.CLUB

Status:	ACTIVE
country:	International
Manager:	.CLUB Domains LLC
Type:	Generic
Category:	Lifestyle
Priority #:	1046 - .CLUB Domains LLC 1356 - Donuts (Koko Manor, LLC) 1637 - Merchant Law Group LLP

.CLUB is an active gTLD, applied for in ICANN's new gTLD program. .CLUB Domains LLC is the Registry and manager of the TLD. Their proposed application succeeded and was delegated to the Root Zone on 18 January 2014.

Background

.CLUB Domains LLC had been public about their application from the beginning, and won their contention set via an auction performed by Innovative Auctions for an undisclosed amount. .CLUB was one of the first six TLD contention sets to be resolved via private auctions. The six auctions brought in $9mm.

.CLUB Domains LLC filed the application on the first possible day, January, 12, 2012. Former applicants include Merchant Law Group LLP, a Canadian law-firm that applied for eight new gTLDs; and Donuts (Koko Manor, LLC), a start-up company co-founded by domain industry veterans that applied for 307 domain names strings, each via a different LLC.

Application Details

.CLUB Domains LLC

The .CLUB domain appears to be a unrestricted gTLD intended for use by the many professional and amateur clubs found around the world. .CLUB Domains LLC had publicly stated that they secured funding for their application and the auction that ensued, and also that they had no intention of negotiating with any other company applying for .club but intended to win the auction. Apparently, they had been approached by other .club applicants and had decided the best way to secure the domain was in open auction. The company used the digital archery solutions of its business affiliate, the Digital Archery Experts to ensure its inclusion in the first batch of applications to be initially evaluated by ICANN.

In May 2013, ahead of the private auction for the string, .CLUB Domains LLC filed with the United States' SEC as it was seeking to raise up to $7 million USD for the auction.

Watch the .CLUB Domains LLC team as they realize they won the .CLUB TLD via private auction:

Developments

Name Collision

Many applications for new gTLDs have raised security concerns because the applied-for strings are already in wide use on internal networks in certain areas of the world. This would create a name collision if the new gTLD were to be delegated and could cause serious security concerns for some strings. The remaining application for .CLUB has been deemed an "uncalculated risk" by ICANN because of name collision with existing internal networks, which means the application will face delays until the issues are resolved. However, in a letter that .CLUB Domains LLC CTO Dirk Bhagat sent to ICANN on September 16, 2013, .CLUB Domains has proposed a solution to the name collision issue. The company hired the same firm that ICANN hired Interisle Consulting to report on the proposed .CLUB gTLD, and are proposing to reserve the top 50 name collisions of .CLUB, which is available knowledge now due to Interisle's report. The top 50 name collisions would be blocked from registration, and according to .CLUB Domains LLC would create a number of queries to the gTLD that it would be deemed by ICANN as "low risk."

Contract Signed

On 08 November 2013, .CLUB Domains LLC received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN for .club after passing all the required processes needed to become a Registry Operator for the string.

Delegation and Availability

.CLUB was delegated to the Root Zone of the DNS on January 18, 2014, completing the successful application for the string.

Promotion

.CLUB Domains LLC has used extensive advertising campaigns to raise awareness about .CLUB within the general public. In May 2014 it was announced that American rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson would launch a new website from a .CLUB domain at 50inda.CLUB, at a public concert and event on 22 May 2014