It’s that time of year when the domain industry reflects on 2016 and makes predictions for 2017. Last year I made a number of predictions. I knew that new gTLDs would continue to dominate discussions throughout the year. I anticipated that new gTLD use would increase. I knew there would be important developments in the ICANN community. Finally, I anticipated that companies would continue to face advanced security threats. Here are the details on my top five domain highlights from 2016: Launches, Launches and More Launches It was a busy year for domains. Not only did new gTLDs continue to launch... Read More

MarkMonitor® is committed to providing ongoing education and strategic guidance to our clients. As part of that commitment, we are pleased to introduce the MarkMonitor Domain Management Handbook. At MarkMonitor, we understand that managing an international domain portfolio is an increasingly complex undertaking in an ever-changing environment. We created a handbook of industry best practices for Domain Administrators as a reference guide for daily use. The handbook contains guidance on strategic and tactical topics such as: Registration and transfer best practices New gTLDs Domain security New product launches And much, much more Click here to request a copy of the Domain... Read More

Check out our new gTLD (NgTLD) Quarterly Report, which delivers unique insight into the new gTLD Program. It provides detailed information on .Brand registration and marketing activity, current trends and news relevant to businesses and brand owners. Report highlights include: Internet identifier NgTLDs are popular among squatters, with some TLDs experiencing up to 40% squat rates.   While 45% of .Brands have delegated, the majority are still working on their ‘go to market’ launch strategies.   Sunrise registration phase domain fees in 2013 averaged $275 per year. The 2015 average was over $1,000 per domain and the trend continues…   Click here... Read More

  Last month MarkMonitor representatives joined colleagues in Dublin for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) 54th public meeting.  The central (and incredibly hospitable) location in Europe made for a large meeting, with about 2,400 attendees and a great, productive time for everyone.  On the agenda, the final push toward transitioning the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) function from United States oversight to a multistakeholder organization, abuse complaints, and gearing up for the next round of the New gTLD Program. IANA Transition and ICANN Accountability After the Dublin meeting, on October 29th, 2015, the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination... Read More

With Black Friday just a few days away, I expected to see more retailers actively using the .blackfriday Top Level Domain (TLD) to promote their Black Friday deals online.  To date, there are over 12,000 .blackfriday domains registered.  Registrations in November increased by nearly 500 domains, jumping from 11,942 on November 1st to 12,437 on November 21st. MarkMonitor conducted research on the Top 100 Retailers to see if they registered their brand as a .blackfriday domain and if they did, are they actively using their .blackfriday domain to promote their Black Friday deals?  According to our research, less than a third... Read More