELERS    |    29-Sep
564    |    ISLAM        |    29-Sep
565    |    NAGOYA        |    29-Sep
566    |    JOBURG        |    29-Sep
567    |    EXCHANGE    |    29-Sep
568    |    DEALER        |    29-Sep
570    |    DIRECTORY    |    29-Sep
572    |    TODAY        |    29-Sep
574    |    KITCHEN        |    29-Sep
575    |    READ        |    29-Sep
576    |    JOT        |    29-Sep
577    |    VODKA        |    29-Sep
578    |    ICU        |    6-Oct
579    |    DOHA        |    6-Oct
580    |    HOSPITAL    |    6-Oct
582    |    THEGUARDIAN    |    6-Oct
583    |    JETZT        |    6-Oct
584    |    BNPPARIBAS    |    6-Oct
585    |    CAPITAL        |    6-Oct
586    |    LOCUS        |    6-Oct
587    |    NATURA        |    6-Oct
588    |    CAMP        |    6-Oct
590    |    PROTECTION    |    6-Oct
593    |    MTPC        |    6-Oct
594    |    GCC        |    6-Oct
596    |    INDIANS        |    6-Oct
597    |    SUPPLY        |    6-Oct
598    |    AMEX        |    6-Oct
599    |    WED        |    6-Oct
600    |    OTT        |    6-Oct
601    |    TVS        |    6-Oct
603    |    AMERICANFAMILY    |    6-Oct
604    |    BOO        |    13-Oct
605    |    MAKEUP        |    13-Oct
607    |    TIPS        |    13-Oct
608    |    AMP        |    13-Oct
609    |    JPMORGAN    |    13-Oct
610    |    KYKNET        |    13-Oct
611    |    DAD        |    13-Oct
612    |    VIVO        |    13-Oct
613    |    KERRYPROPERTIES    |    13-Oct
615    |    EMERSON        |    13-Oct
617    |    LANCASTER    |    13-Oct
618    |    VIN        |    13-Oct
619    |    LOTTO        |    13-Oct
620    |    HOMES        |    13-Oct
621    |    RODEO        |    13-Oct
622    |    GOLDPOINT    |    13-Oct
624    |    NEXT        |    13-Oct
625    |    BLOOMBERG    |    13-Oct
626    |    MODA        |    13-Oct
628    |    SONG        |    13-Oct
629    |    TATA        |    20-Oct
630    |    NRW        |    20-Oct
631    |    ALFAROMEO    |    20-Oct
634    |    PRESS        |    20-Oct
635    |    LONDON        |    20-Oct
637    |    FUTBOL        |    20-Oct
638    |    WINDOWS        |    20-Oct
639    |    WEBJET        |    20-Oct
641    |    SARL        |    20-Oct
644    |    APARTMENTS    |    20-Oct
647    |    ALLSTATE    |    20-Oct
650    |    SOFTWARE    |    20-Oct
651    |    LANXESS        |    20-Oct
652    |    MANGO        |    20-Oct
653    |    FERRARI        |    20-Oct
654    |    COUPON        |    20-Oct
656    |    INFINITI    |    20-Oct
658    |    GEA        |    20-Oct
660    |    ENGINEERING    |    20-Oct
661    |    EPOST        |    20-Oct
662    |    SWIFTCOVER    |    27-Oct
663    |    SVR        |    27-Oct
664    |    COUNTRY        |    27-Oct
665    |    ARMY        |    27-Oct
666    |    WEBER        |    27-Oct
667    |    BROADWAY    |    27-Oct
668    |    MARSHALLS    |    27-Oct
670    |    THEATER        |    27-Oct
671    |    SAMSUNG        |    27-Oct
672    |    FIRMDALE    |    27-Oct
674    |    BOOKING        |    27-Oct
675    |    TAIPEI        |    27-Oct
677    |    TATAMOTORS    |    27-Oct
678    |    GUARDIANMEDIA    |    27-Oct
679    |    KOMATSU        |    27-Oct
681    |    LACAIXA        |    27-Oct
682    |    ABUDHABI    |    27-Oct
