New gTLD Update – Afilias – domain name locks and ICM Registry announce blocking service

Afilias – Introduction of domain name locks

Afilias has launched a service for domain name locks on 15 July 2019. This service provides an extra layer of protection for domain names, at the registry level, against unauthorized changes.

The following Afilias TLDs will offer the Afilias Registry Lock Service: .INFO, .PRO, .MOBI , .BLUE, .RED, .BLACK, .PINK, .GREEN, .BET, .PET, .POKER, .PROMO, .KIM, .LGBT, .ORGANIC, .BIO, .SKI, .ARCHI, .SHIKSHA, .LOTTO, .VOTE, .VOTO, xn--6frz82g (Chinese Mobi), .AC, .IO, .SH, .LLC, .GLOBAL

ICM Registry announce blocking service

ICM Registry have announced new rights protection blocking services called AdultBlock and AdultBlock+. The purpose of this service is to allow brand owners to block terms under the new gTLDs .PORN, .SEX, .ADULT and .XXX. Terms already blocked in the Trademark Clearing House (TMCH) or registered in the Sunrise B program (a term ‘blocked’ during the launch of .XXX) are eligible for registration under this new service.

The AdultBlock service allows for the blocking of a single term whilst the AdultBlock+ service blocks variations of the term as well as Unicode variants (homoglyphs and IDNs). If a domain name containing the term is already registered then it will be blocked as soon as it becomes available for registration, and premium names can be blocked as well under both services.

.BEST Price changes and promotion

The registry operator for the new gTLD .BEST has announced a price change which comes into effect on 5 August 2019. All existing registrations will continue to renew at their current price. The registry has also announced details of a pricing promotion which coincides with the new pricing.