It is possible that you may have tried to register a .nyc domain name in the past and were told that the domain you wanted was not available due to a “name collision” block. The name collision block was instituted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit organization that oversees Internet governance, to avoid complications in cases where similar domain names are documented in public and private networks. Although these “name collisions” are not very common, complications can occur when someone tries to visit a private network or name space they may be accidentally rerouted to the public DNS.¹ Not only can name collisions cause confusion, they can also create significant security related issues.²

To protect against .nyc name collisions, ICANN placed over 16,000 .nyc domain names on a temporary “collision list” that prevented these names from being registered. ICANN has used the same process to protect against collisions across hundreds of other new TLDs. Now that sufficient time has passed, and the risk for potential name collisions in the .nyc space has been analyzed and mitigated, ICANN has ended the mandatory block of the .nyc collision list names.

And that’s great news for you!

On October 8th, in celebration of the first anniversary of the .nyc domain, the 16,498 previously blocked .nyc “collision list” domain names will be made available for registration by New Yorkers on a first-come, first-serve basis. At the same time, an additional 89 .nyc domain names that were part of the early Landrush Domain Auctions – but were never allocated – will also become available.

While some of the newly available domain names may seem like “gibberish” terms, many others consist of high value keyword and brandable names that are likely to be in high demand. You can see the complete list of 16,587 newly available .nyc domain names here.

 

So, what does this all mean?

It means that on October 8th, New Yorkers will have the chance to register a host of short, memorable domain names in the .nyc name space that have previously been unavailable – all at standard .nyc prices on a first come, first served basis.³ We expect there to be a lot of competition to register many of these domain names. This said, please read the IMPORTANT FAQ below so you will have all the information you need to increase your likelihood of success.

Now, on your marks, get set, GO get your new .nyc on October 8th!

IMPORTANT FAQ

 

What .nyc domain names will be released on October 8, 2015?
On October 8th, in celebration of the first anniversary of the .nyc domain, 16,498 previously blocked .nyc “collision list” domain names and 89 .nyc domain names that were part of the early Landrush Domain Auctions – but were never allocated – will become available.

For the full list of 16,587 .nyc domain names that will be made available for New Yorkers to register, please click here.

 

When exactly can I register one of these previously unavailable .nyc domain names?
On October 8, 2015, starting promptly at 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time, and continuing over the subsequent two hours, 16,587 newly available .nyc domain names will be released by the .nyc Registry in a random order. All of the domain names will be released no later than 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time.

If you are interested in registering a .nyc domain name that is on the list, please check domain availability with your preferred .nyc retailer (or on our website here) starting promptly at 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time. You will want to get to your preferred domain retailer early to have the best shot at registering the name(s) you want most. Given the fact that the names are being released in a random order over a two hour window, you may have to try to register the domain name several times to be successful.

Please note that given the amount of interest we anticipate, there is no guarantee that you will be the successful registrant of a particular domain name of interest.

 

If I check availability for a domain name I want from the list and it shows as “unavailable” after 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time on October 8th, what does that mean? If a domain name that you want from the list of 16,587 appears to be “unavailable” after 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time on October 8th, please check the .nyc WHOIS to see if there is any registration data available.

If there is NO registration data in the WHOIS, and the time is still within the release window (3pm-5pm Eastern Daylight Time), then it is likely that the domain was simply not randomly released yet. In this case, check back frequently and keep on trying to register the domain name before 5:00pm.

If on the other hand the domain name appears to be “unavailable” -- and there IS registration data when you check the .nyc WHOIS -- it means that, unfortunately, someone else has successfully registered the domain name before you.

As mentioned, there is likely to be a good deal of competition for these domain names and your success in registering cannot be guaranteed.

 

Why were these domain names previously unavailable?
ICANN required all new top-level domain registries to withhold a set of names under the Names Collision Occurrence Management Framework. After a certain time period, these names were released and made available to the .nyc Registry to determine the best method of allocation. Additionally, there were a small set of names that were not allocated during the Landrush auctions during the phased launch plan in October 2014. These names will also be made available to New Yorkers on October 8th.

 

What is the price of any of the newly available .nyc domain names?
The newly available .nyc domain names will be released at standard wholesale price to registrars and their resellers; however, each provider has different retail pricing policies for domain names to their customers. Please check with your preferred .nyc domain name provider or you may find a provider here.

 

Where can I register the newly available .nyc domain names?
The newly available .nyc domain names may be registered at any accredited web provider that offers the .nyc extension to its customers. Please check the approved .nyc provider list for a variety of options.

 

I noticed that some of the newly available domains are familiar brand or trade names. Can I register those domain names?
Unless you have a legitimate legal right to register a familiar brand or trade name, you should not do so.

Whenever you choose to register a .nyc domain name, including the newly available .nyc domains referenced here, you warrant that doing so will not infringe on or violate anyone else's intellectual property rights. It is your responsibility to determine whether a domain name you register may infringe on or violate someone else's legal rights. If you are not sure, please consult with a qualified attorney.

Please note that if a domain name is registered for the purpose of confusing, misleading or tricking the public, trading on the goodwill of someone else's brand, or for any other bad faith reason -- the domain name registration will likely be lost in an administrative procedure and returned to the rightful owner, resulting in the loss of the registered .nyc domain to you.

 

What can I do if I believe someone has violated or is infringing on my trademark rights?
If you believe that someone has violated or is infringing on your trademark rights, you may file a claim under either the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (a/k/a “UDRP”) or the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (a/k/a “URS”). You can learn more about these administrative procedures on http://www.ownit.nyc/policies/.

 

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1. Here’s an example of a “name collision”. Imagine Bob owns the “Soho Bookshop” in New York City. He has a public facing website called SohoBookshop.biz to attract new customers. He also sets up a private name space or intranet where his employees can manage internal processes, like inventory, HR, and record keeping. He calls this private space “ourbookshop.nyc”. Before .nyc became a publicly available TLD, there would have been no problem with this structure. Employees of the Soho Bookshop could type in ourbookshop.nyc and access their internal files. However, once .nyc became the official TLD for New York City and generally available to the public to register, an employee who tried to access the internal site ourbookshop.nyc could possibly be redirected to the public DNS and land on the public URL ourbookshop.nyc – which may be owned and managed by a third party (that is, someone other than Bob and the Soho Bookshop).

2. For more background and information about the history and management of name collisions, please click here and here.

3. Please note that any trademark terms that were on the .nyc collision list and applied for during the .nyc Sunrise Period have already been allocated; domain names that were previously reserved by the .nyc Registry as “Premium Domains” and/or “City Affiliated Domains” will continue to be reserved by the .nyc Registry, and will be unavailable for general registration.