Tag Archives: .sport

Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry, New gTLDs

More Global Sporting Bodies Sign On With .SPORT

The .sport new gTLD has gained a number of global sporting bodies who have signed up and registered their domain names. Among the latest are 15 more International Federations who successfully applied for their exclusive .sport domains. These included the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), International Equestrian Federation (FEI), Federation of International Lacrosse (FILx), World Association of Kickboxing Organisation (WAKO) and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).

.sport isn’t available to all and registrants must be approved by the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). This month, sports organisations outside the GAISF and Olympic families will be able to apply for .sport domains. Again acceptance is subject to approval from GAISF.

Currently there are 8,360 domain names registered in the new generic top level domain, according to nTLDstats, that opened for registrations in early December 2018. But over 99% (just under 8,300) are currently parked which isn’t unsurprising given the restrictions and time it’s been open.

“It’s exciting to see even more IFs and other sport key stakeholders take advantage of this opportunity,” said GAISF Head of Digital Pierre Germeau. “The outstanding level of take-up underscores the value of .sport to Federations and the wider sport community.”

Last November the GAISF announced the world football/soccer governing body, FIFA, had acquired a .sport domain name along with the World Chess Federation, World Bowling, World Baseball and Softball Confederation, World Flying Disc Federation, Federation International de Savate, Federation of International Football Associations, International Association of Athletics Federations and the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur.

The latest bodies to gain their own .sport domain names, according to GAISF, include International Federation of American Football (IFAF), International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), International Equestrian Federation (FEI), World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO), Federation of International Lacrosse (FILx), Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM), International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), International Orienteering Federation (IOF), International Powerboating Federation (UIM), World Sailing (WS), International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), International Sumo Federation (ISF), World Underwater Federation (CMAS) and the World Dodgeball Association (WDA).

Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registry, New gTLDs

FIFA Joins .SPORT As Lausanne 2020 Launches New Domain

The world football’s governing body, FIFA, has acquired a .sport domain name portfolio, the manager of the new gTLD, the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) announced. FIFA currently uses fifa.com as their domain name.

With 211 national federations and more than 270 million people playing football worldwide, FIFA is one of the biggest and most influential IFs in sport. It is estimated that 3.4 billion people across the globe watched FIFA’s flagship event, the Russia 2018 World Cup earlier this year.

FIFA believes that in the crowded and complex world of the internet, the use of a .sport domain gives them greater degree of visibility and searchability and, because of the criteria applied by GAISF, confers approval and membership of an exclusive community.

GAISF is responsible for managing the programme to market, as well as sanctioning and managing the use of .sport. Critically this includes deciding which applicants should be given permission to use the .sport domain.

This is important because one of the key benefits of adopting .sport is that it confers legitimacy and credibility to the user because it meets key criteria established by GAISF.

Possessing a unique and identifiable domain is a symbol of each organisation’s trust, authenticity and visibility within the sports movement, and offers successful applicants a significant brand-building tool with increased commercial opportunities.

“FIFA’s decision is a massive boost and a testament to the positive impact of a .sport URL,” said GAISF Head of Digital Pierre Germeau. “It underlines that this is the global community every sports organisation want to be part of.”

In addition, the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games has become the latest major sports events organiser to officially migrate to a .sport domain.

Speaking about the new Lausanne 2020 .sport website, Director General Ian Logan said:

“Launching Lausanne2020.sport demonstrates our focus on innovation and determination to lead the way. Our new .sport website will make our event easy to follow for fans from all around the world as well as highlighting the importance of the Youth Olympic Games and its place in world sport. Fans will visit the site to catch-up on all the news and updates in the build up to the event and follow all the incredible action throughout the two weeks.”

Lausanne2020.sport is now the home for all the latest news, videos and information about the upcoming Games, which will take place from 9 to 22 January 2020.

Since the launch of the .sport initiative in September, when GAISF officially began accepting applications, over 200 organisations have registered for a domain. This includes major events organisers, brands, broadcasters, media outlets as well as IFs.

