The first Applicant Auction is taking place this week, and will include participants with single and multiple gTLDs in contention. Both large and small participants recognize the value that an early resolution in an unbiased marketplace brings to their strings and organizations.

For example, industry veteran Colin Campbell, participating in the auction for .CLUB this week, writes "Win or Lose. The private auction is a sensible way to resolve the matter quickly and safely. We see this as an opportunity to either get the domain at a reasonable price or get paid fairly for our efforts. The standardized contract approach is balanced and saves us time and money."

On May 17th, Donuts announced a list of 63 gTLDs for which they are willing to participate in the first applicant auction. Demand media also endorsed the Applicant Auction as their preferred method of resolving contention.

Although they are not participating in the first auction, TLDH mentions participation in private auctions in their release today.

Stay tuned for the results of our first Applicant Auction - likely to be announced next week, as they become available. We respect the arrangements made with auction participants regarding disclosure of results, so their needs will have highest priority.