Unstoppable Domains and Blockchain.com announced they will apply for .blockchain.
.Blockchain is sure to be one of the most-applied-for top level domain names in the next round of ICANN expansion.
This week, two companies announced they are partnering to apply for the domain name. I believe this is the first group to publicly reveal its plans for .blockchain.
Unstoppable Domains is working with blockchain.com to apply for .blockchain. The company stated:
This collaboration with Blockchain.com is a strategic move to prepare for the application and ensure we are ready to offer a robust, integrated solution when the time comes. If we are successful overall, this application is just the start of what’s possible for .blockchain and other Unstoppable top-level domains. Leading by example, the .blockchain domain would join the ranks of iconic ICANN-registered generic top-level domains (gTLDs) like .com, .net, .org, .biz, and .info. This would allow .blockchain domain owners to benefit from standard Web2 functions, such as emailing and website resolution in popular browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari, while retaining all of the existing incredible features of Unstoppable Web3 domains. This is the ninth company we’re working with for the gTLD planning and strategy, therefore, we look forward to following a similar trajectory with our other partner/branded top-level-domains.
Unstoppable is already offering .blockchain web3 names, which work to simplify crypto wall addresses. It has also tried to trademark “.blockchain.”
If another party wins the contention set for .blockchain, people will start using the DNS domain for websites and email, which could cause confusion.
Jothan Frakes says
Appreciate the round may be nearing for anyone to apply.
I can appreciate “peacocking” press releases for venture backers so that there seem like postive stories, but candidly, until there is more clarity about what the contention rules will be, all of these seem reckless to announce.
There are no “I made a press release first” entitlements, so what is to stop numerous other parties to also apply for the announced strings?
In 2012 the applicants played this VERY close to the vest.
Appreciate signs of appetite, but want to not see avoidable contention that might be caused by getting ahead of one’s skiis on announcing stuff.
Andrew Allemann says
For D3 and Unstoppable, I think the benefit in announcing these deals is that it helps them win more deals. There’s also some thinking that ICANN is going to implement protections to keep people from applying for names solely with a goal of getting paid off.