š The Internetās New Domain Map: 1,615 Applications After Reveal Day
by Pierfrancesco C. Fasano
Brands, territories, communities, and industries: what the applications published by ICANN revealāand the opportunities and risks they create for businesses and users.
Reveal Day offers a glimpse of the Internetās futureābut the new network is not here yet
On October 7, 2026, ICANNāthe Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the organization that coordinates the global domain name systemāpublished 1,615 applications for the next expansion of generic top-level domains. This was Reveal Day, when the applicants and the extensions proposed under the 2026 New gTLD Program became public.
The initial picture includes 333 brand applications, 16 community applications, and 15 applications identified by the applicants as geographic. There are also 21 applications for internationalized domain names and 9 for variants. The figures refer to primary strings as of October 7 and will have to be confirmed during the next stages.
The publication offers a possible picture of the Internetās future, but an application is not the same as an approved extension. The process includes reviews, objections, the resolution of competing applications, and contractual and technical requirements. In addition, 1,615 applications do not necessarily mean 1,615 different extensions: multiple applicants may have requested the same string.
How to read the applications
In an address such as company.com, ā.comā is the top-level domain, while ācompanyā identifies the name registered within it. The program concerns new extensionsāin other words, new spaces in which domain names can be organized.
Applying means proposing to operate a registry, with technical and administrative responsibilities. It is therefore different from buying a web address: it involves managing an entire digital space and setting the conditions for access to it.
To understand the applications, it is important to distinguish between:
āĀ official designations, such as brands, communities, and geographic names;
āĀ editorial categories, such as technology, professions, commerce, or lifestyles.
These categories may overlap. An extension, for example, may have territorial, cultural, and linguistic dimensions.
The examples are primary strings listed in the ICANN application database consulted on October 8, 2026, and remain applications subject to review. The thematic categories and the category covering public figures are editorial groupings, not separate official ICANN designations.
Geographic domains: territory becomes an address
Geographic extensions may refer to cities, regions, and other territorial identities, within the limits of ICANN rules. The goal is to bring tourism, business, culture, and public services together around a recognizable local identity.
Opportunities. A geographic domain can increase the visibility of local businesses, institutions, and projects, while providing a shared point of reference for a community.
Risks and safeguards. Not all place names are freely available. Some require supporting documentation or confirmation that the relevant authorities do not object. City names are also subject to specific requirements and stated-use conditions. Country and territory names identified in the Guidebook are not available through this process. In addition, a geographic domain does not automatically make a website official: users must be able to distinguish a public administration from a commercial business.
Examples. .campania (Campania Region), .roma (Aruba PEC S.p.A.), .lugano (City of Lugano), and .bali (PT Konek Bali Semesta).
The 15 applications identified by the applicants as geographic do not necessarily cover every case that will be subject to the relevant reviews.
Brand domains: the trademark becomes a digital space
Brand domains are one of the most visible elements of Reveal Day, with 333 applications. The model involves using a trademark as the extension and organizing services, products, and communications beneath it.
Opportunities. A proprietary extension can create a more recognizable and controlled environment, coordinate communications, and help the public identify authorized channels.
Risks and safeguards. Operating such an extension requires investment, continuity, and user education. By itself, an extension does not eliminate phishing, imitation websites on other domains, or fraud. It must be part of a broader strategy for security and brand protection.
Examples. .adidas (adidas AG), .ralphlauren (PRL USA Holdings, Inc.), .claude (Anthropic, PBC), and .zoom (Zoom Communications, Inc.).
The .Brand designation requires a specific review and, if approved, triggers the application of Specification 13 to the registry agreement. A string that looks like a trademark is not automatically treated as a brand domain.
Celebrities and public figures: when a name is also a brand
A personās identity can become an extension. A well-known name may combine reputation, commercial activities, and relationships with a community of supporters. āCelebritiesā is an editorial category here, not a separate official ICANN designation.
Opportunities. A domain associated with a public figure can make authorized channels easier to recognize and help coordinate content, products, and communications.
Risks and safeguards. The relationship between the string, the person it evokes, and the applicant must be clear. The string alone does not prove who submitted the application or which uses are authorized.
Examples. .taylorswift, submitted by TAS Rights Management, LLC, and .trump, submitted by DTTM TLD, LLC. Both applications are identified as brand applications in the public database.
Community domains: belonging, representation, and rules
The 16 community applications refer to spaces intended for an identified community, with registration policies aligned with that communityās characteristics and goals.
Opportunities. A community domain can strengthen a cultural, linguistic, or economic identity and provide a digital space governed by shared rules.
Risks and safeguards. The relationship between the applicant and the people or organizations it claims to represent is critical. Membership criteria, access conditions, and management commitments must be clear. The ācommunityā label does not automatically grant priority.
Examples. .indigenous (17161573 Canada Inc.), .aio (Te KÄhui Raraunga Charitable Trust), .avocat (ORDRE DES AVOCATS COUR APPEL), and .chess (Chess Domains Limited).
