Later this year, the domain name system will once again expand with the addition of numerous new, generic top-level domains (or new gTLDs). Everyone who uses the Internet is already familiar with <.com>, <.org>, and other legacy gTLDs. The domain name space last expanded 14 years ago with <.xyz>, <.app>, and over 1,200 other new gTLDs. On April 30, 2026, the application window will open for an entirely new and unlimited round of new gTLD applications.
Like the last new gTLD expansion, intellectual property rightsholders may wish to take proactive (and if necessary, reactive) steps to protect their trademarks, copyrights, and other intangible assets in this next wave of new gTLDs. In addition, all organizations (not just intellectual property rightsholders) should assess the costs and benefits to applying for their own new gTLDs.
High-Level Protections for Intellectual Property Rightsholders
Several steps are available to help protect intellectual property rights relative to new gTLDs.
Trademark Clearinghouse
Trademark owners may wish to proactively participate in the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) to be eligible to take advantage of:
- Priority (or Sunrise) opportunities to defensively register second-level domains (i.e., where the brand is before the dot) as each new gTLD launches, and/or
- Optional blocking services, like the AdultBlock or GlobalBlock, and other novel rights protection mechanisms that may be offered by each new gTLD registry.
Moreover, participation in the TMCH is a prerequisite for anyone who plans to apply for their own closed .Brand TLD (defined below).
Monitoring of New gTLD Applications
Rightsholders should monitor new gTLD applications to identify any that may warrant their intervention. Common examples of such situations from the last new gTLD expansion included:
- A third-party or licensee applying for a new gTLD, without the rightsholders’ authorization, that is identical or confusingly similar to one of their trademarks;
- A competitor applying for a new gTLD that corresponds to a generic industry term or proprietary industry terminology; and
- A third party proposing, without the rightsholder’s consent, a new gTLD business model or community of registrants which purport to represent the organization.
Applying For A New gTLD
Who Should Apply?
Companies should consider applying to operate their own new gTLD if they:
- Own a strong brand and want greater security, authenticity, and global consistency online;
- Operate in a regulated or trust sensitive sector (finance, health, energy, or government);
- Represent a community, professional group, region, or cultural identity seeking a dedicated and trusted namespace;
- Have a new product or service that might benefit from having its own trusted namespace;
- Are expanding internationally and want an internationalized or variant TLD aligned with their target linguistic or regional audiences.
- Are a portfolio operator, registry, or digital innovator looking to launch new category-defining gTLDs.
Costs
Application costs include:
- Fixed Application Fee: $227,000
- Variable Service Costs: Include application preparation, legal and policy guidance, and mandatory service providers (specifically, a backend registry service provider and a data escrow provider) whose collective initial service fees may exceed $500,000.
There are also ongoing operational costs, which include annual accreditation fees of $25,000, incidental transactional fees, backend registry service provider fees, data escrow fees, consultancy and/or corporate registrar fees, and contingent fees for legal or administrative compliance counseling. Such costs are largely dependent upon how companies plan to operate the new gTLD, and how many second-level domains or subdomains are registered within the new gTLD.
Benefits
The owner would decide who is eligible to register second-level domains, set the naming conventions, and write the authorized use policy. That is particularly the case for closed gTLDs dedicated to specific brands (called .Brand TLDs), wherein owners exclusively decide all second-level domains registered for themselves or for their trademark licensees. In either case, owners would have full discretion to exclude malicious actors from their gTLD. And owners may immediately stem any problems that arise.
Furthermore, .Brand TLD applications may also provide greater leverage and additional challenge mechanisms against identical or confusingly similar third-party new gTLD applications. Indeed, while there were over 600 .Brand TLD applications filed in the last new gTLD expansion, only 440 were ultimately launched, and less than 200 remain active today, signaling that many applications were filed for primarily defensive purposes.
There are many .Brand TLD success stories on the Internet that have leveraged short, memorable domains to launch new products and services, or even transferred their entire <.com> websites to their .Brand TLD. .Brand TLD ownership may provide a means for enhanced digital marketing (messaging to consumers that a company’s TLD is the only authentic source for its content or services online). However, it is not an immediate panacea for infringement, impersonation, and other types of abuse perpetrated through other gTLDs that the company does not control.
When owners decide which second-level domains can be registered within their new gTLD, they can preemptively block problematic names and reserve premium names for themselves. New gTLD registry operators do not generally encounter situations where the names they want to use in their own TLD are already registered by someone else.
Immediate Considerations
The next round of new gTLD applications is quickly approaching. Absent extenuating circumstances, the new gTLD application window will remain open for 15 weeks, from April 30, 2026, through Aug. 12, 2026. Those interested in applying may wish to take the following steps as soon as possible:
- String Strategy and Preliminary Clearance – Potential applicants should determine the type of application and new gTLD they want (e.g. an open gTLD, a closed community TLD, or a .Brand TLD) and clear their strings against knowable roadblocks and problems. These may include objections from third-party trademark owners, objections from gTLDs that have already been delegated, or gTLDs that are sensitive for governmental, geographic, or security reasons.
- Internal Approval – Identify necessary internal stakeholders, help them understand the process and requirements, and secure internal authorization for the initial and ongoing costs, application, and launch timelines.
- Application Readiness and Compliance Planning – Prepare the documentation, supporting evidence, technical partnerships, policies, and governance structures that are required for a new gTLD application.
- Risk Mitigation and Contention Avoidance – Develop strategies to mitigate risk and avoid contention with confusingly similar gTLDs. This might include planning for replacement strings and gTLD variants, as well as gathering competitive intelligence.