Applications are still open for all leading sports organisations to register their exclusive domain name. Prospective applicants can find out more information and check the availability of their requested URL at start.sport.

Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry

GAISF Welcomes Applications For .SPORT Domain Portfolio

GAISF has officially launched the .sport extension programme, offering its members the opportunity to secure their own .sport domain portfolio. As digital technology continues to evolve, International Federations (IFs) with a recognised and protected domain will ensure they are positioned as the global leader in their sport.

Owning a .sport domain from GAISF helps by instantly identifying an organisation or individual as a recognised, credible and trusted member of the global sports family. Each IF will acquire a portfolio that can include a number of domains, providing information for fans in more than 30 different languages. For every domain that isn’t actively managed by a Member, GAISF creates pages which includes a visual of the IF or event and a redirection to the Member’s main website, ensuring that each IF has a vast digital landscape but that traffic to its active sites are never lost.

Having an identifiable domain such as .sport gives all federations that choose to opt in to the initiative an unmistakable association to the sport ecosystem, as well as the opportunity to adopt a fresh and straightforward digital image that is easy discoverable by fans of the sport. Governing bodies, athletes, clubs, event organisers, media/publishers, as well as commercial brands that are associated with and reflect the values of sport can all apply for a .sport domain.

The International Gymnastics Federation became the first IF to join the .sport extension programme when it launched gymnastics.sport this week.

Following the launch, GAISF President Patrick Baumann said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our Members to become leaders in the evolution of digital sport. Our objective is to develop a safe and trusted space, controlled for the good of sport. We will develop a strong and united ecosystem that truly benefits GAISF Members, our stakeholders and fans all over the world.”

“I am delighted that FIG has committed, and I am confident that many other Federations, as well as event organisers, media outlets and commercial brands will also follow suit.”

FIG President Morinari Watanabe added:

“Thanks to GAISF, FIG now has a complete digital portfolio where we can activate many more portals with a .sport signature, for our multiple disciplines and across every major language.

“The growth of our digital footprint through gymnastics.sport will not only help us to provide a world-class service to our dedicated global fans, but also improve our ability to communicate effectively, ensuring they remain up to date with everything that is going on in the world of gymnastics.”

For more information on the .sport extension programme, visit gaisf.sport/sport-initiative/

This news release was sourced from:
https://gaisf.sport/gaisf-welcomes-applications-for-sport-domain-portfolio/

Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry, New gTLDs

.SPORT Announces Launch Dates With GA Commencing January 2019

The .sport new gTLD will commence General Availability in early 2019 following a pre-launch Ambassador programme and “consolidated launch period” this year.

As part of the pre-launch program, a select group of Ambassador websites will go live during the northern Summer 2018, becoming among the first ever at .sport. A consolidated launch period will run from 4 September to 6 November and following a quiet period, General Availability will begin on 8 January 2019. Premium pricing applies during the consolidated launch period. Standard pricing will apply starting with General Availability.

The .sport new generic top level domain is by and for the sporting community. As a community extension .sport has made membership in the community an eligibility requirement for registering a .sport domain. During the consolidated launch period, these include: federations, sport organisations and governing bodies; clubs and teams; cities and public authorities; athletes and practitioners; sport organisers, event sponsors, sport brands and corporate partners; sport media; and sport facilities.

In addition to individual registration, there will be special programs for name categories that are subject to special requirements. These include discipline names, key sport vocabulary, geographic names and generic domain names. International federations will largely operate their corresponding discipline names across multiple domains and languages. Geographic domains will be registered by public authorities from municipalities around the world. And generic names may be registered by content providers who will operate them in a non-discriminatory way based on advertising models.

In 2019, it is anticipated that pre-validated promotional coupons for .sport domain registration will be made available through the international federations to their national and regional federations. In doing so, .sport seeks to achieve a more comprehensive outreach worldwide, and to reach individual athletes who may have interest in the registration of their personal .SPORT domains under preferred terms.

