.mark

Mission and Purpose The gTLD "Dot Mark" is a purpose-driven, verified generic top-level domain created exclusively for validated trademark rights holders worldwide. It replicates the proven success of the Chinese-script "商标" TLD—a model where domain registration mandates strict trademark rights verification, transforming the domain string itself into an authoritative trust mark of brand authenticity. Its mission is to ensure that every active domain under the Dot Mark TLD represents a validated trademark right, providing global consumers with a trusted web links leading to genuine goods and services, while equipping brand owners with a powerful institutional tool to combat counterfeiting, impersonation, and cybersquatting. Target Registrants Registration is strictly restricted to applicants who can demonstrate verifiable trademark rights. This includes owners of registered word or combined marks; unregistered brand identities backed by formal judicial rulings or administrative determinations; trademarks protected through the Madrid System or other multinational frameworks; and marks successfully validated by the TMCH. All applicants—whether for-profit enterprises, non-profit organizations, or individual entrepreneurs—must pass the registry’s rigorous trademark rights verification workflow to confirm their status as the genuine rights holder before domain allocation. Target Users Users are global consumers who, by visiting a domain such as brand.mark, gain immediate cryptographic and policy-backed assurance that the associated brand identity has been independently validated. This dramatically reduces the risks of phishing, counterfeit purchases, and fraudulent services. Activities to Fulfill the Mission 1. Rigorous Trademark Verification: Establish and enforce comprehensive registry verification policies requiring detailed examination of official trademark certificates, records from trademark databases across all jurisdictions worldwide, and supporting legal evidence, executed by a specialized validation team and augmented by automated cross checks with global IP databases. 2. Class-Aligned Rights Protection: Implement registry-level allocation policies and dispute resolution mechanisms that respect international trademark classification systems, mitigating the registration of confusingly similar domains and safeguarding legitimate brand owners against unfair competition within corresponding sectors. Long-Term Sustainability The gTLD "Dot Mark" possesses long-term sustainability that is fundamentally rooted in the universal, permanent necessity of trademark and brand protection. As the global digital economy continues to expand rapidly, brand impersonation and counterfeit trade have escalated into a persistent, multi-billion-dollar threat to global commerce. A rigorously validated, exclusive namespace delivers a sustainable, highly cost-effective digital channel identifier for trademark holders worldwide. This intrinsic corporate value drives stable registration demand and consistently high annual renewal rates. The registry will directly replicate its proven, successful operational model from the Chinese-script "商标" TLD—where increased consumer trust and significantly reduced infringement risks incentivize brand owners to retain their domains long-term—and transition these best practices seamlessly to the Dot Mark gTLD. Future registration and renewal revenues will robustly and continuously fund core long-term operations, including specialized verification management, international marketing promotion, and advanced technical security upgrades. Armed with a robust governance framework and deep, specialized expertise in the fusion of trademark law and DNS management, the Dot Mark TLD will stabilize its position as a highly credible, sustainable, and indispensable global namespace for decades to come.

Link Freedom Group (LFG) aspires to become a best-in-class, vertically integrated domain name registration authority, see linkfreedomgroup.link. This TLD is part of a carefully curated portfolio of strings that LFG intends to pursue in ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD Program. In assembling this portfolio, LFG focused on securing meaningful, memorable, and commercially compelling strings that resonate strongly with end users and offer long-term growth potential. Over the past four years, LFG (Nova Registry) has successfully grown its flagship TLD, .LINK, from approximately 125,000 to more than 300,000 domains under management. This growth has been driven by innovative distribution strategies, the expansion of registrar partnerships, and a granular pricing model that has enabled .LINK to remain competitively priced while avoiding the significant fee increases implemented by some other registry operators. LFG’s experience in the domain name industry has reinforced one of the key lessons from the 2012 application round: long-term sustainability is strengthened through portfolio diversification. By spreading operational costs and mitigating revenue fluctuations across multiple TLDs, LFG is better positioned to withstand market volatility and invest in continued growth. Accordingly, LFG believes that even obtaining a subset of the TLDs for which it has applied will establish a diversified portfolio capable of supporting long-term economic stability, operational resilience, and sustainable growth.

Registered Agents Inc's mission for .mark is to provide a stable, open, general-use namespace for signs, identifiers, projects, creative works, people, organizations, and lawful commercial activity. Intended registrants include individuals, creators, businesses, and organizations seeking a concise online identifier; intended users are those who locate and interact with those registrants online. To carry out this purpose, Registered Agents Inc will distribute registrations through ICANN-accredited registrars under published, non-exclusive policies; support standard registration lifecycles and all required rights-protection mechanisms; maintain resilient DNS, DNSSEC, RDAP, data escrow, and registry operations through its selected RSP arrangements; and operate abuse and rights-related intake and response controls. Registrar onboarding, service support, and measured marketing will develop awareness and lawful use. The purpose is sustainable through a shared six-TLD operating platform, committed internal funding, scalable infrastructure and provider capacity, and a conservative registration-fee model. A .mark registration does not create trademark rights, establish ownership of a mark, or certify legitimacy or endorsement.