Inside the 345 dot-brand top level domain applications

ICANN's latest round includes 345 dot-brand applications, roughly a fifth of all TLD bids. The list shows which companies want their own namespace and what that means for the value of existing domain names.

ICANN published 1,616 applications for new top-level domains. Of those, 345 are dot-brands, meaning companies applying for their own name as a TLD. That is close to one in five applications.

Dot-brand TLDs are usually closed. The applicant runs the namespace for itself, not for public registration. For most domain holders, the direct effect is limited.

The indirect effect is clearer. A company that applies for .nhl or .erica is signalling that its brand identity will live partly in a namespace it controls. That can change how it uses and values its existing domain names.

The NHL applied for .nhl, following the MLB, NFL and NBA, which obtained their TLDs in the 2012 round. Bank of America applied for .erica, named after its chatbot. eBay, which skipped the 2012 round, applied this time.

Newer tech companies also joined. Lovable and Vercel applied for their own names as TLDs. Meta applied for several brand TLDs and also for .aiglasses, .metaverse and .superintelligence, which are not brand names.

For brand owners, a dot-brand is a defensive asset. It gives them a namespace where no one else can register their name. That is one reason Meta's brand applications matter.

The .aiglasses application raises a familiar question: why create a TLD when the matching .com already exists? A closed TLD can serve as a controlled home for official content, but it does not replace the .com that users already type.

For holders of matching .com names, a dot-brand application can be a useful signal. It shows the company is thinking about namespace control. It does not guarantee an acquisition offer, but it can raise the profile of the existing domain.

What remains unknown is how ICANN will treat these applications and how many will reach delegation. Some applicants may withdraw or fail evaluation. The list is a starting point, not a final map of the namespace.