Considering our vast experience in this space, we have developed a unique offering for applicants for new gTLDs during the next round, which is tailored to each of our clients' knowledge, experience and expectations: whether you want to apply for a new (true) generic top-level domain, a regional or city-TLD, or a Brand-TLD: we have been there, we have done it, and we have delivered.
Our service offering consists of the following steps:
1. generally speaking, we start with a feasibility assessment, where we give you an overview of ICANN's New gTLD Program, detailed information on what it takes to apply and manage a generic top-level domain, as well as the impact, opportunities and risks it may have on your business;
2. selection of parties you are engaging with: backend registry services provider, registrar, etc.;
3. draft application for ICANN on the basis of the outcome of the feasibility assessment. The first draft will be provided shortly after the first new version of the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook is released, and updates will be made and discussed following each future release thereof;
4. submission of the application with ICANN;
5. follow-up and guidance throughout the different stages of the evaluation and objections processes, which includes answering to questions raised by ICANN and/or the evaluation teams;
6. representation before alternative dispute resolution service providers whenever a third party files an objection against your application / applied for gTLD string;
7. draft policies as required by ICANN / customary in the domain name industry;
8. draft contracts with third parties who are involved (registry services provider, registrars, registrants, …).
Throughout your engagement with us, we will provide you access to our New gTLD Academy, where we publish news and reports relating to the domain name industry on a regular basis.
Generally, we offer all of the above services as a package, for a fixed fee (excl. fees to be paid to third parties). As we would like to ensure a consistent quality and availability, we are limiting the total number of new gTLD applications for which future applications are enrolling in this program to 100.
Reach out to Bart if you would like to learn more.
Our lawyers and consultants:
1. have more than 50+ years of combined experience in working in the domain name space, with and for ICANN, more than a hundred domain name registries, dozens of domain name registrars, almost each and every back-end registry operator and thousands of brand owners;
2. Bart is the architect of the Trademark Clearinghouse, which was developed based on a decade of his experience in managing TLD launch processes – generally referred to as “Sunrise” processes – like .EU, .MOBI, .ASIA, .TEL and .CO;
3. in the context of these launch processes, we engaged with various registries, back-end registry services providers, domain name registrars and brand owners, who all contributed to the success of the TLDas of its launch;
4. we assisted over a hundred applicants in successfully applying for new gTLDs during ICANN’s 2011 New gTLD Program;
5. we are probably the only lawyers who successfully represented clients in all four of ICANN’s Objection processes: Community Objections,Limited Public Interest Objection, String Contention and Legal Rights Objection;
6. represented clients who prevailed in accountability procedures initiated against ICANN;
7. we successfully assisted clients in divesting in their top-level domains, generating millions of dollars of value for applicants and their shareholders.
Want to learn more? Don't hesitate to contact Bart.
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