After .COM: New gTLDs, the Trademark Clearinghouse, and the Modern Domain Portfolio
By Casey Scott McKay ·
The domain name system stopped being a list of .COM registrations more than a decade ago, and most corporate domain strategies never caught up. This article explains what the new gTLD program actually built - a Clearinghouse, a sunrise mechanism, a claims notice, and a rapid suspension procedure - and which of those tools is worth paying for. It is candid about the parts that mostly are not, including the defensive registration reflex that consumes budgets without reducing risk. It works through the recovery options in order of cost, from a registrar complaint to a URS to a UDRP to an ACPA action with in rem jurisdiction, and explains what each one can and cannot deliver. It closes with the operational failures that actually lose domains - expired registrations, unlocked transfers, and a registrant-of-record who left the company in 2019 - which cause far more harm than cybersquatters do.
IP and Technology > Internet | Article | Published 14 August 2024 - Updated 22 July 2026 | Casey Scott McKay - marksy.us
Summary. The domain name system stopped being a list of .COM registrations more than a decade ago, and most corporate domain strategies never caught up. This article explains what the new gTLD program actually built — a Clearinghouse, a sunrise mechanism, a claims notice, and a rapid suspension procedure — and which of those tools is worth paying for. It is candid about the parts that mostly are not, including the defensive registration reflex that consumes budgets without reducing risk. It works through the recovery options in order of cost, from a registrar complaint to a URS to a UDRP to an ACPA action with in rem jurisdiction, and explains what each one can and cannot deliver. It closes with the operational failures that actually lose domains — expired registrations, unlocked transfers, and a registrant-of-record who left the company in 2019 — which cause far more harm than cybersquatters do.
Keywords: new gtld program · trademark clearinghouse · sunrise registration · trademark claims notice · uniform rapid suspension · udrp · acpa cybersquatting · defensive domain registration · domains protected marks list · registry lock · ccTLD dispute policies · whois redaction gdpr · registrar transfer lock · domain portfolio budget · typosquatting · homograph attack · brand tld · dotBrand · registry agreement · domain recovery
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