ICANN New gTLD Applicant Auctions
ICANN’s 2012 new generic top-level domain program created contention sets where multiple organizations applied for the same domain string. Private applicant auctions provided a market-based route to resolve those conflicts.
From 2013 to 2021, Innovative Auctions designed and operated the vast majority of these private contention-resolution auctions.
We developed the auction rules, bidder agreements, and operating procedures in alignment with ICANN’s Applicant Guidebook. Our secure platform implemented an ascending-clock auction with second-price proxy bidding.
Our role covered participant onboarding and qualification, bidder training, mock and live auctions, certified results, escrow and settlement coordination, and detailed reporting for each auction.
The program involved approximately 120 organizations, almost 500 applications, and 146 auctions. More than USD 1 billion passed through escrow, and Deloitte LLP audited our processes and results.
The engagement demonstrates our ability to manage complex, high-value, multi-stakeholder auction programs over many years with consistent rules, technology, and governance.