.blog

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Status:	Delegated
Manager:	Primer Nivel
Type:	Generic
Category:	Technology

.blog is a new gTLD delegated to the Root Zone in ICANN's new gTLD expansion program on 18 May 2016. The registry is managed by Automattic, operator of Wordpress. The company purchased Primer Nivel's application and won the auction for the domain, paying $19 million. ICANN approved the reassignment of .blog from Primer Nivel to Knock Knock WHOIS (Automattic) on April 29th, 2016.

Aormer pplicants

1. Radix (Personals TLD Inc.), partnering with ARI Registry Services for backend registry functioning. Radix has applied for 31 new gTLDs.
2. Top Level Domain Holdings Ltd., using its own Minds + Machines subsidiary for registry services. Blog is one of 68 applications that the company has filed on its own behalf. This applicant submitted a Public Interest Commitment, which can be downloaded here.
3. Top Level Design, submitted 10 total applications.
4. Afilias
5. BET Inc., John Kane of Afilias is listed as the contact person.
6. Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.), The search engine giant applied for 101 new gTLDs.
7. Donuts (Corn Shadow, LLC), Donuts applied for a total of 307 new gTLDs and invested $56 million just for application fees. This applicant submitted a Public Interest Commitment, which can be downloaded here.
8. Merchant Law Group LLP, Mr. Brendon James Ralfe is the main contact person for the company

Google

Google's application was issued a GAC Early Warning from the representative of Australia and GAC Chair, Heather Dryden. The warning system is noted as a strong recommendation on behalf of national governments to the ICANN Board that a given TLD application should be denied as it stands. Applicants are encouraged to work with objecting GAC members.

The warning states that the applicant is "seeking exlcusive access to a common generic string .. that relates to a broad market sector," which Ms. Dryden notes could have unintended consequences and a negative impact on competition.

Radix

Radix received a GAC Early Warning as an entire applicant, where each one of the applicants was flagged by the U.S. Government. This seems to be the only time a portfolio applicant had all of their applications warned. The issue does not deal with the technical capabilities or thematic content of their applications, but rather the inclusion of an email address associated with the US' Federal Bureau of Investigation. It seems that Radix included correspondence with this address as a recommendation with each of their applications.

Name Collision Issues

In October 2013 ICANN released their final assessment and mitigation plan for the Name Collision issue that was facing the New gTLD program. On 18 November 2013, ICANN announced the applied-for strings that were eligible for an alternative path towards delegation that would allow applicants to proceed without waiting for further mitigation research and plans to be published. 25 strings, including .blog, were not eligible for the alternative path, and will have to wait for more plans to be published before continuing towards delegation.