Sunrise period for blockchain domain: two weeks remaining

The sunrise period for a new top-level domain (TLD) which is set to run on the regulated internet as well as blockchain will end two weeks today, October 8.

ICANN’s mandated sunrise period allows trademark owners to preregister names that are the same or similar to their marks, in the lead up to the general launch of a TLD.

Minds + Machines Group (MMX), a registry service provider, has partnered with Ethereum, an open-source, blockchain-based platform, to launch a TLD regulated by ICANN.

The domain, .luxe, will run on the regulated internet as well as the Ethereum blockchain platform.

Blockchain technology was initially designed as a way of handling the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. It offers a decentralised way of sharing information through ‘blocks’ which are linked using cryptography (code encryption).

Speaking to TBO, Sheri Falcon, general counsel at MMX, said there are an increasing number of domain extensions that appear as TLDs but which actually run outside of the ICANN-regulated internet environment, for example, .onion, .bit, and .coin.

Falcon explained that trademarked names are being bought by third parties in a “semi dark-web blockchain environment” which is outside of ICANN’s regulations, the Trademark Clearinghouse, or the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy.

As non-regulated domains do not show up on trademark or brand monitoring programmes, there is a risk that the reputation of global brands will be damaged by such use of their name on the dark web.

However, the new .luxe domain will be regulated by ICANN while also being associated with the Ethereum blockchain.

Any name in the .luxe registry can be linked with the blockchain via a 40 character hash identifier. The .luxe name can then act as the public identifier for an individual’s Ethereum asset, instead of the complex identifier.

Toby Hall, CEO of MMX, said there is currently a demand for word-based identifiers that are blockchain-enabled.

The sunrise period started on August 9 and will close on October 8. Domain names will become available to the public on a first-come-first-served basis from October 30.

More information on the .luxe launch can be found here: https://www.join.luxe/