History of ICANN's New gTLD Program

The legal framework

The domain name system depends on a root zone: only top-level domains in the root zone resolve for internet users. ICANN, a non-profit corporation established in 1998, coordinates the root zone and the policy for adding to it. Its authority is contractual and operational. It does not rest on a treaty or statute. Policy is made in a multi-stakeholder process in which registries, registrars, governments, trademark interests, technical experts and civil society take part.

The first extensions

The early generic domains were .com, .net, .org and a few restricted ones such as .edu, .gov and .mil, together with two-letter country codes. By the end of the 1990s .com was crowded, and cybersquatting was a problem. The UDRP, adopted in 1999, was ICANN's first answer to it and is described in the article on domain name disputes.

The 2000 and 2004 rounds

ICANN added seven extensions in its 2000 round: .aero, .biz, .coop, .info, .museum, .name and .pro. A 2004 round of sponsored extensions added more, among them .asia, .cat, .jobs, .mobi, .post, .tel and .travel. These were limited experiments, with selection by comparison of applications. They showed that new extensions could work technically and commercially, and they started the debate on how trademark owners should be protected.

The 2012 round

The 2012 round was the first open, systematic round. Applications were accepted in 2012, and ICANN received 1,930 of them, for generic words, geographic names, community strings and brands. The evaluation fee was USD 185,000 per application. Delegations began in 2013 and have brought the number of extensions in the root zone to well over a thousand.

Objections were possible on four grounds: string confusion, legal rights, limited public interest and community. Contested strings went to a contention process, which often ended in a private agreement or an auction.

Rights protection mechanisms

The 2012 round produced the rights protection mechanisms that trademark owners use today. The Trademark Clearinghouse records trademarks so that they can be used in sunrise registration periods and trademark claims notices. The Uniform Rapid Suspension system gives a fast remedy for clear abuse. The post-delegation dispute procedures allow complaints against registry operators who act in bad faith. For closed brand TLDs, many of these processes did not apply, as Specification 13 exempted the operators.

In practice

Lessons for applicants

A European chemical group, preparing to apply in 2026, looks at what happened in 2012. Preparation took time, contested strings took years to resolve, and running a registry demanded more than some operators expected. A decade later, some operators have built substantial uses on their brand TLD, while others have used it little.

The group draws two conclusions. The decision to apply must rest on a use case that will survive a change in management. And the planning horizon is years from application to full use, not months.

Lessons for brand owners who do not apply

A Dutch fashion brand sees that its name was claimed in a new extension by an unrelated party in 2014. It used the sunrise period to register its name where it mattered, and later used the URS against a lookalike. Mechanisms such as these remain the main protection for owners when extensions open up. The 2026 round brings another expansion of the root zone, and the same issues return.

What changed in 2026

The 2026 round uses a new guidebook with much more detailed questions, updated rules on DNS abuse, changed provisions on geographic names and internationalised domain names, and a separate check for brand TLDs. For brand owners the central question is the same as in 2012: how to protect your rights in a growing domain name system, and when a TLD of your own is more than a defensive measure. The status of the round is set out in the article on ICANN's 2026 round, and the details for brand TLDs in the guidebook article.

Frequently asked questions

Who controls the top-level domain space?

ICANN coordinates it, through the root zone and its agreements with registries. Governments take part through an advisory committee, but ICANN's policy process is open to a range of participants.

What happened to applications that were not delegated?

Many were withdrawn, failed evaluation, were refused after objection or lost in contention. The number of delegated strings is therefore lower than the number of applications.

Did all brand TLDs succeed?

No. The uses vary widely. Some operators built substantial infrastructure on their TLD, and others used it little. That is a reason to define the use case before applying.

Do the 2012 rules still apply?

Their structure does, but the 2026 guidebook changes many details. Always rely on the current text.

How this connects

The practical consequences for brand owners are covered in New gTLDs for Brands. Two of our tools help with it: clearance of strings and monitoring of lookalike domains in the new extensions.