686    |    ALIBABA        |    27-Oct
687    |    LOREAL        |    27-Oct
688    |    VISA        |    27-Oct
689    |    LIKE        |    3-Nov
691    |    LGBT        |    3-Nov
694    |    TAX        |    3-Nov
695    |    NIKON        |    3-Nov
696    |    OOO        |    3-Nov
697    |    SONY        |    3-Nov
699    |    CITIC        |    3-Nov
700    |    TRADE        |    3-Nov
702    |    VOTING        |    3-Nov
704    |    REST        |    3-Nov
705    |    PFIZER        |    3-Nov
706    |    MACYS        |    3-Nov
708    |    HANGOUT        |    3-Nov
709    |    CLINIC        |    3-Nov
710    |    BLOCKBUSTER    |    3-Nov
711    |    LIXIL        |    3-Nov
712    |    CBRE        |    3-Nov
715    |    NEW        |    3-Nov
716    |    LILLY        |    3-Nov
717    |    FUND        |    3-Nov
718    |    PRUDENTIAL    |    10-Nov
719    |    TAB        |    10-Nov
720    |    ANQUAN        |    10-Nov
721    |    TUI        |    10-Nov
722    |    SUZUKI        |    10-Nov
727    |    SANDVIK        |    10-Nov
730    |    SOCIAL        |    10-Nov
731    |    SHOES        |    10-Nov
732    |    QPON        |    10-Nov
733    |    SOHU        |    10-Nov
734    |    FEDEX        |    10-Nov
736    |    CASEIH        |    10-Nov
737    |    KETCHUP        |    10-Nov
742    |    GAL        |    10-Nov
745    |    MOE        |    10-Nov
746    |    BUZZ        |    10-Nov
748    |    PROMO        |    10-Nov
750    |    CBN        |    10-Nov
751    |    DHL        |    10-Nov
752    |    ATTORNEY    |    17-Nov
753    |    SPORTS        |    17-Nov
754    |    LEGAL        |    17-Nov
756    |    ACER        |    17-Nov
759    |    OPEN        |    17-Nov
760    |    DDS        |    17-Nov
761    |    CAPETOWN    |    17-Nov
763    |    FURNITURE    |    17-Nov
764    |    TELEFONICA    |    17-Nov
765    |    EUS        |    17-Nov
766    |    CALVINKLEIN    |    17-Nov
767    |    TOYS        |    17-Nov
768    |    EAT        |    17-Nov
770    |    AXIS        |    17-Nov
772    |    REN        |    17-Nov
773    |    CRS        |    17-Nov
775    |    LADBROKES    |    17-Nov
777    |    CALL        |    17-Nov
779    |    SOLAR        |    17-Nov
780    |    SANOFI        |    24-Nov
782    |    TOYOTA        |    24-Nov
783    |    UBANK        |    24-Nov
784    |    CANALPLUS    |    24-Nov
785    |    LEXUS        |    24-Nov
786    |    ROMA        |    24-Nov
790    |    HYUNDAI        |    24-Nov
792    |    ISMAILI        |    24-Nov
794    |    EVERBANK    |    24-Nov
796    |    TRADING        |    24-Nov
799    |    XIHUAN        |    24-Nov
800    |    GRATIS        |    24-Nov
802    |    LATROBE        |    24-Nov
803    |    MAIF        |    24-Nov
804    |    TOWN        |    24-Nov
807    |    WALES        |    24-Nov
808    |    IST        |    24-Nov
809    |    ACCENTURE    |    24-Nov
810    |    ONG        |    24-Nov
812    |    SHOPYOURWAY    |    1-Dec
814    |    VIAJES        |    1-Dec
815    |    DOOSAN        |    1-Dec
816    |    TATAR        |    1-Dec
818    |    FRL        |    1-Dec
820    |    CHK        |    1-Dec
821    |    PRU        |    1-Dec
823    |    MEDICAL        |    1-Dec
824    |    LIMO        |    1-Dec
826    |    MARKETING    |    1-Dec
