29 August 2013
ICANN has been working with IBM and the community to ensure that the Trademark Clearinghouse will function efficiently for new gTLD Registries and Registrars in anticipation of upcoming new gTLD launches. Here are the results of these efforts:
- Sunrise Support Services Launched 9 August 2013
New gTLD registries are required to offer a Sunrise period during which trademark holders can register domain names corresponding to their marks before registration is available to the public. Access to the Trademark Clearinghouse test environment for Sunrise is available to Registries upon signature of the Registry Agreement and Registrars upon signature of the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement. Download Instructions for Sunrise & Claims Database Access [PDF, 652 KB]. - Testing Available During Application Processing
Prospective registry service providers with active gTLD applications may begin testing with the Clearinghouse while their applications continue to be processed. Read the TMDB Registration and Platform Access Process Document [PDF, 652 KB]. - Webinars Addressing Registry, Registrar Concerns
IBM is hosting a series of webinars to support Registry and Registrar implementation and use of Trademark Clearinghouse services. Visit http://newgtlds.icann.org/webinars. - Documentation for Registries and Registrars
FAQs, user manuals and other supporting documentation for the Trademark Clearinghouse services are available at http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/trademark-clearinghouse/scsvcs.
Trademark holders have been recording their mark information with the Trademark Clearinghouse since March 2013. Mark information is verified by Deloitte, and these records are stored in a database administered by IBM, under contract with ICANN.
Based on records in the Clearinghouse, trademark holders may take advantage of new gTLD Sunrise periods to request domain names matching their trademarks. The Sunrise functionality, which is in place well ahead of the first new gTLD delegation (expected in late September 2013), will support new gTLD Registries in operating their Sunrise periods based on verified trademark data.
ICANN has worked with the Trademark Clearinghouse service providers to implement Trademark Claims protection for domain name labels previously found to have been abusively used or registered, as described in previous announcements [PDF, 118 KB]. Additional domain labels found to have been previously abused can be submitted for association with existing Clearinghouse records as of 11 October 2013.
The Trademark Clearinghouse will also support the required Trademark Claims service for new gTLDs. Implementation of the systems required to support Claims Services is currently underway; IBM expects the Claims service be available as of 9 September 2013. Following the acceptance of additional labels found to have been previously abused, these labels are expected to be integrated into the Claims service by 18 October 2013, ahead of the earliest expected new gTLD Claims period.