Domain names 2019 – Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

As we enter 2019 we reflect briefly on the year that was 2018 and look forward to the new year and what it may hold for the domain name industry.

2018 saw few big changes in the domain space, but for the introduction of new legislation that continues to have reverberations around the domain industry. The letters GDPR are surely four of the most overused of the year and will doubtless continue to be so for months to come as the working group looking at how the Temporary Specification for for gTLD Registration Data should become a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)-compliant ICANN Consensus Policy as is, or one with modifications.

2018 was also a year of consolidation for the domain name industry, not least for ourselves as we acquired domain and brand protection specialists Demys. This has allowed us to increase the breadth of our service offering to include domain security services, along with a comprehensive brand protection service for domain portfolios.

What does 2019 hold in store for the domain name industry?
We can’t be certain of many things, but doubtless we will hear more tales of data breaches and lost domains; we will hear more about how the next round of new gTLDs is shaping up; we may even see the launch of .web, though don’t hold your breath; and we’ll probably see the total number of domains registered globally top the 350 million mark.

We can’t guarantee all of this will happen, nor predict what way Brexit will shape up, but we do wish all our clients and friends warm wishes and all the best for 2019!

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