One application to CIPO, grouped by Nice class, protects your mark in Canada for 10 years. This guide, checked against the Trademarks Act and Regulations current to September 2026, gives CIPO’s official timelines (14 months to a first action, 34.5 months on average to registration), every step with its section, whether a foreign owner needs an agent or a Canadian address, the Madrid route, and how a Canadian registration opens a .ca domain.
New gTLD Applications Are Public: How Trademark Owners Check the List and Object
Written by Emily Brooks ·
If someone has applied for a new top-level domain that matches your trademark, you can file a Legal Rights Objection (LRO) with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) between 17 November 2026 and 16 March 2027. Owners of registered and unregistered marks can both file, but the objector carries the burden of proof. A successful objection stops the application from going any further. ICANN published the 1,615 applications of its 2026 round on 7 October 2026, and you can check them now. The easiest rights to prove in that procedure are a registered trademark in the markets that matter to you.
Verified on 13 October 2026 against ICANN's Applicant Guidebook (version of 7 October 2026), ICANN's milestone announcements of 29 September and 7 October 2026, WIPO's LRO rules and FAQ for the 2026 round, and WIPO's report on the 2012 objections. Figures on applications come from ICANN's public application data, downloaded on 12 October 2026. Each fact below names its source.
The 2026 new gTLD round in numbers
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Applications published on Reveal Day (7 October 2026) | 1,615, from 481 applicants | ICANN announcement, 7 Oct 2026; ICANN application statistics |
| Brand applications (a company applying for its own name, such as .openai or .instagram) | 333, from 247 applicants (151 based in the US, 61 in Japan, 18 in China) | ICANN announcement; our count of ICANN's application CSV |
| Open (non-brand) applications | 1,281, for 670 different strings | Our count of ICANN's application CSV |
| Share of open applications filed by the 10 largest portfolio applicants | 48% (619 applications) | Our count of ICANN's application CSV |
| Applications in contention (same string, more than one applicant) | 891, in 263 contention sets | ICANN Reveal Day contention-set file |
| Contention sets where a brand application competes with other applicants | 17 | Our cross-check of ICANN's two files |
| Legal Rights Objections upheld in the previous (2012) round | 4 of 69 | WIPO End Report on the LRO procedure, 2013 |
Key dates for trademark owners
| Date | What happens | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 7 October 2026 | Reveal Day: ICANN publishes every application, applicant and initial contention set | You can search the list now |
| 8 to 21 October 2026 | Replacement period: applicants may swap their string for a pre-declared replacement | The list can still change; check again after 21 October |
| 17 November 2026 | String Confirmation Day: final list of strings; comments and objections open | First day to file an objection with WIPO or comment with ICANN |
| 19 December 2026 to 4 January 2027 | ICANN end-of-year closure; the round's operations pause | Already built into the deadline below |
| 16 March 2027 | End of the Community Input and Objections Period | Last day to file a Legal Rights Objection |
| Within 30 days after the window closes | ICANN publishes all admissible objections | Cases start in bulk, so decisions are unlikely before mid-2027 (our estimate) |
The Applicant Guidebook sets the objection window at 104 days from String Confirmation Day (section 4.5.8.1). ICANN's 29 September announcement fixes the calendar dates of 17 November 2026 to 16 March 2027, which include the year-end closure. No official source gives a closing hour for 16 March, so do not leave the filing for that day.
How to check whether someone applied for your trademark
ICANN does not screen applications against existing trademarks. Checking the list is up to you, and it takes a few minutes:
- Open ICANN's 2026 Round Application Publication and Statistics site. It lists every application with its string, applicant, status, location and region.
- Search your mark, then its obvious variants: abbreviations, plurals, the main word of a two-word mark, and translations if you trade in other languages. The LRO test covers strings that are "identical or similar, including in appearance, phonetic sound, or meaning" to your mark.
- For a full review, use the "Download CSV" button to get every application in one file, including replacement strings.
- Open any application that worries you. Each record has a summary, the applicant's public responses, a downloadable PDF and an "Objections" tab. Read how the applicant says it will use the string: that intended use is what an LRO panel weighs.
- Check again after 21 October (end of the replacement period) and on 17 November, when ICANN publishes the confirmed list.
If you have no trademark registered yet in a key market, this is the moment to start. Begin with a trademark search in the United States or the market where you sell most.
