ICANN received 1,600 TLD applications, and one company was behind a lot of them. Welcome to episode #600 of the Domain Name Wire podcast. The deadline to apply for new top level domains (TLDs) with ICANN closed last Wednesday. In total, roughly 1,600 applications were submitted in this recent round, and one applicant stood out … Read more

Registrar has launched Starlight Registry and applied for 40 TLDs. Domain name registrar Namecheap has announced a significant expansion into the top-level domain (TLD) space by launching a new registry operation called Starlight Registry and submitting applications for 40 TLDs. This move represents a strategic extension of Namecheap’s existing presence in the domain industry, moving … Read more

Getting the domain won’t be .easy. easyGroup, the company known for launching easyJet, easyCar and a wide range of other brands that use the “easy” name, has submitted an application to ICANN to operate the .easy top-level domain (TLD) as part of the new gTLD program. The company has framed its submission as a dot-brand … Read more

Domain broker invests to the right of the dot with .grit domain application. Brian Harbin has applied for .grit. Brian Harbin, a longtime domain broker, has taken the next step in his career by applying to operate a new top-level domain, .grit. Known for brokering second-level domains through his company Grit Brokerage, Harbin says a … Read more

Company hopes to offer second level domains to Telegram users. Messaging and communications platform Telegram has submitted an application to operate the .gram top-level domain (TLD). The move, announced publicly by Telegram’s founder and CEO, signals the company’s intention to create a namespace where individual Telegram accounts could claim short, memorable second-level domains such as … Read more

Suffix Domains and Phoenix Domain Partners Reveal Some of Their New TLD Applications Over the weekend I shared stories about several applicants for new top-level domains (TLDs) and the specific strings they had put forward. Since then, two additional applicants—Suffix Domains and Phoenix Domain Partners—have publicly disclosed a selection of the strings they applied for. … Read more

Two Domain Industry Firms Make the Inc. 5000 List; Identity Digital Absent Atom and Whois API earned places on the Inc. 5000 this year, while Identity Digital did not appear on the list. The Inc. 5000 is an annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, measured by percentage revenue growth over … Read more

Applicant Guidebook interpretations vary among top-level domain applicants When ICANN opened the 2012 round of new generic top-level domain (gTLD) applications, it encouraged parties facing the same desired string to negotiate their own resolutions. If applicants could not agree, ICANN offered an “auction of last resort” to determine the winner. That pragmatic approach led to … Read more

Name Space LLC Files for Ten New TLDs in 2026 Round Gerardo Aristizabal, who applied in the 2012 round, is participating in the 2026 new TLD round. Name Space LLC, a company supported by investors from Latin America, has submitted applications for ten new top level domains (TLDs) in the 2026 expansion of the domain … Read more

Journey to the West Corporation Lists Over 300 China-Themed Top-Level Domains Company’s website lists more than 300 primary and replacement top-level domain strings related to China. Journey to the West Corporation has published a list of proposed top-level domains (TLDs) and internationalized domain names (IDNs) that total 323 primary and replacement strings, all themed around … Read more