We're pleased to announced that the Second Applicant Auction concluded successfully earlier today. Winners in the auction have agreed to pay a total of $9,651,000 in order to resolve contention for eight new top-level domains. Congratulations to all participants!
The winners for the eight contention sets included in this week’s auction were:
- .casa: Minds + Machines
- .construction: Donuts, Inc
- .desi: Desi Networks LLC
- .expert: Donuts, Inc
- .fishing: Minds + Machines, a subsidiary of Top Level Domain Holdings, Inc. (LON:TLDH)
- .guide: Donuts, Inc
- .storage: Extra Space Storage (NYSE:EXR)
- .网址 (.wangzhi): Hu Yi Global
In addition, the following participants received payments for withdrawing one or more applications: Demand Media (NYSE:DMD), Afilias Ltd., Dot Construction LLC, and Red Circle LLC.
With more than a dozen contention sets resolved for a total price of over $18 million, we feel confident that the Applicant Auction is the most successful, proven method for resolving contention. (The first auction, held in June 2013, resolved contention for 6 top-level domains at a total cost of $9.01 million to winning applicants.)
We were glad to see high participation rates, despite the summer vacation season, and we look forward to continued growth in future auctions. As of today's results, there are 204 remaining strings with multiple applicants, and we hope to work with many of you who have additional strings under contention.
The third Applicant Auction will be held on September 10, and will follow the same format as the previous two auctions. JPMorgan will act as the escrow agent, and Deloitte will serve as the neutral party. We have worked hard to design an arrangement and legal framework that allows all applicants to participate. As a result, we have adjusted the enrollment schedule to better accommodate bidders' needs, legal review, and escrow deposits. Interested applicants are encouraged to begin the enrollment process as soon as possible. If you'd like to participate, let us know! We are also open to holding auctions on earlier dates, if applicants require them. Either way, drop us an email at info@applicantauction.com, and we'd be happy to discuss.