New TLDs

Afilias supports all types of new TLDs, including dotBrands, dotCities, dotCommunities and dotGenerics with turnkey technical and value-added services.

Learn more about applying for a new dot Brand Top Level Domain

ICANN’s last new gTLD application window closed in 2012, and over 600 major companies applied for their own dotBrand top level domains.

“dotBrands” are top level domains (TLDs) that use the brand name to the right of the dot, as in www.mabanque.bnpparibas or www.home.cern.  Many large companies across nearly every industry applied, including Google, Amazon, Citibank, VISA, McDonalds, Sony, HBO, Alibaba, and Hermes.

As of early 2017, over 550 of these companies have launched their dotBrand TLD.  Indeed, we’ve been calling 2017 the "Year of dotBrand.”  Some are just getting started, like .UPS, .FERRARI and .DELTA.  Others are cautiously trying theirs out by running special programs on them or issuing special reports (see sites* in .PWC, .CIPRIANI and .ICBC).  The real pioneers are going “all in,” moving their major presence on the internet to their own TLD—see sites in .BNPPARIBAS, .CERN and .MONASH).

When will ICANN open the next application round? No one knows, but many are hoping for a round in 2018. Afilias is tracking this carefully to ensure our clients are ready to go when the round opens.

*In Google, search:  site:bnpparibas for a list of all the sites in the .bnpparibas TLD—it’s amazing!

Why a dotBrand?

Dot Brands offer 4 major benefits that are NOT available in a typical generic address.

The major benefits are as follows:

1)      CONTROL OF NAMES:  a dotBrand like .BNPPARIBAS is owned by the BNP Paribas bank in France.  That means that every registration at this address is specifically authorized by BNP Paribas.  No one else can authorize registrations.  Unlike .com addresses, no criminals can buy names in this TLD—ONLY duly authorized registrants (like departments or staff or suppliers, etc) can have a name.  As a dotBrand owner, YOU control who has a domain name in your TLD.  This is unprecedented on the internet and is a key reason a dotBrand is better.  The Result: customers will have as much confidence visiting you online as they have today visiting your retail outlet.

2)      CONTROL OF CONTENT:  Just as dotBrand owners control who has a domain name, the owner also controls the content allowed on the site.  If content is posted that violates policy, is off-strategy, or is otherwise objectionable to the dotBrand owner, the owner simply calls Afilias (the registry service provider) and we will take the name out of the addressing system and it will stop working on the internet!  No UDRP, no court battles, no time consuming “due process” for the offender—one phone call and the name just stops working.  The Result:  your customers can trust that what they see at your address is  your bona fide information.

3)      SECURITY:  The control benefits noted above provide unparalleled security in your dotBrand.  There is guaranteed to be no phishing, no spam, no malware distribution, no ransomware, no botnet participation and none of the ever-expanding list of criminal exploits plaguing internet users today.  This allows your security team greater confidence that they are protecting your customers in the best way possible. The Result: customers feel more secure dealing with you online

4)      BRANDING: The last benefit is perhaps the most obvious:  Branding.  With a dotBrand, your name IS your address, and every time you reference your internet address, it reinforces your brand instead of creating confusion.  Which is better:  jjones@nike.com or jjones@sales.nike? 

Today, there are over 1400 different domain extensions on the internet, with new generic addresses ending in everything from .abogado to .xyz. How can a brand distinguish itself?  The answer is clear: with your own dotBrand top level domain.  If consumers remember your brand, they will remember your address and you will be easy to find.  Consumers won’t have to search for you, so you won’t need to outspend competitors who are buying search terms to steal your customers.

Finally, your firm may be leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT), in which every product unit (even each part) is connected to the internet.  IoT will require an enormous amount of address space.  Your dotBrand has unlimited space that can be organized anyway that suits your company. And since you own it, you control the security of every address.

Every major brand will need its own dotBrand in the future in order to better control the customer experience on the Internet in a way that enhances the trust in your brand.

Welcome to 2017: The Year of dotBrand!

In 2012, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) unleashed a new era of competition designed to expand the possibilities of Internet domain names and create a more accessible, secure and innovative Internet. 

In 2012, even brand owners were able to apply to own their name as a unique “generic Top Level Domain” (gTLD).  Since then, instead of .com, brand names can be the top-level domain.  So long .com.  Hello dot Brand.

