Validations: Building Trust and Integrity in Your New gTLD

by Dietmar Lenden

Congratulations. You have successfully applied for and won your new gTLD (ngTLD) based around your city name, community, special project, or even a .BRAND. Now you need to start thinking about how you will ensure the registrants who apply for second-level names are the correct people. This is where Com Laude can help, with our 14 years of Validations experience.

There are various stages you will need to follow to establish a robust, validated TLD ecosystem:

1. Develop a Clear and Transparent Policy

You need to ensure your policy (which is added to your registry website) clearly states what the validation process entails and what the registrants and registrars must do to ensure qualification. We have extensive experience working with clients on their policy documents and we can assist with this process to make sure you capture the correct requirements and processes.

2. Determine Your Validation Timeline

After drafting your policy documents, you need to decide which phases of the ICANN launch process you wish to validate. For example, you may allow a Limited Rights phase (after Sunrise) to give Brands or registrants who do not have trademarks the opportunity to register a name before General Availability.  You can (and should if you have a specific type of TLD) still validate during the General Availability phase.

There are several methods to action this, including: using tokens (provided by the registry, registrar, or registrant), implementing a cooling period which allows for a more in-depth validation before registration is completed, or choosing between pre-registration or post-registration validation. You can also block the usage of the applied-for term as a form of protection.

3. Choose Your Validation Type

There are several types of validations that can be actioned, depending on your registry policies. Some examples include (but are not limited to):

• Trademark searches – ensuring the name is registered to the applicant
• Unregistered trademarks – applicant provides proof that they have complete access to the term and have done for a while
• Company name – the applicant provides proof of company registration and demonstrates how the term fits within the company
• Famous names/celebrity names – proof needs to be provided that the applicant either is the famous person or their representative
• Specific registry requirements – for example, applicants may need to be an NGO, a ticketing reseller/seller, or a charity

After deciding on your registration policy and which validation process you wish to use (the above is not an exhaustive list) you can either validate internally or use a third-party provider who conducts the validations on your behalf, such as Com Laude. You can also decide whether you will conduct yearly validations and whether to charge for the service.

If you wish to discuss this topic further, please contact us.