Glossary

Note: this page is available in English only

A

• A-label

  An A-label is the ASCII version of a U-label. In other words, an A-label uses ASCII characters only (A-Z, 0-9 and/or ‘-’) to display the domain name.

• Advanced Fee Structure

  The Advanced Fee Structure is applicable when a Trademark Holder/Trademark Agent uses a prepaid account. It provides additional volume discounts. Trademark Agents will, by default, use the Advanced Fee structure.

• Applicant Guidebook (AG)

  The Applicant Guidebook (AG), drafted by ICANN, provides step-by-step the procedure for new gTLD applicants. It specifies what documents and information are required to apply, the financials and legal commitments of operating a new gTLD, and what to expect during the application and evaluation periods. You can access to the AG by clicking on the following link: https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/agb.

• Application Programming Interface (API)

  The Application Programming Interface (API) is available only for Trademark Agents. It allows them to access to the Trademark Clearinghouse database and select its related services in an automated way. For example, the API gives them the possibility to submit trademark records by bulk.

B

• Basic Fee Structure

  The Basic Fee Structure is only applicable when a Trademark Holder needs to pay via credit-card when submitting new trademark records.

C

• Country Code Top-level Domain (ccTLD)

  A Country Code Top-level Domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code.

D

• Database Provider

  The Database Provider is the party appointed by ICANN to operate and manage the central database for the storage of trademark records that have been activated.

• Domain name

  A Domain Name is a name consisting of two or more (for example, john.smith.name) levels, maintained in a registry database.

• Domain Name Registrants

  Domain Name Registrants are individuals or organizations that want to apply for one or more domain names with a registry. Some domain name registrants are trademark holders.

E

• Eligibility Requirements

  The Eligibility Requirements are the requirements specified by ICANN that a trademark record must satisfy in order to be accepted into the Trademark Clearinghouse as an activated trademark record, as described in the Trademark Clearinghouse Guidelines.

• Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP)

  An Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) is an XML based protocol used by the Internet industry, particularly the registrars and registries in managing domain names (register, renew, modify, delete, transfer) and other elements in a Shared Registry System environment. It is the standard protocol used by a majority of gTLDs and ccTLDs.

F

• Fee Schedule

  The Fee Schedule is a document that describes the various options and associated fees for submitting a trademark record into the Trademark Clearinghouse. The Fee Schedule can be accessed by clicking here.

G

• Generic Top Level Domain (gTLD)

  A Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) is an internet domain name extension with three or more characters which can reference a generic word or topic.

I

• ICANN-Accredited Registrar

  An ICANN-Accredited Registrar is a company that has been accredited by ICANN to act as a registrar in one or more top-level domains. The list of ICANN-Accredited Registrar is available via the following link: https://www.icann.org/registrar-reports/accredited-list.html.

• Internationalized Domain Name (IDN)

  An Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) is a domain name that includes characters used scripts other than the basic Latin alphabet; such as Arabic, Chinese and Russian script.

• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

  The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a nonprofit organization, based in the US, responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces of the Internet, ensuring the network’s stable and secure operation. ICANN performs the actual technical maintenance work of the Central Internet Address pools and DNS root zone registries pursuant to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) function contract.

• Invalid

  A trademark record in the TMCH receives a status “invalid” when after the correction procedure, the trademark record does not meet the eligibility requirements specified in the TMCH guidelines.

M

• Matching rules

  The Matching Rules as described in the Trademark Clearinghouse Guidelines define the label generation for trademark records in The Trademark Clearinghouse. EXAMPLE: the mark “TRADEMARK CLEARINGHOUSE” will generate the labels “TRADEMARKCLEARINGHOUSE” and “TRADEMARK-CLEARINGHOUSE”.

N

• New gTLD Program

  The New gTLD Program is an initiative coordinated by the ICANN organization that is enabling a bigger expansion of the domain name system.

• Notifications of Registered Name (NORN)

  The Notifications of Registered Name (NORN) are notifications sent by the Trademark Clearinghouse to a trademark holder during a Sunrise Period or Trademark Claims Period that a domain name has been registered that exactly matches a label for one of his trademark records.

P

• Prepaid Account

  A Prepaid Account is the account by fund deposit of TMCH agents or TMCH holders allowing them to renew and register new TM records and new services in the TMCH.

