{"id":519,"date":"2026-09-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/reveal-day-watchlist-gtld-applications\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T09:00:00","slug":"reveal-day-watchlist-gtld-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/blog\/reveal-day-watchlist-gtld-applications\/","title":{"rendered":"1,616 gTLD applications confirmed: build your watchlist before Reveal Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>ICANN confirmed on 22 September 2026 that 1,616 of the 1,663 applications submitted in the 2026 new gTLD round will go ahead; the other 47 dropped out because the evaluation fee was not paid. The strings will be published on Reveal Day, no later than 14 October. For brand owners, the practical step now is a Reveal Day watchlist: the marks, sector terms and variants you will check against the list the day it appears.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Update (October 2026):<\/strong> on 29 September ICANN set Reveal Day for 7 October 2026 at 18:00 UTC, the replacement period from 8 to 21 October, String Confirmation Day for 17 November and the community input and objections period from 17 November 2026 to 16 March 2027. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icann.org\/en\/announcements\/details\/icann-announces-date-for-reveal-day-and-other-2026-round-milestones-29-09-2026-en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICANN, 29 September 2026<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>1,616 applications proceed<\/strong>; 47 did not, for lack of payment.<\/li>\n<li>Reveal Day will show applicants, applied-for strings, variants, replacement strings and contention sets.<\/li>\n<li>Each application could name one replacement string, which the applicant may switch to in the 14 days after Reveal Day.<\/li>\n<li>Objections, comments and notifications only open on String Confirmation Day; the watchlist is what lets you use that window well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What did ICANN confirm on 22 September?<\/h2>\n<p>In its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.icann.org\/en\/announcements\/details\/icann-confirms-number-of-applications-proceeding-in-the-2026-round-22-09-2026-en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announcement of 22 September 2026<\/a>, ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) said 1,663 applications were submitted and 1,616 will proceed, because payment was received for them, a condition to remain in the round. It repeated that Reveal Day would take place no later than 14 October 2026, nine weeks after the window closed, on the Application Publication and Statistics website, and said further milestone dates would follow the next week.<\/p>\n<p>ICANN also warned that some applicants have disclosed their applications on their own, and advised relying only on official ICANN sources. Press reports of who applied for what are not a substitute for the official list.<\/p>\n<h2>What will Reveal Day publish?<\/h2>\n<p>Under section 1.2.2.2 of the <a href=\"https:\/\/newgtldprogram-2026-agb.icann.org\/en\/5-module-1-the-applicant-journey.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 Applicant Guidebook<\/a>, ICANN will publish the applications that passed the Administrative Check, with the applied-for strings, their variants, any replacement strings and the contention sets, meaning groups of applications competing for the same string. Section 1.2.1.5 allowed one replacement string per application; during the 14-day replacement period (1.2.2.3) an applicant may swap its primary string for that alternative. String Confirmation Day (1.2.2.4) then fixes the final list.<\/p>\n<p>The consequence for a watchlist is simple: check replacement strings as well as primary ones, and check again on String Confirmation Day.<\/p>\n<h2>How to build a Reveal Day watchlist<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Watch for<\/th>\n<th>Examples<\/th>\n<th>Why it matters<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>House marks and key product brands<\/td>\n<td>The exact mark, with and without spaces or hyphens<\/td>\n<td>A third party&#8217;s TLD matching your mark is the core case for a Legal Rights Objection<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Close variants<\/td>\n<td>Misspellings, look-alike characters, singular and plural forms<\/td>\n<td>A plural or near match may still create confusion; singular and plural pairs have their own notification route<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Translations and other scripts<\/td>\n<td>Spanish, Portuguese and French versions; transliterations; IDN strings<\/td>\n<td>Relevant for brands trading across Europe, Latin America and Africa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sector terms<\/td>\n<td>Generic words your customers associate with your industry<\/td>\n<td>Not grounds for objection by themselves, but they show where registrations of your brand may cluster after launch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Applicants<\/td>\n<td>Competitors, former partners, distributors<\/td>\n<td>An application by a known party may need a different response<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Next to each entry, note the registered rights you hold, in which countries, and who approves action. That is what makes a fast decision possible once the list is out.<\/p>\n<h2>What can you do if a string on the list affects you?<\/h2>\n<p>Module 4 of the <a href=\"https:\/\/newgtldprogram-2026-agb.icann.org\/en\/8-module-4-community-input-objections-and-appeals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Applicant Guidebook<\/a> sets the tools, all of which run from String Confirmation Day:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Legal Rights Objection: for rights holders whose existing legal rights the string infringes, administered by WIPO. