The process for creating new top-level domains, launched by ICANN in 2025, is a new round organised following the significant success of a similar process completed in 2012.
For the 2025–2026 round, ICANN relies on the experience gained in 2012.
For an overview of the timeline for the process currently underway (source: New gTLD Program: 2026 Round | New gTLD Program) :
With regard to the protection of third-party rights, the process for creating new domains carried out in 2012 included objection mechanisms similar to those available in the current round (2025–2026).
To help businesses and organisations to better understand the tools available to them through ICANN for defending their rights, Lexing is making available a summary of the study published by Alexandre Cruquenaire in 2015: Litigation relating to new domain names (new gTLDs). The defence of intellectual property rights in practice, Waterloo, Kluwer, 2015 (170 p.), originally published in French : « Le contentieux des nouveaux noms de domaine (new gTLDs). La défense des droits de propriété intellectuelle en pratique ». This summary is made available under a Creative Commons license.