Brands already competing for their own string
On Reveal Day, 17 strings had a brand application in the same contention set as other applicants. Most are common words that are also trademarks:
| String | Applications | Brand applicant | Other applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| .gen | 6 | Gen Digital Inc. | Aruba PEC, Heir Superiority LLC, Hostinger UAB, Link Freedom Group, XYZ.COM |
| .tap | 5 | TapTap Pte. Ltd. | Link Freedom Group, Registry Services LLC, ShortDot, XYZ.COM |
| .easy | 3 | easyGroup Limited | Aruba PEC, Link Freedom Group |
| .epic | 3 | Epic Systems Corporation | Link Freedom Group, Registered Agents Inc |
| .gpt | 3 | OpenAI OpCo, LLC | Link Freedom Group, Pirin Tablet LLC |
| .wiz | 3 | Wiz & Associates, S.A. de C.V. | Dotstrategy Co., Intercap Registry |
| .boost | 2 | ECHO Domain Co L.L.C. | Velvet Taupe LLC |
| .echo | 2 | Amazon Registry Services; ECHO Domain Co L.L.C. | None (both applications are brand type) |
| .force | 2 | Salesforce, Inc. | Registry Services LLC |
| .hype | 2 | Dot Hype Registry Limited | Hype Naming Limited |
| .lens | 2 | Charleston Road Registry (Google) | Gacrux Exploration, Inc |
| .leo | 2 | Amazon Registry Services | TechEdge Limited |
| .mesh | 2 | Knock Knock WHOIS There, LLC | Miaplacidus Exploration, Inc. |
| .owl | 2 | Intercap Registry Inc. | KV GmbH |
| .slides | 2 | Charleston Road Registry (Google) | Intercap Registry |
| .wise | 2 | Wise Payments Limited | Link Freedom Group |
| .yeah | 2 | Booking.com B.V. | Toddler Logic, LLC |
Source: ICANN application CSV and Reveal Day contention-set file, downloaded 12 October 2026. "Brand" is the type each applicant declared. Being in the same set is not a finding of infringement, and strings can still change until 21 October.
Identical strings are resolved through contention, usually ending in an ICANN auction, and ICANN's rules forbid settling contention privately. An objection is a separate route. In 2012, 43 of the 69 Legal Rights Objections were filed by one applicant against another applicant for the same string, according to WIPO.
The Legal Rights Objection: who can file and what the panel weighs
Who can file. The Guidebook says that "a rights holder may have standing" and that the filing must document the rights "either registered or unregistered trademarks". A footnote adds that a rights holder could be the owner of a registered or unregistered mark "or, as appropriate, a trademark holder's licensee". Some intergovernmental organizations can also object. You do not need to be an applicant yourself.
The test. The panel decides whether the applicant's potential use of the string would take unfair advantage of the distinctive character or reputation of your mark, unjustifiably impair it, or otherwise create an impermissible likelihood of confusion with it. It weighs nine non-exclusive factors (Guidebook section 4.5.10.2.2):
- Whether the string is identical or similar to your mark in appearance, sound or meaning.
- Whether you acquired and used your trademark rights in good faith.
- Whether the relevant public recognizes the sign as your mark, the applicant's, or a third party's.
- The applicant's intent: whether it knew, or could not reasonably have been unaware, of your mark, and whether it has a pattern of applying for strings that match other people's marks.
- Whether the applicant has used, or prepared to use, the sign for a genuine offering of goods, services or information that does not interfere with your rights.
- Whether the applicant holds its own trademark or other rights in the sign, and acquired them in good faith.
- Whether the applicant is commonly known by the sign.
- Whether the applicant's intended use would cause confusion about the source, sponsorship, affiliation or endorsement of the gTLD.
- New in 2026: whether using a common dictionary term that is also a trademark is meant to exploit its ordinary meaning or targets the trademark.
Factors 1 to 8 are almost word for word the 2012 test. The ninth factor is new, and it matters because most contested strings are ordinary words.
How it works.
| Step | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Where to file | Directly with WIPO, the exclusive provider for Legal Rights Objections, using its model form (by email to [email protected]) | Guidebook 4.5.3; WIPO LRO Rules (2026), para. 3-4 |
| Language and length | English; 5,000 words maximum, excluding attachments; one objection per application and per ground | Guidebook 4.5.8.2 |
| Copy to the applicant | You must send the applicant copies of your submissions | Guidebook 4.5.8.2 |
| Quick Look Review | The panel first dismisses objections that are "manifestly unfounded" or abusive, including those without standing, within 30 days of its appointment | Guidebook 4.5.8.7 |
| Applicant's response | 30 days after the Quick Look result; an applicant that does not respond is in default and the objection succeeds | Guidebook 4.5.8.9 |
| Panel | One expert by default; three only if all parties agree. Hearings, if any, are virtual | Guidebook 4.5.8.6 and 4.5.8.10 |
| Decision | Target of 45 days after the last submission; published in full on WIPO's site | Objection Procedure art. 22; Guidebook 4.5.8.14 |
| Costs | Both sides pay a non-refundable filing fee and an advance on panel costs. The winner gets its advance back; the loser bears the cost. WIPO publishes the schedule | Guidebook 4.5.6; WIPO fee schedule |
| Effect if you win | The application, including its variants, cannot proceed to the next stage | Guidebook 4.5.8.14 |
| Appeal (new in 2026) | The losing party gives notice within 15 days of the decision and files within 15 more. Grounds are limited to the panel failing to follow the procedure or ignoring material evidence; the appeal decision is final | Guidebook 4.5.9; Appeal Procedure art. 1(d) |
What happened to trademark objections in 2012
The 2012 round is the only precedent, and WIPO's 2013 report gives the numbers:
- 71 Legal Rights Objections were filed; 69 were registered for processing and 2 were dismissed for non-compliance.
