Weekly Launch Guide September 2, 2019

SPOTLIGHT

Adults Only

A new domain blocking mechanism has arrived, and this time, it is adults
only – adult themes, that is. ICM Registry, (acquired by Minds & Machines
(MMX) registry), recently announced a soft launch of a new blocking program
that allows defensive minded Organizations to block registrations aimed specifically
at its 4 adult-themed TLDs – .xxx, .adult, .porn, and .sex.

ICM is no stranger to blocks, having been a pioneer of this type of
protection service for .xxx in 2011, with a “Sunrise B” phase to protect rights
holders from infringement in a domain space that they may otherwise have no
interest in registering. ICM now looks to expand that program to their
subsequent adult-themed TLDs (.adult/.sex/.porn), which launched in 2015. The
‘AdultBlock’ program is partnering and utilizing the same platform of the
recently launched Uniregistry’s Uni EPS and EPS+ Block programs and will
operate in a similar manner.

Adult blocks are available at two levels, ‘AdultBlock’ standard and
AdultBlock Plus (“+”). The standard offering protects a single label across all
four of the TLDs, inclusive of any premium domains. The AdultBlock+ allows a
wider coverage of an unlimited number of variant labels from the owners’ SMD
file or their original ICM “Sunrise B” label from the 2011 launch of
.xxx.  The AdultBlock+ level of protection also covers variants using
homoglyphs and IDNs, which can appear confusingly similar to the English
(ASCII) characters in a domain name.

CSC will continue to provide details on the launch as more information
becomes available. If you have questions, or would like to express interest,
please contact your Client Service Partner.

Australia Prepares For Top-Level Launch

The .au Domain Administration (auDA) announced plans to allow second-level registrations in the .au domain space. The launch was anticipated to occur in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2019 and last approximately 6 months. The Registry has announced a delay in the top-level .AU launch. The release is pushed to the first half of 2020. The Registry will carry out additional three-month public consultation as it is critically important that the changes are widely understood, backed by an education program and supported by robust business processes throughout industry.

The outcome of the consultation, together with a summary of technical and process improvements, will be considered by the Registry Board in late 2019 or early 2020. If you are interested in registering a top-level .au name during the Grandfather Phase, please ensure to review your existing 3rd level .au’s Registrant details. Which includes ABN/ACN/TM, to ensure the data located on the WHOIS is up to date. Holders of existing third-level .au domains (such as .com.au, .net.au, .org.au, id.au & .asn.au) receive priority status for the corresponding second-level domain, and will be assigned a category for a Grandfather Phase. Third-level domains registered on or before February 4, 2018, are assigned Priority Category 1. If registered after February 4, 2018, the domains fall into Priority Category 2. Category 1 is the first priority. If multiple parties hold Category 1 for the same domain name string, and wish to register the exact match in the second level .AU, they may negotiate an agreement as to which will be the Designated person to register the .AU domain.

The registry will provide a tool prior to the launch for registrants to view any domains in conflict. The tool aims to provide registrants with information on domains that have matches across all .au sub-extensions and the priority level for each. The tool will also show the application status for the top level domain, if submitted. If you are interested in registering a top-level .au domain name, please reach out to your Client Service Partner to place an Advanced Registration Request.

Still Launching

The following TLDs have launch phases (Pre-General Availability) that are
currently still in progress. If you are interested in participating in any of
these launches, please contact your Client Service Partner.

.basketball

.mt

.bot

.rugby

.madrid

.pa

Launches within 30 days (bold indicates where dates fall within time frame)

The information provided is intended for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice.