The new gTLDs: ask the experts

TB&I invited six experts to discuss the developments at HoganLovells LLP’s London office.

Let’s start with a question that people often assume is simple, but one that is rarely asked: what are the new gTLDs for?

Nick Wenban-Smith (NWS): The official answer is, it’s to increase choice for anyone who has the money and technical capacity and energy to go through the consensus policy processes.

David Taylor (DT): The new gTLD programme was approved by the ICANN board in June 2008, and it is since then that the noise has been growing. However, it’s always been the role of ICANN to expand the TLD space and what’s happening hasn’t come out of nowhere.