Coming Internet addresses will end in familiar media terms and trademarks, if ICANN approves.
As our readers know, the Internet space is changing. Earlier this year ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) accepted applications for “new generic top level domains” or “new gTLDs.” We reported last June that ICANN had received 1,930 applications, and we promised back then to share with you the new gTLDs applied for by broadcasters and for broadcast-related services. The full list of new gTLDs (and their applicants) is available on the ICANN website. Applicants include a number of well-known entities, both in the U.S. and overseas:
American Broadcasting Corporation, Inc., applying for .ABC
British Broadcasting Corporation, applying for .BBC
BRS MEDIA, Inc. applying for .RADIO
The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., applying for .CBN
Comcast IP Holdings, LLC, applying for .COMCAST
Dish DBS Corporation, applying for .BLOCKBUSTER, .DATA, .DIRECT, .DISH, .DOT, .DTV, .LATINO, .LOCKER, .MOBILE, .MOVIE, .OLLO, .OTT and even .PHONE
European Broadcasting Union, applying for .EUROVISION and .RADIO
Frontier Communications Corporation, applying for .FRONTIER and .FTR
Lifestyle Domain Holdings, Inc., and its application for .FOODNETWORK
HBO Registry Services, Inc., applying for .HBO
Lifestyle Domain Holdings, Inc., applying for .HGTV
Dish DBS Corporation applying for .LATINO
Japan Broadcasting Corporation applying for .NHK
Limited Telefonica applying for .TELEFONICA
QVC Inc. applying for .QVC
Qatar Telecom (QTel) applied for .Qatar in two variations of Arabic, taking advantage of recent Internet changes that allow top level domains to be in a range of languages and scripts.
In addition, companies both broadcasting and non-broadcasting, applied for a range of general terms often associated with broadcasting. For example:
gTLD’s
Applied For Applicants
.AUDIO Holly Castle
Uniregistry
.MEDIA Grand Glen
Tucows TLDs
Uniregistry
.MUSIC Entertainment Names
Charleston Road Registry (Google)
Victor Cross
Amazon EU
dot Music Limited
DotMusic/CGR E-Commerce Ltd
DotMusic Inc.
.music LLC
.NEWS Hidden Bloom
Amazon EU
dot News Limited
DotNews Inc.
PRIMER NIVEL
Merchant Law Group
Uniregistry
.RADIO Tin Dale, LLC
European Broadcasting Union
BRS MEDIA
Afilias Limited
.VIDEO Lone Tigers
Amazon EU
Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
Uniregistry.
ICANN has numerous Evaluation Panels reviewing applications now. The review process is complex. It includes a wide range of technical and other factors, such as whether an applicant can handle the technical and financial requirements of running an Internet registry. (An Internet registry is the database for a gTLD, a critical part of the Internet infrastructure.) How complex is the review process? Very. By way of illustration, the following is a page from ICANN’s 338-page gTLD Applicant Guidebook:
Applicants who survive that initial review process may also face objections filed by governments and third parties. Such objections can be based (among other grounds) on the assertion of “legal rights” claimed by companies holding trademark interests in certain terms. One proposed gTLD to watch on that score is “.BET”. Four companies have applied for .BET to run registries serving the gambling industry. Whether Black Entertainment Television will file a “legal rights objection” is anyone’s guess.
In future posts we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the applications (and applicants) for the more general gTLDs (like .RADIO). Check back here for more information.