As of early 2017, over 550 of these companies had launched their dotBrand TLD.  Indeed, we’ve been calling 2017 the "Year of dotBrand.”  Some are just getting started, like .UPS, .FERRARI and .DELTA.  Others are cautiously trying theirs out by running special programs on them or issuing special reports (see sites* in .PWC, .CIPRIANI and .ICBC).  The real pioneers are going “all in,” moving their major presence on the internet to their own TLD—see sites in .BNPPARIBAS, .CERN and .MONASH).

Watch our short video, “2017: the Year of dotBrand,” to stimulate your dot Brand imagination Then, prepare to apply for, launch and manage your new dot Brand domain with the help of the most experienced TLD registry services partner in the world – Afilias. This video will help prepare you and your team for when the next window to apply opens.

Learn more about dot Brand TLDs and what to expect. Simply email the Afilias dot Brand team to schedule a no-obligation, exploratory conversation.

 

The Experts in dot Brands

Afilias is the world’s largest provider of diversified domain registry services, supporting more than 20 million registrations across hundreds of different TLDs; that’s more registrations than any other registry services provider. And that means Afilias is the undisputed expert in new TLDs and dot Brands.

Marketing teams and brand builders can profit from the experience we have gained in our 15 years of managing and supporting both generic and dotBrand TLDs.   The experience of Afilias, coupled with our globally distributed, multi-layered, diverse infrastructure, ensures that your new TLD and second-level domains will always work in a highly secure, reliable manner.  

Thanks to Afilias’ deep expertise in winning and managing new TLDs, you and your dot Brand TLD have an expert to count on.

Learn more about dot Brand TLDs and what to expect. Simply email the Afilias dot Brand team to schedule a no-obligation, exploratory conversation.

What’s the Biggest Challenge?

Time.  The time to start is NOW!

The last application window at ICANN was just over 3 months long (January 12, 2012 thru April 20, 2012).

If you wait until the next window opens, you may already be too late-it can take 6 months or more to prepare your application. Note the last application required answers to 50 detailed questions including in-depth information about your corporate make-up, your business plans, your financial plans, how you will protect intellectual property rights, security precautions, and details about your technology.

Given such a short window of opportunity, the time to assemble your dot Brand team is now. Afilias has been through this many times already, so we have a rigorous application process plus strategic partners that your team can use to build your business case and begin the application development process so you can submit a winning ICANN application on time.  

While respecting the confidentiality of our many corporate clients now planning to apply for a dot Brand TLD, we can share that the demand for new TLDs is building as the dotBrands from the 2012 round launch and begin achieving competitive advantage.  While the 2012 round had about 1400 applications, over 10,000 are expected in the next round.

The complication is that the window of opportunity to apply will close quickly, and ICANN can only process a limited number of applications; it will be important to get in early in case ICANN batches the applications on a first-apply, first-served basis.    

The good news is that working with an experienced Registry Services partner like Afilias can minimize your time, stress, risks and costs while improving your odds of success.

Learn more about dot Brand TLDs and what to expect.  Simply email the Afilias dot Brand team to schedule a no-obligation, exploratory conversation.

Experience Matters

The right type of experience matters when applying for, launching and supporting a dot Brand TLD. Over the past 15 years, Afilias has helped apply for, win and support many new ICANN gTLDs, including over 100 dotBrands.

Unlike ccTLDs (Country Code Top-Level Domains) like .us or .uk, the requirements to support a dot Brand domain are complex, rigorous and time sensitive. Afilias knows ICANN’s requirements and has vast experience doing the right things right.

Afilias can help brand builders, like you, understand the issues, opportunities and challenges to apply for, win and secure your own TLD when the next ICANN gTLD application window opens.

Learn more about dot Brand TLDs and what to expect. Simply email the Afilias dot Brand team to schedule a no-obligation, exploratory conversation.

Take Action. Today.

Now is the time to start preparing your company for the next ICANN gTLD application window. ICANN has not yet announced when the new application window will open, but we will keep you posted when they do.

In the meantime, start educating yourself and your fellow team members on new dotBrand gTLDs. Investing in a dotBrand is a strategic decision. Now is the time for you to monitor and research how companies are deploying their new gTLDs to stimulate your own new gTLD imagination.

How will you and your organization use your new dot Brand?

If you are ready to begin a conversation about your dot Brand with our New TLD Team, start here.

Register now to receive timely messages, emails and bulletins that will keep you up to date and will guide you in applying for, launching and managing your dot Brand TLD. 

Faster yet, email the Afilias’ dot Brand Team or call +1.215.706.5700 today to schedule a no-obligation, exploratory conversation.