The delegation of .MERCK highlights a key shift in the new gTLD landscape. While co-management once emerged as a pragmatic solution to contention, the 2026 Applicant Guidebook now prohibits any communication between competing applicants. In closing a loophole, ICANN may also have removed the possibility of constructive cooperation.
GlobalBlock now covers more than 780 TLDs, offering unprecedented defensive reach. But as coverage expands, a more nuanced question emerges: does broader protection translate into real, measurable value for brands, or does it remain largely intangible? With the addition of major extensions such as .CN and .DE, the balance may be shifting, but not always in the way one might expect.
Amazon will launch .PAY on April 13, introducing a particularly sensitive TLD at the intersection of payments, trust, and brand identity. Not covered by GlobalBlock and followed by a restricted registration phase, .PAY raises immediate concerns for brand owners and makes defensive registrations during Sunrise a key strategic step.
In the world of domain name disputes, shorter does not mean simpler. On the contrary, the fewer the characters, the greater the uncertainty. Between statistical… Read More »Are short domains more resistant to domain disputes? Analyzing the latest 100 decisions involving domains with four or fewer letters
Defensive domain strategies are usually driven by commercial relevance. But some country-code domains present structural risk factors that make them more attractive to fraud actors and more costly to enforce against. This article explores how registration accessibility, registrar behavior, and dispute complexity can help identify high-risk ccTLDs that may deserve defensive priority — even in markets where a brand has little or no presence.
ACPA (the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act) has been in the news lately, on the heels of an amicus brief[1] filed by INTA last month, aiming… Read More »ACPA: Addressing Domain Infringement in the US Courts
Even if you’ve never bothered to download ChatGPT, you’re probably familiar with AI-powered search results. For example, the summaries that appear in Google searches that… Read More »Combatting Fake Information in AI-Search Results: How new search technologies are exploited
Few companies have announced their plans to apply for new domain extensions in the ICANN’s Next Round, planned for April 2026. There are two notable… Read More »Next Round Spotlight: Web2-Web3 Domain Bundles
You’ve found a web store selling the same product as your client and the URL is very similar to the client’s brand name. So, you… Read More »The Future of Domain Registration Data Requests: Balancing the Priorities of ICANN, the EU and the Legitimate Access Seeker
On May 30, ICANN published a full draft version of the New gTLD Program: Next Round Applicant Guidebook (AGB). In our previous rundown of considerations… Read More »New gTLD program: analyzing new rules and their relevance for prospective dotBrand applicants
