ICANN Banned the Private Deals That Ended Most 2012 gTLD Contests

ICANN’s application window for new top-level domains closed on August 12 with more than 1,600 primary applications, a figure the organization says it cannot confirm until evaluation fees clear. The headline number invites a comparison with 2012, when 1,930 applications arrived. The more consequential change is not the volume. It is that ICANN has outlawed the private settlements that ended many…

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