Sunrise and Claims Periods Best Practices from Recent Launches

As the 2026 round of the new gTLD program nears launch, operators preparing to enter the domain ecosystem are closely examining the processes that govern the Sunrise and Claims periods—two critical rights protection mechanisms designed to safeguard trademark holders and reduce the likelihood of domain name abuse. These periods, mandatory for all new gTLDs under the ICANN Registry Agreement, serve not only as compliance requirements but also as strategic tools that, when properly managed, can foster stakeholder trust, prevent legal disputes, and enhance early adoption. Drawing from recent launches and data gathered over the past decade, several best practices have emerged that new operators would be wise to incorporate into their rollout strategies.

The Sunrise Period, which precedes general availability, grants eligible trademark holders the exclusive opportunity to register domain names that match their trademarks before registrations open to the public. In the 2026 round, the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) remains the central authority for validating rights holders, and only marks submitted and verified through the TMCH are eligible for Sunrise registrations. While the fundamental structure of Sunrise remains similar to that of the 2012 round, there are refined procedural and technical expectations that distinguish successful launches from those marred by controversy or low uptake.

One key best practice is ensuring early and comprehensive outreach to trademark holders. Successful TLD launches in recent years—such as .music, .spa, and .web—benefited from proactive engagement with brand owners months before the Sunrise period began. Registry operators often coordinated with intellectual property associations, organized educational webinars, and distributed multilingual toolkits explaining the registration process, eligibility requirements, and timelines. These efforts significantly improved participation and minimized confusion, particularly among brand owners in jurisdictions unfamiliar with the TMCH system or new to domain enforcement strategies.

Technical readiness is another area that has proven decisive. Registries are required to support the Sunrise registration flow in accordance with RFCs governing EPP extensions for TMCH validation. Operators that integrated real-time TMCH validation APIs with their registrars and offered test environments saw smoother Sunrise operations and fewer erroneous or rejected applications. Detailed documentation and registrar onboarding support also contributed to high fidelity in early trademark registrations. Additionally, registries that allowed trademark owners to submit pre-validation records or express interest forms in advance of the Sunrise launch were able to create structured queues, leading to orderly and equitable domain allocation.

Pricing transparency during Sunrise has emerged as an essential trust-building measure. In past rounds, some registries were criticized for applying premium pricing to all Sunrise names or charging disproportionately high fees with little justification. The 2026 program encourages operators to adopt tiered pricing models that are clearly documented and aligned with market expectations. Registries that published their fee structures and domain categorization methodologies well before the Sunrise opening date saw significantly fewer disputes and a more positive perception among the brand protection community.

As the Sunrise period concludes, the transition to the Claims period introduces a new set of operational dynamics. During Claims, the public is permitted to register domains, but registrants are notified in real time if their desired domain matches a trademark record in the TMCH. At the same time, trademark holders receive alerts whenever potentially infringing domains are registered. This dual-notification mechanism is designed to promote deterrence while preserving the openness of the domain space. The effectiveness of the Claims service, however, is highly dependent on the clarity and delivery of the Claims Notice.

Recent TLD launches have shown that optimizing the design and language of the Claims Notice significantly reduces registration abandonment and legal ambiguity. Operators that collaborated with user experience experts to refine the wording, eliminate legalese, and present the notice in localized languages saw higher registration completion rates. Registrants were more likely to understand that the notice was informational rather than prohibitive, reducing drop-off and encouraging compliance. ICANN’s 2026 guidebook includes a flexible notice template, but registries are encouraged to tailor it with clear examples, contextual disclaimers, and user-centric formatting.

Duration of the Claims period is another critical factor. While the minimum requirement remains ninety days, several operators have chosen to extend the Claims period voluntarily, particularly when launching TLDs in sectors with heightened risk of abuse or elevated brand value—such as .bank, .health, or .legal. These extensions, coupled with real-time reporting dashboards for trademark holders, have become a best practice in reinforcing rights protections and promoting early namespace legitimacy.

One of the most impactful evolutions in Claims implementation has been the integration of analytics. Forward-looking operators have begun offering TMCH rights holders access to Claim Match Intelligence dashboards, which not only report real-time registration events but also provide contextual data such as registrar identity, DNS resolution status, hosting provider details, and web content classification. This level of insight has enabled brand owners to prioritize enforcement actions, allocate resources more efficiently, and distinguish between legitimate uses and potentially infringing behavior. Registries that have invested in these analytics platforms have reported fewer formal disputes and higher levels of brand engagement.

Collaboration with registrars throughout both Sunrise and Claims phases has also emerged as a differentiating factor. Operators that conducted registrar readiness assessments, offered co-branded marketing collateral, and provided registrar-specific training on TMCH protocols consistently experienced higher adoption and smoother launch sequences. In contrast, those who relied solely on generic communications or deferred registrar onboarding until the final weeks of pre-launch often encountered synchronization issues, mismatches in trademark validation flows, and customer service bottlenecks.

Finally, registries have found value in transparency and community reporting. Publishing regular reports during Sunrise and Claims—including metrics on domain allocation, trademark match frequency, and registrant demographics—has helped foster community trust and mitigate speculation about registry conduct. Some operators have gone further by creating independent Sunrise review committees or ombudsman-style reporting channels to address brand-owner grievances. These mechanisms have proven especially valuable in high-profile or contentious launches, where the perception of fairness is as critical as technical compliance.

In sum, the Sunrise and Claims periods in the 2026 gTLD program offer not only a procedural layer of rights protection but also a strategic opportunity for registry operators to build early credibility, earn stakeholder trust, and establish a clean, well-governed namespace. Drawing on best practices from the most effective recent launches, successful operators will be those who prepare early, communicate clearly, engage transparently, and implement with technical precision. As the new round brings a wider array of TLDs to market—across languages, industries, and regions—the execution of these initial launch phases will set the tone for each registry’s long-term success and its contribution to a more secure and resilient domain name system.

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As the 2026 round of the new gTLD program nears launch, operators preparing to enter the domain ecosystem are closely examining the processes that govern the Sunrise and Claims periods—two critical rights protection mechanisms designed to safeguard trademark holders and reduce the likelihood of domain name abuse. These periods, mandatory for all new gTLDs under…