Yesterday, ICANN finally released the list of the gTLDs that have been applied for. We knew there would be a lot, but the final number is 1,930!
Now begins the 60-day comment and 7 month opposition processes. They will be processed in batches. If no objections are filed, the first set of domains could go live in early 2013.
Of those 1,930, there are 751 applications for the same 230 gTLDs, many of which have more than two applicants. The most popular are the following:
.APP (13 applications)
.ART (10 applications)
.BLOG (9 applications)
.BOOK (9 applications)
.DESIGN (8 applications)
.HOME (11 applications)
.HOTEL (7 applications)
.INC (11 applications)
.LLC (9 applications)
.MOVIE (8 applications)
.MUSIC (8 applications)
.WEB (7 applications)
Oppositions can have four possible bases:
1 – that there is “string” confusion with another gTLD;
2 – that the proposed gTLD impinges on the legal rights of another;
3 – that the proposed gTLD is of limited public interest;
4 – that the community represented by the gTLD has objections to its inclusion as a gTLD.
A good number of the domains appear to be generic terms, which means that a large number of legal rights objections are unlikely. Some of the proposed gTLDs may be objected to as of limited public interest, such as .WTF which is shorthand for a potentially offensive phrase. I also foresee a small number of community objections.
Stay tuned for more analysis in weeks to come. I’ll be talking about this during next month’s free webinar on July 11th; for more information and to register visit http://blog.davismcgrath.com/webinars.