Category: 2026 New gTLD Program

With the 2026 round of ICANN’s New gTLD Program preparing to significantly expand the internet’s namespace, businesses, trademark holders, and digital strategists are revisiting the role of defensive domain name registrations. During the 2012 round, thousands of brand owners applied for domains either to prevent misuse or to ensure that their intellectual property was not…

As applicants prepare for the 2026 round of ICANN’s New gTLD Program, attention is once again turning to the details of the base Registry Agreement and the possibility of seeking contractual waivers or amendments. While the foundational agreement provides a standardized framework for registry operations, applicants with unique business models, technical implementations, or regulatory requirements…

As the 2026 ICANN New gTLD Program approaches, one of the most forward-looking considerations for new registry applicants is the potential to integrate with Web3 ecosystems. The emergence of decentralized technologies—blockchain, distributed storage, self-sovereign identity systems, and smart contracts—has begun to reshape expectations about how digital identity, data, and trust are managed online. While traditional…

As the 2026 round of the ICANN New gTLD Program introduces a new generation of top-level domains into the global Domain Name System, one of the most critical pre-launch milestones remains After Delegation Testing, or ADT. This series of mandatory evaluations, conducted after a registry is delegated in the root zone but before it is…

As the 2026 round of ICANN’s New gTLD Program approaches, brand owners around the globe are reevaluating their digital strategies, and the case for applying for a brand TLD—often referred to as a .brand—is stronger than ever. The digital landscape has changed dramatically since the first application round in 2012, and a convergence of market…