ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has announced significant changes to its new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) application process, prohibiting private auctions and implementing new rules for singular/plural domain variants.
Key Policy Changes:
- Private Auction Ban:
- All private resolutions of contention sets prohibited
- Joint ventures between applicants post-submission forbidden
- Decision made by ICANN Board on November 14, 2024
- Singular/Plural Domain Rules:
- Only one version (singular or plural) of a string allowed
- Applications for variants of existing TLDs prohibited
- Examples:
- No .apartment applications if .apartments exists
- No .blogs applications where .blog is active
Background:
- Previous round (2012) generated $240.5M from 17 ICANN auctions
- Private auctions were common practice
- GAC and ALAC advocated for restrictions
Rationale for Changes:
- Prevents application manipulation
- Aligns with standard allocation practices
- Increases transparency in domain allocation
ICANN anticipates an increase in official “Auctions of Last Resort” under the new rules, potentially leading to higher auction revenues.
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