ICANN ban on private settlements may push more new gTLD disputes to auction
in plain words
Lots of companies applied for the same new website endings in ICANN Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers The nonprofit that coordinates the global DNS and gTLD policy. Full definition of ICANN’s 2026 application round. This time, companies are not allowed to quietly settle disputes privately like they did in 2012, so more fights over names may end up going to public auction. Big portfolio A collection of domains held by one owner. Full definition of portfolio applicant An organization that has applied to ICANN to run a new gTLD. Full definition of applicant like Identity Digital A company, formerly Donuts, that runs many gTLDs and provides registry services. Full definition of Identity Digital and Namecheap A large American retail registrar, also known for challenging ICANN decisions on pricing. Full definition of Namecheap face the most competition, while companies applying for their own brand names mostly have no rivals.
Reveal day data from ICANN’s new gTLD A generic top-level domain added to the internet through ICANN's New gTLD Program. Full definition of new gTLD application round show a split pattern. Of 333 brand applications, 315 face no competitors, while portfolio applicants pursuing generic terms face widespread overlap across 263 contention groups.
Identity Digital, filing through 28 affiliated companies including Hair Apparent and Toddler Logic and ultimately owned by an Ethos Capital entity, submitted 216 applications, 157 of which are contested, making it the largest applicant group. Namecheap filed 40 applications through 20 star-themed entities such as Polaris Exploration.
Other major contested applicants include the Link Freedom Group (118 of 158 contested), XYZ.com The registry operator of .xyz and several other new gTLDs. Full definition of XYZ.com (100 of 139), GoDaddy The largest registrar, which also runs a registry business and an aftermarket platform. Full definition of GoDaddy Registry Services (66 of 77), Intercap (54 of 71), Radix A registry operator that runs new gTLDs such as .online, .store, .tech and .site. Full definition of Radix (41 of 46) and ShortDot (32 of 40). Domain Brief’s analysis found at least one of these seven applicants present in 236 of the 263 contention groups, with Identity Digital overlapping XYZ.com in 77 groups and the Link Freedom Group in 68.
By contrast, Google faces competition on only 13 of 39 applications and Meta on just one of 18, suggesting applicants pursuing their own trademarks mostly avoid rivals, while generic-term applicants must budget for contention.
Under the Applicant Guidebook The rulebook for applying for a new gTLD in an ICANN round. Full definition of Applicant Guidebook, private auction An auction between rival gTLD applicants outside ICANN, now banned. Full definition of private auction, joint ventures and other private settlement arrangements are prohibited this round, a change from 2012, when private deals resolved most of 234 contention sets and only 16 reached auction of last resort An ICANN-run auction that settles competing applications for the same gTLD. Full definition of auction of last resort. Applicants now have until October 21 to switch to an alternate string, one of the program’s permitted resolution routes. Domain Brief found 287 of 891 contested applications still have a usable alternate string available, and in 87 groups all but one applicant could switch, though coordination between applicants remains barred.