827    |    OVH        |    1-Dec
828    |    STORAGE        |    1-Dec
829    |    INFY        |    1-Dec
830    |    DESI        |    1-Dec
832    |    DOMAINS        |    1-Dec
833    |    COMPUTER    |    1-Dec
835    |    ZARA        |    1-Dec
836    |    TARGET        |    1-Dec
837    |    PICTET        |    1-Dec
839    |    NBA        |    1-Dec
841    |    GOODHANDS    |    8-Dec
842    |    ING        |    8-Dec
843    |    SLING        |    8-Dec
844    |    MEME        |    8-Dec
845    |    GIVING        |    8-Dec
848    |    NADEX        |    8-Dec
849    |    CREDIT        |    8-Dec
850    |    ONE        |    8-Dec
852    |    HERE        |    8-Dec
854    |    CERN        |    8-Dec
855    |    SALON        |    8-Dec
856    |    NINJA        |    8-Dec
857    |    ZIP        |    8-Dec
858    |    VANA        |    8-Dec
859    |    LANCOME        |    8-Dec
861    |    RECIPES        |    8-Dec
863    |    TEVA        |    8-Dec
866    |    ISTANBUL    |    8-Dec
867    |    GROCERY        |    8-Dec
869    |    BOSTIK        |    8-Dec
870    |    TOTAL        |    15-Dec
873    |    SUPPORT        |    15-Dec
875    |    PHOTOGRAPHY    |    15-Dec
876    |    INFOSYS        |    15-Dec
878    |    BEATS        |    15-Dec
879    |    NOWRUZ        |    15-Dec
880    |    VONS        |    15-Dec
881    |    MOSCOW        |    15-Dec
883    |    GUGE        |    15-Dec
884    |    CAR        |    15-Dec
885    |    FORSALE        |    15-Dec
886    |    HSBC        |    15-Dec
887    |    ENERGY        |    15-Dec
888    |    MAN        |    15-Dec
893    |    GREEN        |    15-Dec
894    |    AETNA        |    15-Dec
896    |    PAYU        |    15-Dec
897    |    POLITIE        |    15-Dec
899    |    ZULU        |    15-Dec
901    |    BAIDU        |    15-Dec
902    |    MOTORCYCLES    |    22-Dec
904    |    BANANAREPUBLIC    |    22-Dec
905    |    ALLFINANZBERATUNG |    22-Dec
906    |    SHIKSHA        |    22-Dec
907    |    TOP        |    22-Dec
908    |    BIO        |    22-Dec
909    |    REPUBLICAN    |    22-Dec
910    |    AOL        |    22-Dec
912    |    NAVY        |    22-Dec
913    |    STAPLES        |    22-Dec
915    |    JCB        |    22-Dec
916    |    PHOTOS        |    22-Dec
923    |    FILM        |    22-Dec
927    |    GARNIER        |    22-Dec
928    |    IBM        |    22-Dec
929    |    PHYSIO        |    22-Dec
930    |    HTC        |    22-Dec
931    |    POHL        |    22-Dec
932    |    CHANEL        |    22-Dec
933    |    GDN        |    29-Dec
934    |    UBS        |    29-Dec
935    |    SECURE        |    29-Dec
937    |    VANISH        |    29-Dec
938    |    WOODSIDE    |    29-Dec
939    |    ULTRABOOK    |    29-Dec
947    |    COFFEE        |    29-Dec
948    |    APPLE        |    29-Dec
949    |    COMPARE        |    29-Dec
950    |    MARKETS        |    29-Dec
951    |    MAYBELLINE    |    29-Dec
952    |    SCHULE        |    29-Dec
953    |    FITNESS        |    29-Dec
954    |    COURSES        |    29-Dec
956    |    DISCOVER    |    29-Dec
957    |    SPREADBETTING    |    29-Dec
958    |    NGO        |    29-Dec
959    |    CBS        |    29-Dec
961    |    SUPERSPORT    |    29-Dec
963    |    DRIVE        |    29-Dec

