New gTLDs: The Real Work For Trademark Holders Begins In August 2026

The application window for new generic Top-Level Domains (New gTLDs) closes on 12 August 2026, marking the start of the next strategic phase for trademark holders. From "Reveal Day" to objections, appeals, and the Trademark Clearinghouse, Marc-Emmanuel Mellet breaks down the key stages to expect and shares guidance on how to effectively protect your brand rights during the 2026 round. 

The application window for New gTLDs 2026 closes this August. For trademark holders, the critical phase is just beginning.

The roadmap for New gTLDs 2026: Where are we now? 

The TLD Application Management System (TAMS) for the second round of New gTLDs opened on 30 April 2026 and will close on 12 August, providing a 104-day window for the first expansion of the domain name system (DNS) since 2012.

Interested parties must submit applications alongside evaluation fees of US$227,000 per application, excluding conditional fees. A useful reminder for legal departments new to this topic: the order of submission does not matter; a filing on 11 August is equivalent to one on 2 May. 

The 2012 round resulted in more than 1,200 extensions and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) expects to issue more this time. Its projected schedule assumes 2,000 applications but will be revised once the actual figure is known. Consequently, all dates below should be viewed as estimates rather than firm deadlines at this stage.

New gTLDs 2026: What comes next?

Reveal Day: October 2026 (projected) 

Nine weeks after the close of the application submission period, ICANN will publish the list of applications that have passed the administrative check on "Reveal Day". The one event not to miss in October 2026, a 14-day window opens after Reveal Day, during which an applicant can swap their string for a pre-designated replacement string if they discover an unforeseen conflict. 

String Confirmation Day: November 2026 (projected)

On "String Confirmation Day", ICANN will publish the final list of applied-for strings and initial contention sets, ready for the prioritisation draw that will assign a number to each application. 

This draw is due to take place within 30 days ofString Confirmation Day, with the priority number determining the general order in which applications move through contentious resolution and applicant/application evaluation.

Implications for trademark holders 

For a trademark department, the practical implications of these two dates are straightforward: the list published on Reveal Day is not the final list. Consequently, two rounds of analysis are required: one on Reveal Day to identify sensitive strings, and another after String Confirmation Day to finalise decision-making. 

Need support for the 2026 New gTLD round?

The period following 12 August 2026 will be crucial for protecting your brands and anticipating risks associated with new domain name extensions. Novagraaf’s experts can assist you with application analysis, setting up a monitoring strategy, evaluating objection options, and optimising your protection via the Trademark Clearinghouse and other defensive mechanisms. 

Community Input, Objections and Appeals

String Confirmation Day initiates a 104-day period (currently scheduled by ICANN for November 2026 through February 2027) during which three channels run concurrently: public comments on applications (open to everyone), early warnings from Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) members and observers, and the filing of formal objections by parties with standing.

Added to this is a 30-day window for singular/plural notifications, also open to the public. A second 30-day window, reserved exclusively for string confusion objections, will open following the publication of string evaluation reports, projected for June 2027. 

Though the distribution of responsibilities among service providers has changed, four grounds for objection remain: 

• The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) now administers both string confusion objections and rights-based objections; and 
• The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) retains jurisdiction over limited public interest and community objections.

Regarding rights-based objections, standing is restricted to rights holders and intergovernmental organisations meeting the criteria for a .int registration. 

Two procedural innovations warrant attention. First is the "Quick Look Review", allowing the panel to immediately dismiss objections that are manifestly unfounded or abusive. Second – and most importantly – is an appeal mechanism, which was absent from the previous round: the losing party has 15 days to file a notice of appeal, followed by another 15 days to submit the appeal itself. The grounds for objection are limited– specifically, procedural non-compliance or a failure to consider decisive evidence – and the burden lies on the appellant to demonstrate that they should have prevailed. The appeal panel's decision is final. 

A budgetary point not to be overlooked: costs are borne by the losing party, and both parties must make an advance payment once the objection clears the "Quick Look Review" stage. 

Objections: What are the chances of success?

The experience gained in 2012 must be viewed realistically. WIPO administered 69 rights-based objections, only a very small proportion of which succeeded – an admission made by the Arbitration and Mediation Center itself. The very first objection to be upheld – Del Monte Corporation v Del Monte International GmbH regarding the .delmonte string – was not successful until late July 2013 and arose in the very specific context of a dispute between a licensee and a licensor. 

The lesson is simple: an objection is structurally ill-equipped to succeed against a generic string corresponding to a brand's sector of activity – even for a well-known brand. Such an objection regains its full relevance in only two scenarios: an application by an unauthorised licensee or partner, and the slavish imitation of a distinctive sign by a third party with no rights. 

This highlights the value of free channels: 

• A substantiated public comment is added to the evaluation file, and 
• An early warning from the GAC, followed by a consensus advice, carries significant weight with the Board and can compel an applicant to withdraw or modify their application. 

Note that the Independent Objector (now a three-person panel) can only act based on "limited public interest" and "community" grounds, within 111 days of String Confirmation Day, and provided that at least one objection comment has been filed. Thus, the public comment is not merely a formality; it is a prerequisite for triggering a specific course of action. 

Changes to protection mechanisms 

The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) remains the cornerstone of trademark protection. It provides access to the "Sunrise" period for applications under each extension and the "Claims" service during the first 90 days of public availability, as well as serving as a prerequisite for any ".brand" application.

A key technical point is the integration of "Final Sunrise Recommendation #8" (derived from the first phase of the Policy Development Process (PDP) reviewing rights protection mechanisms) into the revised TMCH requirements applicable to registries operating under the 2026 Base Registry Agreement. Internal Sunrise filing procedures dating back to 2013 will need to be revised. 

New gTLDs 2026: A roadmap to protect trademark rights 

Clearly, systematic defensive registration at the second level in every new extension is not sustainable. Registry blocking services provide a better cost-to-coverage ratio, provided the scope of coverage is carefully audited, as this can vary significantly from one offering to another. 

The recommended roadmap is as follows: 

• August 2026: Finalise the list of strings to monitor, including brand names, industry-specific generic terms, flagship product names and transliterations. 
• October 2026: Analyse "Reveal Day" results within 72 hours, categorising strings into just three groups: strings to oppose, strings to monitor and neutral strings. The common pitfall is attempting to classify every single string. 
• November 2026–February 2027: Public comments and GAC engagement first, followed by decisions on whether to file objections (while factoring in the risk of bearing costs in the event of an unsuccessful challenge). 
• 2027 and 2028: String evaluation begins on "String Confirmation Day", covering five key criteria, followed by the first delegations. This is when the real operational challenge arises: managing successive waves of "Sunrise" periods alongside already heavy monitoring workloads.

The 2026 round isn't won at the application filing stage; it is won through disciplined monitoring over the subsequent 18 months.