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wipo.int\/en\/web\/amc\/domain-name-disputes\/lro\/fees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WIPO fee schedule<\/a> sets a non-refundable USD 2,000 filing fee and a USD 8,000 panel fee for one expert.<\/li>\n<li>Application comments: anyone may comment on the Application Comment Forum, and relevant comments may be taken into account in evaluation.<\/li>\n<li>Singular and plural notifications: within 30 days of String Confirmation Day, citing authoritative dictionaries.<\/li>\n<li>String Confusion Objections are reserved for existing TLD operators and other applicants, so most brand owners cannot file one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What this means for your business<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Draft the watchlist this week, starting with the marks that carry revenue.<\/li>\n<li>Gather certificates and evidence of use for each mark in the markets that matter.<\/li>\n<li>Assign one person to screen the list on Reveal Day and again on String Confirmation Day.<\/li>\n<li>Set a budget threshold for objections in advance.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/services\/domain-names\/\">new gTLD Reveal Day watchlist and domain protection service<\/a> can draft the list with you and screen the published strings against your portfolio.<\/p>\n<h2>Where brand owners get Reveal Day wrong<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Watching primary strings only, and missing the replacement string that ends up confirmed.<\/li>\n<li>Waiting for String Confirmation Day to prepare, then losing weeks of a fixed window gathering evidence.<\/li>\n<li>Relying on press lists instead of ICANN&#8217;s official publication.<\/li>\n<li>Assuming a matching mark is enough. A Legal Rights Objection needs well-documented rights, so check your <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/services\/trademarks\/\">trademark coverage in the relevant markets<\/a> now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>How many applications are in the 2026 gTLD round?<\/h3>\n<p>ICANN received 1,663 applications and confirmed on 22 September 2026 that 1,616 will proceed, because their evaluation fee was paid. The remaining 47 dropped out for lack of payment. The strings and applicants are published on Reveal Day on ICANN&#8217;s Application Publication and Statistics website.<\/p>\n<h3>What should a Reveal Day watchlist include?<\/h3>\n<p>Your house marks and main product brands, close variants such as misspellings and plurals, translations and transliterations in your markets&#8217; languages, and key sector terms. Add the competitors or partners whose applications you would want to know about, and record which registered rights support each entry.<\/p>\n<h3>Can IP Global Guard screen the Reveal Day list for my brands?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. We build the watchlist with you, screen the published and confirmed strings against your marks and advise whether a comment, notification or Legal Rights Objection is justified. We prepare and coordinate any objection with WIPO, directly where our professionals are entitled to act and through qualified representatives otherwise.<\/p>\n<h2>How IP Global Guard gets you ready for Reveal Day<\/h2>\n<p>IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, manages domain names and trademarks with one strategy and one billing relationship across more than 25 jurisdictions; see our <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/coverage\/\">coverage in Europe, Latin America and Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Send us the marks and product names you want screened and the markets where you trade. We will turn them into a watchlist before Reveal Day and report back on any string that needs action. <a href=\"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/contact\/\">Send your list to our domain team<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icann.org\/en\/announcements\/details\/icann-confirms-number-of-applications-proceeding-in-the-2026-round-22-09-2026-en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICANN, ICANN confirms number of applications proceeding in the 2026 Round (22 September 2026)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/newgtldprogram-2026-agb.icann.org\/en\/5-module-1-the-applicant-journey.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICANN, 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook, Module 1: The Applicant Journey<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/newgtldprogram-2026-agb.icann.org\/en\/8-module-4-community-input-objections-and-appeals.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICANN, 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook, Module 4: Community Input, Objections and Appeals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wipo.int\/en\/web\/amc\/domain-name-disputes\/lro\/fees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, Legal Rights Objection schedule of fees<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.icann.org\/en\/announcements\/details\/icann-announces-date-for-reveal-day-and-other-2026-round-milestones-29-09-2026-en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICANN, ICANN announces date for Reveal Day and other 2026 Round milestones (29 September 2026, update only)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ICANN confirms 1,616 of 1,663 applications proceed in the 2026 gTLD round. What Reveal Day will publish and how to build a string watchlist in advance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[60,62,58],"class_list":["post-519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-domain-names","tag-icann","tag-new-gtlds","tag-wipo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipglobalguard.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}