1,616 New Internet Extensions Coming Soon: Are You Affected?

An analysis of the 1,616 applications for new Internet extensions will be essential as soon as they are published by ICANN on 7 October 2026.

From that date, rights holders will have only a few months to determine whether any of the proposed extensions could interfere with their rights and warrant protective measures or formal objections.

Nearly 15 years after the previous expansion of the Internet, which gave rise to several hundred new top-level domains, ICANN has once again opened the application process for the creation of new Internet extensions.

On 22 September 2026, ICANN officially announced that a total of 1,663 applications had been submitted, of which 1,616 had been confirmed.

All applications will be officially disclosed on 7 October 2026, a date known as Reveal Day.

From that date, applicants, members of the public and rights holders will be able to identify the new gTLDs proposed for creation and, consequently, the future extensions that could affect their interests.

At the same time, Reveal Day will mark the start of several concurrent periods designed to facilitate the initial, amicable resolution of potential conflicts:

1. The replacement period, lasting 14 days (from 8 to 21 October 2026), will allow applicants who have identified replacement extensions to opt for one of these alternatives if they consider their initial choice problematic in light of competing extension proposals or the rights of third parties that have come forward,
2. The application change period, during which applicants may submit requests to ICANN to modify the content of their applications (Application Change Requests or ACRs). This period will remain open until the applicant signs the Registry Agreement.

Following the replacement period, ICANN will publish a new, definitive list of proposed extensions on 17 November 2026. This date will be known as String Confirmation Day.

This date will mark the opening of a strict, non-extendable period running from 18 November 2026 to 16 March 2027, during which interested third parties will be able to respond to the various applications, either by submitting public comments or by initiating formal objection proceedings.

These objection procedures are intended, in particular, to safeguard:

• Trademark rights, where a proposed extension could infringe upon them;
• Community interests which, for ICANN, notably include professional associations and groups sharing a geographical identity, where a proposed extension could adversely affect the relevant community.

Given the short timeframes within which members of the public, and particularly recognised rights holders, will be able to respond to the various applications, it will be essential to put measures in place now to promptly identify any potentially problematic extensions among the 1,616 applications to be disclosed on 7 October 2026.

The Plasseraud IP Internet & Data team is available to analyse the applications as soon as Reveal Day, in order to identify at the earliest opportunity any extensions that could affect your business or rights.

If potentially problematic extensions are identified, a response strategy will need to be developed:

• Ideally, through negotiations with applicants, making use of the mechanisms established by ICANN that allow one proposed extension to be replaced with another;
• Failing that, through formal objection proceedings, bearing in mind that decisions handed down during the previous Internet expansion round in 2012 were characterised by a strong tendency to dismiss objections.

Given the complexity of the mechanisms established by ICANN and the stringent approach reflected in case law from the 2012 round, any response to an application must be preceded by a thorough assessment. Plasseraud IP will support its clients in identifying potentially problematic applications, assessing the available options and defining the most appropriate strategy in light of the specific circumstances of each case. This support will draw on the Firm’s experience in online rights protection, as well as the presence within the Firm of an expert appointed by WIPO to adjudicate future objections relating to new extensions, Mr Fabrice Bircker.