Posted in Domain Name News, Domain Names, ICANN, New Top Level Domains, Uncategorized | Comments Off on What Might The New gTLD Rollout Look Like?

Renew Your Domain Names

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Joe Alagna

oopsEven companies that do hundreds of millions of dollars in sales can forget to renew their domain names once in a while.  This is all the more reason to make sure that the information you have on file with your domain name registrar (and whois information) is up to date.

FreshDirect Goes Dark After a Domain Name Glitch

It was a blue Christmas for FreshDirect, the Long Island City-based company that delivers groceries to homes throughout New York City and its suburbs… the company… encountered a glitch regarding its domain name… “Yesterday there was a renewal issue with our domain name,” said an official..

Read the story… | Source: The New York Times | Date posted: 1/2/2013

Posted in Domain Name News, Domain Names, Plain Interesting | Comments Off on Renew Your Domain Names

New Top Level Domains, Private Auctions, and Chest Thumping

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Joe Alagna

What Should You Do?

tlds-auctionThe New TLD Prioritization Draw is over.  Wherever your TLDs ended up on the list, the domain name industry has now moved one step closer to the creation of new TLDs on the Internet.  Big questions right now for new TLD applicants, are:

  1.  Should you participate in a private auction amongst your contenders?
  2.  If so, when should you do it?
  3.  Who should you use?

These are the questions undoubtedly going through the minds of most contended new TLD applicants.  I’ve done a lot of thinking and a some  research on the strategies and choices related to new TLDs and the present stage.  This is an important stage and what you do now will have an impact on your end results.  I’d like to expand on some of those ideas and strategies below:

Should You Participate In A Private Auction Amongst Your Contenders?

My advice, for most applicants, is yes.  ICANN designed this process to encourage private negotiation amongst contenders.  By their own definition, an “auction occurs as a contention resolution means of last resort.”  Avoiding negotiations may be a good business strategy, but to me it is chest thumping and likely only good for applicants who have money burning holes in their pockets. Maybe I’m a bad negotiator. I don’t get the point (and I don’t doubt that some applicants have this problem).  So, of course, do as you wish.

ICANN auction money will go to ICANN and I suppose there are some of you that would rather see that occur than to see that money go to a competitor.  I get it.  There will be winners (of auctions and new TLDs) and there will be losers who have spent the money and time to try but who will lose their investment.

On the other hand, for the amounts at risk, it can make a lot of sense to go from a model of “winners and losers” to a model of “buyers and sellers”.  In a private auction, applicants who have contentious TLDs will still be able to participate in auctions but, rather than lose their invested capital, will become “sellers”.  You can still bid as high as you would in an ICANN auction with knowledge of the fact that if your bids aren’t high enough, you will recoup the money you’ve put into these domains (you become a “seller” rather than a “loser”). And if you don’t win, you’ll have more cash.  You can then use it to bid on other TLDs you’re trying for (assuming you’ve put in for more than one TLD) or you can move on in life congratulating yourself on a good investment (I’m pretty sure that most applicants who participate in  private auctions will make their $185k plus some back).

If You Choose a Private Auction, When Should You Do It?

My view is that, in most cases, it is worth the time to wait for evaluations to come out.  No one knows who is going to pass evaluations or who is going to withdraw their applications.  Why go to an auction with someone whose application may be rejected?

Evaluators are, by design, independent. They have a job to do and they have to justify their existence and protect their reputation.  If they just rubber stamp every application that comes across their desk, they wouldn’t be seen as doing their job.  I suspect there will be some applicants who will be surprised and not make the cut.  And my understanding is that if an applicant doesn’t pass, they’ll have an opportunity to “clarify” but not to change their application.  If they ask for Extended Evaluation, they are not going to be able to “materially change” their application either (Module 2 – 2.3.2.). This is a decision that may very well resolve itself for you if your contender is knocked out.

The Cost Of Waiting

The cost of waiting for evaluations is the risk of losing your right to a larger refund. I understand that amounts to about $65k (You’ve taken bigger risks than that so far and you’re so much closer now.  Here again, I wish you the best in your decision.

If You Choose To Go Private Auction, Who Should You Use?

“The way I see it, we have no competition.”

I’ve spent some time talking to both Monte Cahn of RightOfTheDot.com (ROTD) and Peter Cramton of CramtonAssociates.com.  They are both very confident in their capabilities and their success in attracting applicants to use their auction systems.

My view is that they both offer a distinct set of capabilities that are different.  In terms of auction science and strategy, Cramton has the edge. He’s been at it for over 20 years and looks at this as an art and science.  He lives and teaches auctions every day and has been involved in some very large public auction processes. I have sat through both of his presentations (Toronto and Santa Monica) and there is no doubt that he knows his stuff.  He brought up issues and possibilities that I’ve not seen addressed anywhere else and that can have significant effects on outcomes and the complications of auctions and draws. He regularly drills four goals about successful auctions. They are efficiency, fairness, transparency, and simplicity. He is doing the industry a service by educating us on auctions.  He points out that by using a more sophisticated auction provider, you actually improve simplicity because experienced auction providers have dealt with more complications and account for them in their agreements.  Ironically, this made sense.

