The first English-language new TLDs have been delegated. What’s next?

Last week, Donuts announced the successful addition of seven new TLD options to the root zone, which means seven more new TLDs are here, in the Internet! Scoot down on the couch, .COM. You’ve got company. These seven extensions are the first English-language TLDs to enter delegation, adding to the four internationalized TLDs already added to the root zone in late October.

The seven TLDs are: .BIKE, .CLOTHING, .GURU, .HOLDINGS, .PLUMBING, .SINGLES, .VENTURES

All of these TLDs are generic open registries, meaning that each extension is waiting to be defined by you. For example, do you have a sweet fixie? A Harley Davidson? An antique Indian? Do you own a motorcycle or bike repair shop, run a DIY blog on fixing up old bikes? All uses have a place on .BIKE. Each new TLD on this list is essentially a blank canvas, waiting for the market to guide the direction of use.

If you have your eye on these TLDs, you might be wondering when they’ll be offered for registration—here’s a short timeline and a rundown of common questions:

Registration Timeline:

Donuts signed registry-registrar agreements with several large-scale registrars, and are finalizing preparations for launch right now. The timeline Donuts released looks like this:

• Nov. 26 — Sunrise begins
• Jan.  24 — Sunrise ends
• Jan. 29, 2014 — public registration opens

You may notice that there isn’t a landrush period — that’s because Donuts has elected to jump straight from Sunrise to public registration without adding the extra phase.

Who can register during Sunrise?

If you own a registered trademark, you may register your trademark and brand domains during registration, after registering in the Trademark Clearinghouse.

For example, if you own the trademark to Make Money, a magazine focused on venture capital and business, you could register MakeMoney.VENTURES. You would not be able to register more open domain names like capital.VENTURES—unless you owned a trademark on “capital”—until open registration.

Read more about Sunrise here.

What is the Trademark Clearinghouse? 

The Clearinghouse acts as a central database to protect brand owners during the launch of TLDs. One you’re entered, you may register in any sunrise, for any new TLD. The registration then protects you against trademark infringement and prevents others from taking your trademark name option in a new TLD registry. The Clearinghouse also acts as a way to check the credentials of your trademark and brand so only true trademark owners register.

For more information on the Trademark Clearinghouse, click here.

Who is Donuts?

Donuts is a start-up company created to apply for new TLDs and function as the registry.

Originally, the company applied for 307 different TLDs. As private auctions continue to progress, that number has decreased slightly, but one thing is certain: Donuts is a huge leader in the new TLD world and it’s no surprise that they’re one of the delegation front-runners.

Where does Name.com fit in? 

We’re ready to offer these new TLD registrations as soon as they become available. We are one of the domain registrars working with Donuts to ensure that you’l have access to these new TLDs as soon as they become available to you, whether you’re a trademark owner or not.

For more information about these, or any other new TLDs, sign up for our free watcher service. We’ll let you know when the new TLDs you love enter Sunrise or public registration.