Newsflash: Launch of .CHANNEL, TREx Decommissioned, and .NGO/.ONG Unbundled

Launch of .CHANNEL

Registry operator Charleston Road Registry (Google) have announced the launch of their new gTLD .CHANNEL as follows:

.CHANNEL is a restricted TLD, it has a use requirement, and an SSL requirement:

• Use Requirement: .CHANNEL is exclusively for content creators and publishers to monetise their content. All .CHANNEL domains must present the user with a website where the creator can monetise their content or audience. No other use cases are allowed. The full policy can be viewed at https://g.co/registry/channelRegistration.
• SSL Requirement: .CHANNEL is a more secure domain, meaning that registrants must obtain an SSL certificate and configure HTTPS serving so that browsers can load .CHANNEL websites. Your Domain Strategist can assist with both the ordering of .CHANNEL domain names and associated SSL certificates.

Domains registered during the Sunrise phase will be required to resolve to a website compliant with the use requirements by the time the General Availability phase starts. During the Limited Registration Period, domain applicants will have to apply to register and operate .CHANNEL domains through accredited content creation platforms. If the content is approved, then the applicant will be provided with an allocation token. Your Domain Strategist can work with you to apply for a domain name in this phase.

TMCH’s TREx service to be decommissioned

The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) has announced that it is to decommission its TREx blocking service.

The service provided trademark holders with an additional protection layer for unregistered domain names, matching their labels, across a number of TLDs, by restricting the registration of these domain names in the general availability phase.

Should you have any active TREx registrations on your TMCH labels, they will continue to be covered by the service, without interruption, until their respective expiration dates. After the expiration date, the TREx service will be discontinued. Your Domain Strategist will be in touch with you to confirm those affected TREx registrations.

The TMCH has advised that it will potentially revive the TREx service at a later date, for example with the launch of the second round of new gTLDs.

Unbundling of .NGO and .ONG

Registry operator PIR have announced that they are unbundling the .NGO and .ONG TLDs. The pair, which were launched in 2015, are currently registered in the same transaction and have linked operations. From 1 June 2022 the TLDs will be separated meaning that .NGO and .ONG domains can be registered, renewed, transferred, updated, and managed independently. Existing bundled registrations will be unbundled and a new .ONG domain will be created which copies all the data and settings from the existing one; it will also inherit the full domain history.

The TLDs remain restricted and only members of a Non-Governmental Organisation may register .NGO/.ONG domains.

For further information and to check the fees, please contact your Domain Strategist or contact us directly.