In GAISF, .sport has a strong governance model. Just as sport is played by rules, .sport is a rules-based environment. There are rules to protect legitimate interests, including those of trademark holders, brands, sponsors and the collective community. Event organisers are protected by rules prohibiting domain registration for purposes of ambush marketing.

Domain Name Disputes, Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry, ICANN and Governance, New gTLDs

Daily Wrap: gTLD Roadmap, .GREEN, .ECO, Verisign Registrar Agreement, .CN and Google in Russia

A new roadmap for new generic Top Level Domains will be released by 6 August the board of directors’ New gTLD Program Committee said in a report, Domain Incite reported.

The report also provides some more information on how the 1930 gTLD applications will be processed “they’re being grouped by applicant and/or by back-end registry provider, in an attempt to create efficiencies” the Domain Incite report says with evaluators eventually being able to process 300 applications per month.

Meanwhile someone is out to get Donuts with a number of complaints about applications by the applicant for over 300 gTLDs. The comments relate to one of the company’s original directors who Domain Incite reports “seems to own several domain names containing Disney and Olympics trademarks.”

It’s not going to be easy for some of the smaller organisations who are part of a tussle for a gTLD. One is .GREEN with four applications, and one of the applicants, the DotGreen Community, have written to the GAC, and according to another Domain Incite report, “DotGreen does everything but ask outright for the GAC to object to its three competitors’ .GREEN applications.”

Meanwhile in an opinion piece, The Guardian asks if .ECO could be “force for environmental change” and then whether “will .ECO improve corporate sustainability performance or become the digital version of corporate greenwash?”

The article by an expert in CSR says “of the four applicants to run .ECO, one commercial applicant has applied to run a total of 306 domain names and another 91. I think it is safe to say they are in it for the money.” But the author singles out one application as being different – that one is a community bid convened by Vancouver-based Big Room. “The doteco.org community bid has been put together after an exhaustive five-year process of consultation and policy development with stakeholders from the environmental and sustainability community including over 50 international groups such as Greenpeace International and WBCSD.”

There are a number of changes being introduced as part of Verisign’s registry-registrar agreement for .COM which coincide with the new registry agreement Verisign recently signed with ICANN. One of the changes that has raised some concerns among its registrar channel is the requirement for “24/7 support for customers whose .com domains have been hijacked,” Domain Incite reports. The change is of concern to some of the smaller registrars who may not be able to provide such support.

The number of objectors to new gTLD applications have now surpassed applications, Domain Incite notes, with a rundown on who some of the objectors are and why they are objecting. Highlighted are objections by Save the Children (who is objecting to all four .HEALTH applications), International Olympics Committee (objecting to .SPORT applications it does not support) and Lego Juris (who has lodged complaints over about 80 applications).

And in the last Domain Incite report in today’s Daily Wrap, “ICANN director Judith Vasquez applied for a new gTLD but then withdrew the bid at the last minute.”

There were 8.73 million domain names registered in China at the end of June with 3.98 million of these being .CN domains, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) said on Monday according to a report in the Global Times.

The report noted that the number of websites using .CN was up 460,000 in the first half of 2012, making this the fastest biannual growth since 2008 according to the CNNIC.

And in Russia Google is disputing the registration of a couple of domain names. “The Moscow Commercial Court has turned down Google Inc’s motion to speed up the review of its complaint against Weblink Ltd regarding its use of Googl.Ru and Gugl.Ru domain names as the expert appraisal currently underway makes this impossible, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency,” according to a report by the Russian Legal Information Agency.