When competing applications exist, a community application may, under the applicable conditions, qualify for a Community Priority Evaluation. This process assesses the communityās priority, but the applicantās relationship with the community must be evaluated under the programās criteria. The same string may also be the subject of applications with different designations.
Industry and professional domains: the name describes the activity
This thematic category includes extensions that describe businesses, professions, or services. The promise is to make the sector associated with an address immediately clear.
Opportunities. A sector-specific name can help an operator present itself and help users find their way, especially in crowded markets.
Risks and safeguards. A domain does not certify service quality, membership in a professional association, or possession of a required license. This risk is especially important when an address suggests professional expertise or a regulated activity.
Examples. .accounting, .avocat, and .consultants. This is a thematic grouping; .avocat also appears among the community applications.
Technology and innovation: new words looking for a home
Another thematic category covers digital services, automation, artificial intelligence, and new forms of online interaction.
Opportunities. An extension associated with innovation can quickly communicate a projectās purpose and make it easier to recognize.
Risks and safeguards. A popular term today may lose relevance tomorrow. A registryās long-term viability depends on actual registrations, renewals, and useful servicesānot just attention at launch. The name also does not prove that a website uses advanced technology, that a system is reliable, or that data is handled properly.
Examples. .agent, .agi, .api, and .mcp, terms associated respectively with digital agents, artificial general intelligence, application programming interfaces, and protocols for interacting with models. The intended use must be verified in each individual application.
Commerce, culture, and lifestyles: identities to share
Other extensions relate to commerce, creativity, sports, entertainment, personal interests, and lifestyles. The domain becomes a positioning tool: it suggests the audience being addressed and the experience being offered.
These groupings help explain the functions of the strings, but they are not official ICANN statistical categories.
Opportunities. Businesses, associations, and cultural projects may gain greater freedom of expression and an address that matches their identity.
Risks and safeguards. The name may create expectations that do not match reality. An extension suggesting sustainability, solidarity, or well-being should be assessed together with the websiteās content and the way its services are presented.
Examples.
āĀ Commerce: .commerce, .retail, and .merch.
āĀ Culture and entertainment: .anime, .jazz, and .podcast.
āĀ Gaming and fan communities: .gaming, .chess, and .manga.
āĀ Wellness and lifestyles: .wellness, .therapy, and .hype.
Internationalized domain names: a network that speaks more languages
Internationalized Domain Names, or IDNs, allow domain names to use characters and writing systems beyond the basic Latin alphabet. The 21 applications announced also highlight this dimension of the expansion.
Opportunities. IDNs can make the Internet more accessible to people who want to use their own language and writing system, strengthening inclusion and recognition.
Risks and safeguards. Effective access depends on whether applications, browsers, email systems, and support procedures can correctly recognize and process the addresses. Compatibility problems and confusion between similar-looking characters may also arise.
Examples. .quĆ©bec (with an accent), .äŗŗå·„ęŗč½ (āartificial intelligenceā in Chinese), and .ę Ŗå¼ä¼ē¤¾ (a Japanese corporate form). The examples show the readable forms of the strings rather than their technical encoding.
IDNs are not a commercial category separate from brand or geographic domains. They concern the linguistic and visual form of a string. An internationalized extension can therefore also be a brand or represent a community.
Openness and control: models that should not be confused
The chosen word alone does not determine who will be allowed to register names under a new extension. The registryās policies must be examined. A project may impose access conditions linked to a community, an activity, or a relationship with a brand owner.
The applicable framework does, however, prohibit exclusive use of generic top-level domains, known as āclosed generics.ā These are generic extensions reserved for a single entity and its affiliates. A generic term cannot automatically be treated as a proprietary extension. The Guidebook distinguishes this model from .Brand domains.
After Reveal Day: reviews, objections, and rights protection
The announced schedule provides a window for substitute strings from October 8 through October 21, 2026. String Confirmation Day is set for November 17, followed by the regular public comment and objection period, scheduled to run through March 16, 2027.
Objections to applications cover four areas:
āĀ string confusion;
āĀ legal rights;
āĀ limited public interest;
āĀ community concerns.
These procedures concern the introduction of the extension and are separate from remedies against the abusive registration of individual names within that extension.
For the latter, the UDRPāthe Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policyāand the URSāthe Uniform Rapid Suspension Systemāare relevant. The UDRP may result in the transfer or cancellation of a domain when its requirements are met. The URS provides for suspension in clear-cut cases of infringement. The two procedures have different requirements and effects and should be selected based on the specific objective.
The bottom line: more possibilities, more responsibility
Reveal Day shows an Internet in which territories, brands, and communities are seeking new tools for identity.
Opportunities. The expansion may increase the variety of addresses, encourage innovation, give greater visibility to local and cultural projects, and broaden access across languages.
Risks and responsibilities. It also increases the costs of operation and protection, the potential for abuse, user confusion, and uncertainty about the long-term viability of projects. Trademark owners may face greater pressure to register domains defensively.
For those involved in preventing and resolving disputes, Reveal Day offers a clear lesson: digital identity requires reliable rules and relationships. The value of an online space will depend on the trust it builds among registry operators, users, and the public.
Official sources:
References for the featured applications
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