For the first time since 2012, ICANN—the body that governs internet naming—is opening applications for “dotBrand” generic top-level domains (gTLDs) beginning April 30, 2026. A .Brand means an organization can own its trademark as an actual domain suffix and use the brand as a domain name, rather than competing for space under .com or other existing domains.

Global brands such as Nike (swoosh.nike), Google (about.google), and Toyota (global.toyota) use .Brand gTLDs to increase brand visibility and build consumer trust. As ICANN’s 2025 Report on gTLDs for Brands notes, .Brand domains can also enhance security and legitimacy in an era where many users are skeptical of Internet sources.

If a .Brand domain is of interest, a brief summary of the application process, costs, timeline, and potential trademark and legal considerations are below. If you would like additional information or have any questions, Hanson Bridgett’s Trademark, Copyright, and Advertising team is happy to assist.

.Brand TLD Application Process

The .Brand application process involves multiple steps. The initial application requires the applicant to provide information about its organization, including financial information, as well as evidence of the applicant’s trademark rights (a trademark registration is generally necessary, although ICANN states that it “will accept legal documentation equivalent to a trademark registration where this cannot be supplied”) and the chosen .Brand. 

Note: Your organization’s executive leadership and significant shareholders will undergo background checks as part of the application process.

Applicants must also submit a Signed Mark Data (SMD) file from the Trademark Clearinghouse. This digital token verifies the trademark holder’s rights in the mark that is the basis of the .Brand domain. We can work with you to register your organization’s trademark with the Trademark Clearinghouse to obtain the SMD file. 

Applicants must also select a Registry Service Provider to support technical operations of the domain name, such as Verisign or CentralNic. If your organization is interested in registering a .Brand, we suggest discussing these preparatory steps in more detail as soon as possible.

Cost

Owning a .Brand TLD is a significant, long-term investment. The application fee alone for a .Brand TLD is $227,000. There would be additional attorney and vendor costs in preparing and submitting materials to ICANN during the application process, as well as ongoing management and operation costs of the .Brand domain after it is registered. For example, the yearly ICANN maintenance fee is $25,800. This financial outlay may be cost-prohibitive for many organizations.

Additionally, as discussed below, the expected launch of the .Brand is June 2030, meaning that your organization would need to be comfortable with a lengthy application process accompanying this high cost. At the same time, by 2030, TLDs will likely be even more fragmented, providing increased defensive value and brand recognition for a .[Your Brand] domain.

Timeline

• April 30, 2026: The application window opens.
• August 12, 2026: The application window closes. 
• August 19, 2026: The $227,000 payment is due.
• November 2026: ICANN will publish all qualifying applications on what it has named “Reveal Day.” Applicants who submitted a backup domain (in the event two entities choose the same .Brand) will have the opportunity to select their backup to avoid conflict with the other applicant.
• November 2026 to June 2030: ICANN’s guidebook for the application process runs over 400 pages, and much of it is devoted to this period. In summary, during this period third parties can object to chosen .Brands that infringe their rights, parties with competing applications for the same .Brands can bid on their first-choice .Brand in an auction, registry agreements with ICANN are executed, and similar steps are taken leading up to the expected launch of the purchased and approved domains around June 2030.

Trademark, Legal, and Infringement Considerations

As mentioned above, ICANN will publish a list of applied-for .Brands in November 2026 on what it calls “Reveal Day.” At that time, prior rights holders will have the opportunity to review the published list of .Brands and object to those that infringe existing trademark rights through what is called a Legal Rights Objection. WIPO will adjudicate these Legal Rights Objections, and the filing fee for a single-person panel is $10,000.

For context, in the 2012 round, WIPO adjudicated roughly 70 Legal Rights Objections. Notably, WIPO rejected most objections where both parties held legitimate trademark rights, and objections succeeded generally only where the .Brand application lacked bona fide rights or acted in bad faith.

If brand protection is important for your business, we suggest calendaring a Reveal Day check to see if anyone applies for a .Brand that consists of or incorporates any of your organization’s trademarks. We are happy to monitor and report for you if helpful, and can also provide examples of these decisions for a deeper understanding of the risk your organization might face if another entity successfully secures a .Brand for your trademark, even if it is for noncompeting goods or services.