- Panels upheld 4 (three with a dissenting opinion), rejected 59, and 6 proceedings were terminated.
- The 4 successful objections were against .delmonte (Del Monte Corporation), .direct (DirecTV against Dish DBS), and .weibo and .微博 (Sina against Tencent).
- An "overwhelming majority" targeted strings with a descriptive or dictionary meaning. Panels upheld an objection when an applicant aimed at a trademark rather than the word's ordinary meaning.
- Determinations took 44.6 days on average.
In 2012, then, owning a mark that matches a common word was rarely enough. The objections that succeeded showed the applicant was targeting a specific brand. Guidebook decisions "shall not constitute binding precedent" in 2026, but the new ninth factor writes that 2012 reasoning into the rules.
Other ways to act, and which ones are open to you
| Route | Who can use it | Useful for a trademark owner? |
|---|---|---|
| Application comment (ICANN Application Comment Forum) | Anyone with an ICANN Account, declaring any relationship with applicants. Comments in the 104 days after String Confirmation Day are considered in evaluation | Yes, as a record, but it is not an objection and has "a very limited role" in disputes |
| Legal Rights Objection (WIPO) | Rights holders (registered or unregistered marks, licensees as appropriate) and some IGOs | Yes: the main route |
| String Confusion Objection (WIPO) | Existing gTLD or ccTLD operators and applicants in the 2026 round | Only if you are one of them |
| Limited Public Interest Objection (ICC) | Anyone, but only on grounds of morality and public order under international law | No: other grounds are dismissed |
| Community Objection (ICC) | Established institutions of clearly delineated communities | Rarely |
| GAC Early Warning | Members and observers of ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee | Only through a government |
A comment can also matter indirectly. ICANN's Independent Objectors may only object if at least one comment opposing the application has been made in public (Guidebook 4.5.4).
If you do not object: protection once the new TLDs launch
Most new gTLDs will sell domain names to the public, and your mark can be registered as a second-level name (yourbrand.newtld). For the 2026 round, ICANN's base registry agreement of 12 March 2026 and its Trademark Clearinghouse requirements make these mechanisms mandatory:
- Sunrise: trademark owners recorded in the Trademark Clearinghouse can register first, for at least 30 days before general registration (60 days for an end-date sunrise).
- Trademark Claims: for at least the first 90 days of general registration, anyone trying to register a name that matches a recorded mark gets a notice, and the trademark owner is notified if they go ahead.
- Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) for clear-cut infringement, and the Trademark Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedure against registries complicit in infringement.
A single-owner .brand TLD that obtains ICANN's exemption does not have to run sunrise or claims, because only the brand owner registers names in it. To use sunrise and claims your mark must be recorded in the Clearinghouse, which verifies marks that are registered, validated by a court or protected by statute or treaty. For most businesses, that means a registration. Our guide to domain names and trademarks covers the disputes that come after registration.
Why a registered trademark is your best evidence
The Guidebook accepts unregistered marks, but you still have to prove them. In an LRO, the burden of proof is on the objector, and the panel looks at whether your rights were acquired in good faith and recognized by the relevant public. A registration certificate answers the first question on its own. Unregistered rights need evidence of use and reputation, market by market. The same registration also gives you access to sunrise and Trademark Claims later.
Most of this round's applications come from North America (864) and Europe (506), according to ICANN. In practice, that makes a US trademark registration and an EU trademark the most useful rights to hold. Registrations you already hold in other countries count too, and a registration filed now still serves for sunrise and Trademark Claims when the new TLDs launch. If you want an outside party to keep an eye on new filings that conflict with your mark, see our trademark watch services.
Frequently asked questions
Can I object to a new gTLD application if my trademark is not registered?
Yes. ICANN's Guidebook allows Legal Rights Objections based on registered or unregistered trademarks, and licensees may file "as appropriate". You must document the rights you claim, and the burden of proof is yours. Unregistered rights are harder to prove than a registration certificate.
When is the deadline to file a Legal Rights Objection?
The window runs from String Confirmation Day, 17 November 2026, to 16 March 2027, according to ICANN and WIPO. That is the Guidebook's 104 days plus ICANN's year-end closure from 19 December 2026 to 4 January 2027.
Who decides a Legal Rights Objection?
A panel appointed by WIPO's Arbitration and Mediation Center, the exclusive provider for these objections in the 2026 round. It is one expert unless all parties agree to three. Either side can appeal once, on procedural grounds, to a different WIPO panel.
How many trademark objections succeeded in the last round?
Four of the 69 processed in 2012 (.delmonte, .direct, .weibo and .微博), according to WIPO's 2013 report. Fifty-nine were rejected, most of them against strings with a dictionary meaning.
Do I need to apply for my own TLD to protect my brand?
No. The 2026 application window closed on 12 August 2026. You can object without being an applicant. Once the new TLDs launch, sunrise and Trademark Claims protect your mark at the second level, provided it is recorded in the Trademark Clearinghouse.
Check the list now and again on 17 November. Make sure your mark is registered in the markets where you trade before the objection window and the first new launches arrive.
