New gTLDs for Brands

The question

A new generic top-level domain is the part of an address to the right of the last dot. A brand TLD such as .yourbrand gives a company a namespace that only it can use. It also makes the company a registry operator, with a contract with ICANN and obligations that last for years.

Brand owners ask different questions depending on where they stand. Should we have applied, and what does a brand TLD do for us? If we applied in ICANN's 2026 round, what happens now, and what if someone objects to our string or applied for the same one? If we did not apply, what happens if a third party's string is close to our trademark?

As of October 2026, ICANN's 2026 application window has closed. It ran from 30 April to 12 August 2026, and ICANN has since published the list of applications. The overview of the 2026 round gives the status. The work that remains is the stages after submission and the defence of existing rights.

Our approach

We have set out the journey in six stages. They are legal and strategic advice, and we do not sell a software tool for them.

1. Feasibility. Is a TLD right for your organisation? We look at your readiness, the string, the costs of the application and of running a registry for years, and the risk that others apply for the same string or object. The outcome can be a decision not to proceed. The Applicant Guidebook takeaways and the use cases for brand TLDs help with this choice.

2. Partners. A registry needs a technical back-end provider and, in practice, a registrar. We review and negotiate these contracts, including termination and transition terms, so that you are not tied to a provider you cannot leave.

3. Application drafting and submission. The guidebook asks for far more than the 2012 round did, on finance, technical operation, policies and the intended use of the string. We coordinate the legal, technical and financial answers so they are consistent with each other.

4. Evaluation and objections. After submission, applications are evaluated and third parties can raise objections or comment. We prepare responses and the evidence for them.

5. Dispute resolution and contention. Objections are decided by independent panels. If several applicants want the same string, a contention set forms, and a private agreement is often better than an auction. We represent clients in objection proceedings, as applicant or as objector, and advise on contention strategy. The history in the background article on the programme explains the 2012 precedents.

6. From policy to practice. After evaluation, the registry agreement is signed and the TLD is delegated. We negotiate the agreement where it can be negotiated, and set up the registry policies that sit on top of it, including how domain names will be allocated under a closed brand registry. Change of control in a later M&A transaction also needs ICANN's consent, which matters for due diligence.

Around these stages, two parts of our technology help. Our clearance engine checks a string against trademark registers, so you know early whether your string conflicts with others' rights, and whether another applicant's string conflicts with yours. Our online brand monitoring watches for lookalike domain names and abuse around the new namespace once it exists.

Because the application window has closed, most of our work now falls in stages 4 to 6, or in protecting rights against other applicants' strings. The attorney decides whether to object, comment, negotiate or accept, and nothing is filed with an ICANN-designated provider without sign-off.

What you get

• A reasoned recommendation on whether to apply, hold, object or do nothing.
• Reviewed contracts with registry service providers and, later, the registry agreement.
• Consistent legal answers for the application, and responses to evaluator questions.
• Representation in objection proceedings and in negotiation with other applicants.
• A clearance and monitoring set-up for strings and names that matter to your brand.
• For financial services and other regulated brands, advice on how a brand TLD fits with your regulatory position, see the financial services article.

We do not guarantee that an application will be approved or that a string will be delegated. ICANN decides, and timelines depend on contention and objections.

A short scenario: a consumer brand did not apply but finds at Reveal Day that a third party applied for its best-known mark as a string. We clear the string against the brand's registrations, collect evidence of reputation, advise on a legal rights objection and open contact with the applicant in parallel, since a coexistence agreement can end the matter sooner.

Next step

Tell us whether you applied in 2026, and if not, whether there is a string you are worried about. We will map the options and the deadlines that apply.

Schedule a meeting or contact us.