Early Warning Report
New gTLD Contention Avoidance System
What Does the Early Warning Report Service Do?
Applying for a new gTLD is a significant investment. The biggest risk isn't the application itself - it's contention. If another applicant wants the same string, you could lose $79,000 to $227,000 or more, with nothing to show for it.
Early Warning Report gives you the information and connections you need to avoid that outcome entirely.
We help applicants:
- •Identify potential contention before it becomes a problem - both before and after the application window closes, but before Reveal Day.
- •Connect with other applicants who may be competing for the same or similar strings.
- •Make informed, strategic decisions - including changing strings or pursuing contention avoidance - while options are still available.
Our system is built within ICANN's rules, not around them.
Everything Early Warning Report does is designed to align with ICANN's stated mission of reducing contention and getting new gTLDs to market efficiently. We operate entirely within the Applicant Guidebook framework.
Why Is Early Warning Report Needed?
This round is different - and the stakes are higher.
In the 2012 round, applicants in contention could resolve things privately. They could negotiate joint ventures, cut side deals, or hold private auctions where losing applicants shared in the winning bid. That option is gone.
ICANN has prohibited all private resolution of contention sets after Reveal Day. Once ICANN publishes the full list of applied-for strings, every applicant in contention faces only three outcomes:
That changes the math on contention entirely.
The Goal Is Simple: Don't Be in Contention in the First Place.
Early Warning Report gives you the information and tools to pursue that goal while you still can - before the application window closes, or during the window between the application close date and Reveal Day, when we anticipate being able to facilitate contention avoidance services in alignment with the ICANN Applicant Guidebook.
The Advantage of Acting Early
Applicants who avoid contention before Reveal Day can expect to go to market 18 to 24 months earlier than those who go through ICANN's auction process. That's not just a cost savings - it's a meaningful head start on building a registry, attracting registrars, and establishing a presence in your space.
How Early Warning Report Works
Early Warning Report identifies potential contention sets using data available before strings are publicly disclosed. Before the application window closes, participants can see if other potential applicants are interested in the same string and make more strategic decisions on whether to apply and what strings to apply for. Participants gain access to anonymous communication tools to connect with other applicants who may be interested in the same strings.
After the application window closes, but before Reveal Day, participants will see which other participants have actually applied for the same string. Participants can contact the other participants competing for the same string. From there, the path forward - whether that's a string change, a joint venture, or a facilitated contention avoidance process - is in the hands of the applicants.
The choice is straightforward: apply without this information and accept whatever contention you encounter - or apply with it, and give yourself a meaningful chance to avoid contention altogether.
Ready to get started?
Join the Early Warning Report Service today and gain a competitive advantage.