ICANN and Governance

.SPORT Requests ICANN Banish Individual Sport gTLDs

In a curious letter to ICANN dated 13 May 2010, the .SPORT Policy Advisory Council has requested that ICANN block any applications for any sport-related generic Top Level Domains once they begin taking applications.In an earlier letter to ICANN dated 20 August 2009 on the same issue, .SPORT say they are “emphatically oppose any diminution of .SPORT and will take all steps necessary to ensure that the top-level domain for our sector is properly protected. We are concerned that ICANN may be prematurely entertaining a process that will allow proliferation of names in sub-categories or individual sports, which will lead to confusion in the marketplace of users. We cannot accept ICANN approving any applications for top-level domains that could diminish the solidarity implied with .SPORT.”.SPORT appears to want to monopolise any sports-related gTLD, in an attempt to maximise their income and minimising their competition.To see the letters from .SPORT to ICANN, go to:
icann.org/correspondence/baumann-to-dengate-thrush-13may10-en.pdf
icann.org/correspondence/baumann-to-dengate-thrush-20aug09-en.pdf

ICANN and Governance

ICANN Threatened by Olympic Committee Over Intellectual Property Concerns

The International Olympic Committee appears to think it has the rights to all sport, given a recent letter to ICANN that raises concerns on the .SPORT gTLD proposal in particular, and new gTLDs in general.

A letter from Urs Lacotte, director general of the IOC, and Howard Stupp, the IOC’s Legal Affairs Director, says they wish to discuss with ICANN these issues with ICANN and notes the IOC has “serious concerns” regarding “intellectual property protection.”

The IOC wants Olympic properties added to a list of reserved trademarks and considers “the speculative benefits of unlimited expansion of the domain name system represented by the proposed new gTLDs are outweighed by the risks, harms and costs it poses to trademark owners and the public.” In other words, the IOC considers their concerns paramount when it comes to the domain name system!

The letter also notes the IOC wishes to discuss include ICANN’s structure and operations and concludes saying “these statements should not be taken as a waiver of the IOC’s right to proceed against ICANN for damages resulting to the IOC or the Olympic Movement from the implementation of an unlimited number of new gTLDs.”

The IOC already gets preferential treatment with Network Solutions forbidding any domain registrations with any domain name containing IOC trademarks, according to a Domain Incite report, and has agreements with Sedo, Go Daddy and eBay to withdraw any infringing domain name auctions.

The letter from the IOC to ICANN is available from:
icann.org/correspondence/lacotte-to-beckstrom-16mar10-en.pdf

Domain Name Registrants, Domain Name Registry

Your City your domains

When ICANN started gathering in the French capital last week for a global conference that starts Monday, the marquee event was a quirky catwalk for cities and regions competing for domain names like .berlin, .paris, .quebec and even .cat – for Catalonia.

The mighty dot, New York City boosters said, could transform the metropolis into “the master of its future,” with a .nyc label helping to build “trust, justice and civic pride.” Berlin supporters insisted that a super-dot would establish the city’s global reputation.

Super or not, officials at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers – the main oversight agency for the underpinnings of the Internet – said they were poised to bring the most dramatic change to the Internet in four decades by opening up domain names to endless variations.

To read the article further : http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/22/business/net23.php

Domain Name Registrars, Domain Name Registry

.sport to be proposed at ICANN

An article by circleID’s Patrick Vande Walle :CircleID logo

OK. Now my lawyer has given me the green light, I can officially announce I am working on a proposal for a .sport TLD, to be submitted to ICANN for consideration as a new TLD next year.

There is still a long way to go in terms of getting the proposal ready, but I this this one is a winner. First of all, sport is one of the most popular human activities. It transcends cultures. The sport community is large and diverse, from small clubs to large international federations. There is also a large industry for which sport is an essential element of its communication strategy. Think about the media. Television networks may be interested to have dedicated web sites about sport.

Unlike existing sponsored and un-sponsored TLDs, .sport is also meaningful in languages other than English. The word “sport” originates from the ancient French verb “desporter” and was later adopted by many European languages and others. “Sport” just means sport, whether in English, French, German, Dutch, Afrikaans or many others languages.