New gTLDs

Verisign told investors this week that its total cost to acquire the .web top-level domain reached $171.4 million, according to Domain Name Wire and a company SEC filing it cited. The disclosure lands just before Verisign’s planned mid-December sunrise and a limited registration period that could determine whether the long-delayed asset earns back its cost.

Verisign reported record third-quarter .com and .net registration activity and said it plans to open a .web trademark sunrise in mid-December, according to Domain Name Wire. The update matters because it pairs stronger demand in the legacy namespace with a concrete launch timetable for a long-delayed new gTLD that could affect defensive registrations and buyer budgets in early 2027.

ICANN on October 26 posted a termination notice for .nissay, adding another brand TLD to the list of 2012-round dot-brands being shut down, according to Domain Name Wire. The move landed the same day Domain Name Wire reported that ICANN has received at least 345 dot-brand applications in the 2026 round despite roughly 150 earlier cancellations.

ICANN’s October 7 publication of 1,615 applications in the 2026 new gTLD round, including 263 contention sets, shifted attention from application volume to which strings may survive replacement periods, objections and eventual ICANN auctions, according to CircleID and Domain Name Journal. For domain buyers, founders and brand owners, the key takeaway is that bidder counts show where applicants are