Weekly Launch Guide April 9, 2018

SPOTLIGHT:
.ICU Domains Now in Sight

April 24, 2018, marks the Sunrise Phase launch of the new gTLD, .icu (“I See You”). ShortDot, the registry behind .icu, positions their TLD as being “geared towards being present, online and live with your customers, readers, and followers 24/7.” The Sunrise phase is first-come, first-served. General Availability begins May 29, 2018. For more information, please contact your Client Service Partner.

Minds and Machines Launches Its First IDN TLD

Minds and Machines registry (MMX) announced plans to launch a new top-level domain, 购物 (xn--g2xx48c). This TLD translates to ‘shopping’ in the Chinese language. The Sunrise Phase runs from April 20, 2018 through June 19, 2018.  The phase will be first-come, first-served.  General Availability is scheduled to start on June 21, 2018. This will be the first IDN TLD in the MMX portfolio of TLDs.  If you have any questions, or are interested in this launch, please contact your Client Service Partner.

How to Navigate the .APP Domain Launch by Google Registry
Corporations experienced an avalanche of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) between 2013 and 2015 when almost 90% were launched. At the time of writing, there are a total of 526 open new gTLDs available to register—and most could be categorized by the industry as “verticals,” appealing to different segments of global domain registrants.

In 2015, Google® Registry won the rights to operate .APP through an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) auction. Google’s winning bid of just over $25M beat 12 other bidders including Amazon.com® and Donuts, and set a new record for new gTLD auction value. Google has chosen to launch .APP at a time when new gTLD launches are sporadic—March 29, 2018.

If you’re considering a .APP domain, click here for some ways CSC® suggests using it.

Still Launching

The following TLDs have launch phases (Pre-General Availability) that are currently still in progress. If you are interested in participating in any of these launches, please contact your Client Service Partner.

.app

.UK

.basketball

.bot

.rugby

.mt

.xn--imr513n (.餐厅 “Restaurant” Chinese)

Launches within 30 days (bold indicates where dates fall within time frame)

Extension Start Date Order Entry Deadline First-come First-served (FCFS) Registry
 Sunrise
.xn--imr513n
(.餐厅 “Restaurant” Chinese)
11-Mar-2018 9-Apr-2018 Yes Internet DotTrademark Organization Limited
.xn--g2xx48c
(.购物 “Shopping” Chinese)
Blocks TBD
20-Apr-2018 15-Jun-2018 Yes Minds and Machines (MMX)
.icu 24-Apr-2018 22-May-2018 Yes Shortdot SA
.app 29-Mar-2018 26-Apr-2018 Yes Google
 Landrush
.xn--imr513n
(.餐厅 “Restaurant” Chinese)
16-Apr-2018 15-May-2018 No Internet DotTrademark Organization Limited
 Limited 1
.rugby 17-Jan-2018 25-Apr-2018 Yes World Rugby Strategic Developments Limited
 Limited 2
.rugby 30-Apr-2018 27-Jun-2018 No World Rugby Strategic Developments Limited
EAP 1 thru 5
.app 1-May-2018 5-May-2018 Yes Google
 Premium Name Event
.sg 1-Apr-2018 26-Apr-2018 No SGNIC

The information provided is intended for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice.