.OKINAWA Top-Level Domain

City of Okinawa - Japan - will apply for its own domain name extension using partner GMO Registry.

GMO Registry will be applying for a certain number of Japanese city names such as:

• Tokyo;
• Okinawa;
• Osaka and
• Ryukyu.

Check Registries.tel for competing applications.

.OSAKA Top-Level Domain

According to a post from Kevin Murphy, the prefecture of Osaka - Japan will apply for its new generic Top-Level Domain through GMO Registry:

• Read article here;
• Press release here (in Japanese).

French version of the applicant guidebook...

...dated September 2011 is available.
As tweeted today by ICANN, September 2011 version of the applicant guidebook is available in French. To read it, click here (direct link).

January 2012 version is coming soon.

Note today is the 25th of February and the application window to apply for a new generic Top-Level Domain opened on January the 12 and will close in April the 12.

Questions

• Did you have the same chances to follow and participate in the new gTLD launching without knowing English?
• Will ICANN block a .VIN on round 2 if it comes after a .WINE ("vin" means wine in English)?
• Why do I write this blog in English by the way? :-)

Your answer.

To apply or not apply?

.WALES new gTLD confirmed

As confirmed by the Registry for .UK domain names - Nominet - The Welsh Government will apply for .CYMRU and .WALES new generic Top-Level Domains.

• Story on Domainincite;
• Nominet's press release .

Registries.tel is up-to-date.

62% say a domain name is essential (wine)

According to a survey published yesterday by SOWINE, 62% of respondents agreed that it is essential for a winegrower to have a website.

Read the results of the SOWINE/SSI 2012 Barometer, the first survey to study the influence of new technologies on the behavior of wine consumers in France.

.VEGAS new gTLD and search engines

Not sure if this is the web site of a second applicant or one of the first domainers's web site to promote new generic Top-Level Domains.

One thing is sure: the article regarding search engine optimization (SEO) explains the impact owning a new descriptive domain name could have to be better positioned in search engines.

• First applicant for .VEGAS;
• I recommend the reading of "SEO and New TLDs".

A second applicant for .MLS ?

According to info found on .nxt (News and analysis of Internet policy and governance), a second applicant could apply for .MLS:

1. First applicant is has plan to offer an exclusive address for multiple listing services on the Internet;
2. Second potential is the owner of the mls.com domain name and US trademark for DOTMLS.

Complete story is available here.

.TAT new generic Top-Level Domain

A web site can be found here but there seems to be no information available in any other language. I am not so sure if this info is official or not.

Find more information here.

.RYUKYU Top-Level Domain

I do not know much about this one but web site is being prepare here.

.AFL Top-Level Domain

No, the AFL is not the "Association Française pour la Lecture", it is the Australian Football League which plans to apply for the .AFL Top-Level Domain.

• Its potential is revealed on DomainIncite;
• The Australian Football League's web site.

.HALAL new generic Top-Level Domain

Found by Andrew Allemann, the Halalan Tayyiban Corporation plans to apply for the .HALAL Top-Level Domain.

• The article on DomainNameWire;
• The "soon to come official web site"

.KAZ Top-Level Domain

Prior to reading this, note the .kaz (.қаз) is not a new generic Top-Level Domains. It is a country code Top-Level Domain (or ccTLD). It also is the IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) delegated to Kazakhstan.

I am adding it to this blog because it is a 3 characters Top-Level Domain and may interest a company or a brand interested in launching its own .KAZ Top-Level Domain.

Note "kaz" also is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code for Kazakhstan so it makes it impossible for any company/brand to register its own .KAZ : the latest applicant guidebook does not allow to do so.

A list is available here.

The Independent Objector (IO)

His role:

The Independent Objector does not act on behalf of any particular persons or entities, but acts solely in the best interests of the public who use the global Internet.

As found in the latest Application Guidebook (3.2.5), he "will be selected by ICANN, through an open and transparent process, and retained as an independent consultant. The Independent Objector will be an individual with considerable experience and respect in the Internet community, unaffiliated with any gTLD applicant".

Questions:

• Only one Independent Objector for all applications?
• How is ICANN going to check if the IO is not funded, directly or indirectly, by an applicant? :-)
• Who is he?

nb: deadline for expressions of interest was 22 December 2011.

.LES new gTLD project becomes .LESS

.LESS seems easier to recognize according to Aaron Pace owner of both Trademarks ".les" and ".less".

Web site is available here.

.WINE applicant fooled by partner – Part 1

This is a sad story but it does happen.

For those who have been following new gTLD projects, I am sad to say that the wonderful dotVinum project for .WINE domain names which was started 3 years ago will soon come to an end. My “partner” is applying for .WINE without me. As he wrote it to me a few days ago: “We have made no contractual commitments to you at any time as you are fully aware”.

According to the journalists and specialists I have spoken to recently, I was told it often happens. But when you want to move forward with no money, you accept to trust those who have it, without signing formal documents.

I decided to put an end to this “partnership”; when it is a one way deal, there is something wrong.

There was a risk and I took it. For 5 months, I accepted to provide a certain number of key figures, information, potentials of the .wine Top-Level Domain, my strategy, my rules ... I even accepted to have them changed for maximum profit ; I found candidates for Premium domain names for hundreds of thousand Euros, I found registrars on the starting blocks ...

The result is that:

• I worked for free; 
• They adapted their .WINE application to their strategy, thanks to my help, my knowledge and my information;
• They persuaded me not to seek openings with other interested parties and possible partners; 
• They gained time so that they would manage to keep my mouth shut until the opening of the new gTLD application window. 

The result of this is that I am now looking forward finding a new partner (see my resumé) or joining an existing new gTLD project, and with a contract duely signed… I would then bring A LOT of information knowledge to develop a project and help beat any competing bid(s).

I hope that the ICANN will do its job - as well as the GAC - because there is a very rich organization coming out on the market, with a lot of money to hammer down any competing applicant.

For those who follow my news, I will appreciate your help in these ... difficult circumstances. I am also looking forward finding the advice of a lawyer, to discuss the issue with him and see whether, the company should or could be sued.

I was “failed” (as Henry VIII said ...), and fooled.

The .WINE Top-Level project was at risks and nearly fell into the hands of an applicant whose only interest is to maximize profit, with poor rules. THAT GOES against the interest of the wine online community.

“Public comments “? Count on me to be there. And not for .WINE only.

Part 2 soon to be published: a massive new gTLD player to submit dozens of applications, strategy exposed.

.KYOTO new generic Top-Level Domain

A new city new gTLD project for the city of Kyoto, Japan.

Press article is available here

.SAS new generic Top-Level Domain

According to a recent tweet from Linn Drivdal Mellbye and intercepted by Domainincite (again), the Scandinavian Airlines System Group has plan to apply for the .SAS new gTLD.

.STARHUB new generic Top-Level Domain

Found on DomainIncite, StarHub, a Singapore telecommunications firm, applies for the new generic Top-Level Domain .starhub.

Read complete Article here.

.SEA Top-Level Domain

Thank to Bret Fausett for spotting this information: " The .sea domain is not recognized by Internet authority ICANN, but would instead be made available through an alternate Internet that doesn't connect to the "ordinary" Web, something called the Cesidian Root".

More information on Foxnews.com.

New gTLDs "Public Comments"

With many new gTLD projects in competition and A LOT of money involved into each of them, it will be interesting to see if the ICANN new gTLD program allows true applicants with a good project to compete with extremely well funded applicants submitting multiple applications for maximum profit.

• My true feeling is "no", not a chance;
• My true feeling is that it is going to be a matter of having deep pockets with a lot of money;
• My true feeling is "I hope I am wrong" because some projects out there are very good.

I would even be tempted to write that for those who watch Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), the "Public Comments" are going to be a real UFC arena.

...but I hope I am wrong....

.FASHION Top-Level Domain ?

Found in the LinkedIn group for new generic Top-Level Domain, "The DotFashion (.FASHION) generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Name is the TLD Internet/Web Address Extension for official fashion-related websites and entities, such as designers, fashionistas and models".

More info here http://dotfashion.info (no information here but just domain names to register).

.Fashion group on Facebook is "liked" by more than 10260 people.

.SRB Top-Level Domain

Prior to reading this, note the .SRB is not a new generic Top-Level Domains. It is a country code Top-Level Domain (or ccTLD). It also is an IDN (Internationalized Domain Name).

I am adding it to this blog because it is a 3 characters Top-Level Domain and may interest a company or a brand interested in launching its own .SRB Top-Level Domain.

A list is avaialble here

.SRB domain registration begins TODAY.

More here.

115 new gTLD projects revealed

Found on DomainNameWire.com, a list of 115 new Top-Level Domain trademarks and their current status were revealed today:

• Mark;
• Name of the applicant;
• Type and;
• Status.

The list is available here.

.LEI Top-Level Domain

Found on the Financial TLDs web site, the .LEI Top-Level Domain is a highly technical concept which means "Legal Identifiers".

It is explained here

It is possible .LEI could be changed to .LEGID, also possibly because the word "lei" in Portuguese means "Law" in English and there is a .law new gTLD project.