R

• Registrar

  A Registrar is an entity that interfaces with a domain name registrant to register or maintain the registration of domain names in a top-level domain (TLD).

• Registry

  A Registry is the contracted party that manages TLDs through authority delegated to them by ICANN. Registries selected in the new gTLD program are mandated to connect to the Trademark Clearinghouse as part of the right protection mechanism.

S

• SMD file (Signed Mark Data)

  A Signed Mark Data (SMD) file is similar to a token. It is a file generated by the Trademark Clearinghouse once the trademark record and the Proof of Use have been verified. This SMD has a public and encrypted identification part and allows trademark holder access to Sunrise Periods or other services such as the DPML.

• Status Points

  The Status Points are the points earned by Trademark Agents/Holders who registered trademark records and participated in the advanced fee structure. The Status Points indicated on a Trademark Holders or Trademark Agents’ Status Counter will determine the applicable fee for registering a Trademark Record at the moment of registration.

• Sunrise Period

  The Sunrise Period refers to a pre-launch phase during which Trademark Holders/Agents can preregister domain names matching their trademarks records in the Trademark Clearinghouse. This phase is mandated by ICANN for all New gTLDs and occurs prior to the general launch of the TLD. In order to register, the group or individual must be able to prove their verified rights by providing the SMD to their Registrar.

T

• Top-level Domain (TLD)

  A Top-Level Domain (TLD) is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. The top-level domain names are installed in the root zone of the name space. For example, in the domain name www.example.com, the top-level domain is .com.

• Trademark Agent

  A Trademark Agent is an individual or an entity that interfaces with the Trademark holders in order to manage Trademark Clearinghouse records on behalf of the Trademark holders. As a Trademark Agent, you will receive the notifications for your Trademark Holders about the sunrise services or trademark claims services.

• Trademark Claims Period

  The Trademark Claims Period is a 90 days period following the opening date of a top-level domain for general domain name registration during which each TLD must provide trademark claims services.

• Trademark Claims Service

  The Trademark Claims Service generates real-time notifications to someone applying to register a domain name matching a trademark record in the Trademark Clearinghouse. It also notifies Trademark Holders when domain names are registered that match trademark records in the Trademark Clearinghouse. This notification service is mandated by ICANN and is mandatory in all new gTLDs.

• Trademark Clearinghouse

  The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) consists of two primary functions: (i) the authentication of contact information and verification of trademark records and (ii) the storage of such trademark records in a database in order to provide information to the new gTLD registries and (iii) support the providing of Notification of Registered Name (NORN).

  A validation partner has been appointed by ICANN to provide the Trademark Clearinghouse verification services, a part of the Trademark Clearinghouse: the central repository for verified trademark records for the purpose of protecting brands in ICANN’s new gTLD program.

• Trademark Clearinghouse Guidelines

  The Trademark Clearinghouse Guidelines, approved by ICANN, provide an overview of the eligibility requirements and the verification guidelines of trademark records in the TMCH. The Trademark Clearinghouse Guidelines can be accessed by clicking here.

• Trademark Clearinghouse Web User Interface

  The Trademark Clearinghouse Web User Interface is an online web-application where Trademark Agents and Trademark Holders can regisrer and manage their trademark records, accounts and related services.

• Trademark Holder

  A Trademark Holder is an individual or an entity and its designees (such as licensees or assignees) that have, or desire to have, their eligible trademark rights included in the Trademark Clearinghouse.

• Trademark Record

  A Trademark Record is a registered trademark, a court validated trademark, a trademark protected under statute or treaty, or any other trademarks in accordance to the Clearinghouse Guidelines which is technically submitted to the Trademark Clearinghouse.

U

• U-label

  A U-label is an IDN domain name with special characters, such as belgië.be.

• Unicode

  The Unicode is an international encoding standard describing a repertoire of characters used to represent most of the world’s languages in written format. The Unicode standard contains tables that list the “code points” (unique numbers) for each local character identified. The collection of scripts used to do this is maintained by the Unicode Consortium.

• Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)

  The Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) is a process established by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the resolution of disputes regarding the registration of internet domain names.

V

• Verification Service

  The Verification Service concerns all the verification process to check that the information provided is accurate, correct and meets the Trademark Clearinghouse Guidelines.

• Verified

  A trademark record is set on “verified” by the TMCH validators if all the information provided is accurate, correct and meets the Trademark Clearingouse Guidelines.