Domain Name Wire has reported the rapid growth of the independent Early Warning Report platform. Launched in May, the service is designed as a valuable tool for applicants seeking to operate new generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Under the rules adopted by ICANN for the upcoming round of the New gTLD Program, the final list of all applications will be published in October. From that point onward, applicants will be prohibited from negotiating or entering into agreements concerning the allocation of contested domain strings. If multiple applicants seek the same gTLD, the rights to operate it will be awarded through an auction, with the proceeds going to ICANN.
The Early Warning Report platform enables prospective applicants to gauge potential competition in advance, or even reach an agreement with competing applicants before the October deadline. Users can submit a String Interest Report (SIR) to indicate their interest in a particular gTLD string. The filing fee is US$1,000, which also makes it a smart business step. The platform’s creators say that if submissions were free, the system would likely be flooded with unserious filings, undermining its practical usefulness.
As of July 11, the platform had received 365 SIR submissions, with activity accelerating sharply over the previous week. The submissions covered 313 unique prospective gTLD strings, of which 41 attracted interest from two or more applicants. In total, 93 companies and organizations have expressed interest in operating those contested strings.
