• Adobe Connect: https://icann.adobeconnect.com/newgtldwebinar/
• Dial-in Information:
  • US Toll-free: 1-877-941-8268, US Toll: 1-480-629-9655
  • International Numbers [PDF, 23 KB]
  • Conference ID: New gTLD Auctions (4648210)
• Questions in Advance: send to
  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  by 5 November 2013

• Date: 7 November 2013

  Time: 22:00 – 23:00 UTC (2:00pm – 3:00pm PDT)
  

Preliminary Auction Rules
The preliminary New gTLD Program Auction Rules are based on section 4.3.1 of the Applicant Guidebook. This near final version should be reviewed by applicants who are likely to utilize ICANN’s New gTLD Program Auction process to resolve string contention. They are being published prior to finalization to facilitate applicant’s auction preparations and will be finalized as soon as is operationally feasible.

• Download the Rules [PDF, 235 KB]

Understanding Auctions

Overview

Contention sets are groups of applications containing identical or confusingly similar applied for gTLD strings. Contention sets must be resolved prior to the execution of a Registry Agreement for an applied-for gTLD string.. An ICANN facilitated auction is a last resort for resolving String Contention Sets, as described in the Applicant Guidebook (AGB) section 4.3.

Auctions will be conducted over the Internet using a procedure know as an ascending-clock auction, where the auctioneer successively increases the start-of-round and end-of-round range of prices, on a per auction round basis. Applicants within the contention set must submit bids to indicate their willingness to pay an amount within the defined price range in the auction round. As the price ranges of the auction rounds increase, applicants may successively choose to exit the auction. When a sufficient number of applications have exited the auction process, so that the remaining application(s) are no longer in contention with one another, and all the relevant string(s) can be delegated as gTLDs, the auction will be deemed concluded. At this point, prevailing applicants that remained in the auction will pay the finalized price and proceed toward delegation.

Auction Eligibility

A String Contention Set will be eligible to enter into a New gTLD Program Auction under the following circumstances only:

• All active applications in the contention set have:
  • Passed evaluation
  • Resolved any applicable GAC advice
  • Resolved any objections
  • Finalized any and all change requests
• Each applied-for gTLD in the contention set is:
  • Not classified as “High-Risk” per the Name Collision Occurrence Management Plan
  • Eligible for the Alternate Path to Delegation, or has received the SLD Collision Occurrence Assessment from ICANN

Auction Resources

• Preliminary Auction Rules [PDF, 235 KB]
• List of Contention Sets

Questions?

• Applicants: Submit an inquiry via the Customer Service Portal
• Non-Applicants: Email us at
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This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/auctions