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Hot Topic: Closed gTLDs After ICANN published information on its 1,930 applications it was immediately noted that some companies had applied for a number of generic terms relevant to their business, writing in their applications that they intended to be the sole registrant for the TLD. There was no Brand TLD distinction in this round, though there were guesses that ICANN would create rules for such TLDs in any future round. Thus, the closed generic terms violated no rules as developed through the GNSO process and as included in the Applicant Guidebook. Some noted that this was in fact an intentional byproduct of the program that had been considered while others disagreed. The largest applicant for closed gTLDs is Amazon, and many worried that their applications to control a large number of generic terms would result in them circumnavigating traditional navigation for shopping online and give them an unfair competitive advantage. Another notable applicants with multiple applications for closed generic terms include L'Oréal and Google. In late 2012, Amazon and other companies that applied for closed-generic strings received a GAC Early Warning from GAC Chair, Heather Dryden. Following further questions ICANN's New gTLD Program Committee looked at the issue and opened up a public comment period on February 5th, 2013, to ascertain opinions on what a closed generic is and what the criteria are for operating a "closed" or "open" string. In mid-February 2013, it was announced that an applicant represented by industry lawyer Philip Corwin would be contacting and lobbying lawmakers in Washington and Brussels, or raising litigation, against Google. The applicant in question remains unknown though is in contention with Google for at least one TLD. It is not in contention with Amazon. The issue at hand is the competition advantage that Google has given its search engine dominance and ability to favor its own sites and businesses in search results. Full Summary of Closed gTLDs See Google's Full List of Applications See Amazon's Full List of Applications		ICANNWiki Sponsors
Information on ALL new gTLDs! All New gTLD Applications Generic Applications Geographic Applications Brand Applications IDN Applications Categories: Commerce, Culture, Education, Food & Drink, Government, Health, Industry, Lifestyle, Media, Professional, Real Estate, Sport, Technology New gTLD Program Overview Historical background, application process, and commentaries. New gTLD Stats By the numbers, top applicants, highly contested TLDs, top registry service providers, and geographic breakdowns. Community Priority Applications Summaries of applications from all Community applicants, featuring info on their defined community and intended registration policies. What's Next? Contending applicants need to resolve contention, possibly through GTLD Auctions. Applicants are awaiting the long-delayed results of the String Similarity Panel, now expected March 1st. The debate on Closed gTLDs continues, with ICANN accepting public comments until March 7th. Initial Evaluation results will proceed according to Draw Priority, sort all TLDs by priority Active TLD Registration Stats

 

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Governmental Advisory Committee. Considers and provides advice on the activities of ICANN as they relate to concerns of governments, particularly matters where there may be an interaction between ICANN's policies and various laws and international agreements or where they may affect public policy issues (ICANN Bylaws).