Peter Cramton disclosed in Santa Monica that he was made aware of the new gTLD auctions by Donuts.  Although I know that this makes many applicants wary, I don’t believe that he has any bias towards them and I don’t think he would risk a lifetime of dedication to fair public auctions by some underhanded agreement.  I’m glad however that he disclosed this publicly and I wish that I had heard that from him in Toronto.

On the other hand, Monte Cahn and Michael Berkins are both very competent and knowledgeable domain name veterans.  They clearly have an edge here.  Monte has run many significant domain name auctions and has that experience under his belt. This is an edge for their solutions.  Their expertise will also be very useful for what happens after an auction. This is because they understand domain name valuation better than most.  They also have a long term commitment to the industry which deserves respect.  If I’m calculating things correctly, ROTD offers a much lower cost to participants in auctions that end up less than $100M.  See the tables below (I invite both ROTD and Cramton Associates to correct any errors in my calculations).  Both companies have indicated that they are willing to adapt to the needs of the market as things move along.

There are price differences that deserve consideration.  Right Of The Dot fees are 4% of the amount of sale.  Cramton Associates charges a variable percent with a floor of $1 million and a ceiling of $4 million and where transaction volumes are less than $25 million, the commission is capped at 20%.

proposed auction fees

UPDATE: This chart isn’t exactly right.  I’ve sent off both to Cramton Associates and ROTD to get corrections. I received a response from Cramton Associates and am working on a corrected chart to post.  It’s a little complicated and in the mean time the above is the best I can make of it based on the information from the first documents I checked. I invite anyone who thinks they can help me to fix this to do so.

Ultimately, there is one thing that most people agree on; that it makes sense for most participants to do auctions in private before the ICANN public auction.  I suspect that there will be a few companies amongst the most highly funded that will take the position that they are doing the ICANN auction and that’s the end of it.  Of course, my ideal world isn’t generally what happens in real life.  It’ll be fun to see.

You can get more information on Cramton Associates here.

You can get more information on ROTD here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on New Top Level Domains, Private Auctions, and Chest Thumping

Good News For Domainers & Registrars – Verisign Loses Automatic Price Increase But Keeps .com

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Joe Alagna

verisign-logoIn a document signed November 29, 2012, the U.S. Department of Commerce took away Verisign’s automatic price increase provisions on .com domain names. Previous contracts with ICANN had allowed Verisign to automatically increase prices during the term of the agreement which lasted for several years. They did not have to justify the increase each time; just once at the initial negotiation. And they took the opportunity to raise prices at every occasion.

I typically wouldn’t be critical of price increases for most registries. But the Verisign registry for .com is different because of its size. It completely eclipses the size of most registries in the world. According to their most recent “State of the Domain” report, the .com regsitry contains over 100 Million domain names. The next largest registry in the world is DeNIC, the company that manages the country code top level domain for Germany, .de with just over 15 million TLDs.

In defense of Verisign, they do a great job of managing the .com, .net, and other registries that they manage. They are the company for the job and deserve to keep that contract. But automatic price increases not requiring justification aren’t right for any company with that kind of market dominance.

com-net-tv

Here’s a few exerpts from the contract:

REASON(S) FOR AMENDMENT

This agreement is hereby amended to (1) approve the .com Reglstry Agreement (as revised); (2) cap the price of .com registrations at $7.85 and allow VeriSign to take price increases only upon prior written approval of the Department; (3) permit Verisign to petition the Department for relief from price restrictions if it can demonstrate that it no longer has market power; (4) extend the expiration date until November 30, 2018; and (5) affirm that the Department’s approval of the .com Registry Agreement does not confer antitrust immunity.

EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED IN THIS AMENDMENT, ALL PREVIOUS TERMS AND CONDITIONS REMAIN IN EFFECT.

2. The Maximum Price charged by VeriSign for registration or renewal of a .com domain name during the term of the .com Registry Agreement approved hereby shall not exceed US $7.85; provided, however, that VeriSign shall be entitled to increases in the Maximum Price in accordance with Section 7.3( d)(ii) of the .com Registry Agreement; provided further that VeriSign shall not exercise such right unless the Department provides prior written approval that the exercise of such right will serve the public interest, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld.

Read the Agreement…

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