.max

1. .MAX is an abbreviation for "maximum," representing the highest level, greatest amount, or peak of something — the universal indicator of the highest standard and premium quality. While registrations would be open without restriction, the .MAX namespace is expected to attract organizations and individuals offering or representing premium, high-quality products and services. These include luxury brands and high-end service providers; technology companies offering premium tier versions of their products; premium event organizers; and personal branding for athletes, executives, and thought leaders. Related activities already carried out (or planned for launch) include: registry service provider evaluations, technical readiness for DNS stability and DNSSEC, IDN support, and ensuring providers meet benchmarks for resolution stability and query response time. Required rights protection mechanisms will include the Trademark Clearinghouse, Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), and Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS). Having served a decade as Registry Operator for the .CAM gTLD, we have gathered extensive experience in registry operations, registrar communication, user awareness campaigns, and TLD promotion. We will leverage this expertise to make .MAX a success. It is a priority to offer best practice operations, best-in-class technical infrastructure, and full compliance with Registry Operator policy. All registry operations would comply with applicable privacy and data protection laws, and registrants would be required to adhere to lawful use standards. To further protect registrants and internet users, we work alongside trusted DNS services like CleanDNS for spam handling, registry-lock services, and rapid takedown mechanisms to respond to malicious use. Communication with Registrars will commence as soon as possible to raise awareness, and ensure an effective launch of the .MAX TLD. Registration would be open on a first-come, first-served basis following extensive Sunrise and Landrush periods giving existing intellectual property rights owners the opportunity to secure and protect their names ahead of the general public. Followed by the outreach to luxury brand networks and premium product industry associations for the development of a .MAX usage. Attendance and participation at ICANN Meetings, and other relevant events, is planned. 2. The purpose of .MAX is to provide a short, powerful namespace connoting maximum quality, premium status, and the highest standard. The universal use of "Max" as a premium tier indicator across software, automotive, hospitality, and consumer goods underscores the need for a dedicated namespace for maximum quality. This purpose is sustainable because the concept of premium positioning is universal across industries, and brands continuously segment with maximum-value tiers. Real-world examples such as max-branded mobile data plans, flagship automobile trims, and premium streaming subscriptions demonstrate ongoing demand for a namespace that signals the highest standard.

The main string "max" applied by the applicant is aimed at global users. The core concept of Max is usually related to "maximum value", "limit", and "maximization". The core meaning is maximum, the highest limit, reaching the limit or maximization, such as quantity, degree, and specification limits. Max can also be indirectly understood as a person or something unleashing all their energy, viewed as a 'great power'. When the application scenario is used to describe a technology or product, it can release powerful (reaching its limit in quantity) performance, and people will compare this "limit state" to an explosion of power. Meanwhile, when a person is in a certain environment, they can also unleash their greatest instinct and release all their energy, thus not fearing any challenges. The mission and goal of the applicant's application string "max" is to provide global users with more personalized and diversified Internet resource choices. Whether Internet users are young people who want to establish personal brands, small enterprises who want to expand global business, or enthusiasts who want to gather interests, they have the right to have a network logo that best represents themselves, have a "max" domain name to release their full energy, and focus on their own brand or logo, so that groups with different economic strength and cultural background can enter into the domain name marketing, and promote the healthy development of the diversification of the Internet domain name marketing. The applicant will use various marketing activities related to the actual usage of domain names in the operation of Max, in order to be more committed to promoting the practical usage of the domain name marketing.

The proposed .max top-level domain represents the everyday idea of the maximum - the fullest, biggest, or best version of something. The word is common shorthand across ordinary usage: top product tiers, upgraded offerings, personal bests, and "to the max" as a plain expression of going all in. Intercap Registry proposes to operate .max as an open namespace, available for registration by the general public without restriction. Intended registrants include individuals, creators, businesses, and organizations of all kinds that want a short, memorable address for their fullest offering - a top tier, a flagship, a personal best. Intended users are members of the general public seeking those registrants and their content. Intercap Registry will make .max names available worldwide through ICANN-accredited registrars, promote awareness and adoption of the namespace, publish its registration policies ahead of launch, operate the TLD openly, respond promptly to reports of abuse, and comply with applicable safeguards. Demand for this category is sustainable: describing something as the top or fullest version is a standing feature of commerce and everyday language across every sector and not tied to a single trend or single company.

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.

The mission of .MAX is to provide a namespace associated with the applied-for string. The .MAX gTLD is intended to serve a broad range of registrants and users, including individuals, businesses, organizations, communities, projects, and other entities that identify with, relate to, or wish to be associated with the concept represented by the applied-for string. The purpose of .MAX is to enable registrants to establish online identities using domain names that correspond to this concept. To achieve this purpose, Paws Button, LLC will make .MAX available for registration through registrars and other appropriate distribution channels; maintain a secure, stable, and reliable registry infrastructure; implement registration and operational policies that support the availability, security, and integrity of the namespace; and provide ongoing administration of the gTLD to enable registrants to register and use domain names within the namespace. The purpose of .MAX is sustainable over time because the applied-for string is broadly recognized and has broad applicability across a wide range of contexts. As society, technology, and methods of communication evolve, organizations and individuals will continue to establish online identities associated with the applied-for string.

1. Describe the mission and purpose of the applied-for gTLD. .max helps performance brands, premium product tiers, and value-driven retailers create a clear and memorable online presence for their strongest offering, making it easier for shoppers to instantly recognize the best or fullest version. In three confident letters, a name signals "the most" before a visitor even arrives. Intended Registrants: Performance-oriented brands and product lines, fitness and athletic companies, pricing and value retailers, premium or upgrade tiers, and creators whose identity centers on peak results. Intended Users: Consumers comparing products by top capability, shoppers seeking maximum value, fitness and wellness audiences, and visitors looking for a brand's highest offering. Related Activities Supporting the Purpose: • Awareness-building linking the namespace to peak performance and top-tier value. • Registrar distribution for broad commercial and personal availability. • Registrant education on naming patterns such as product.max or plan.max. • Community outreach to retail, performance, and fitness segments. • Responsible registry operations consistent with standard practice. .max gives a name an immediate sense of scale. It signals the top of a range: the fullest version, the highest tier, the strongest result. That association is what makes it valuable as an online identity layer. The purpose of .max is to give brands, products, and individuals a short, confident address that communicates "the most" before a visitor clicks. A retailer can point value.max at its best deals; a fitness label can turn power.max into a recognizable presence; a product line can mark its premium edition with a max-named address. The domain points to a destination and tells people what to expect there. For registrants, the appeal is compression. Instead of stacking words like "best" or "ultimate" into a long address, a brand expresses superiority in three letters that read the same in every market, helping a product stand out online and stay easy to recall. The namespace is intentionally focused. It is built for names where reaching the top of a category, a range, or a personal goal is the point, which distinguishes it from broad commercial extensions and from adjacent strings centered on discovery or trust. 2. Explain how this purpose is sustainable over time. The durability of .max rests on a permanent feature of markets: buyers and sellers sort nearly everything into tiers, and the top tier is where margin, aspiration, and competition concentrate. Wherever options span a range, someone builds and sells the maximum version. Manufacturers ship a base model and a top model; retailers separate everyday value from best value; providers publish a standard plan and a highest plan. The line between "more" and "most" is how pricing and consumer choice function, not a passing trend. "Max" is among the clearest, most portable ways to make that claim; it has already entered product naming across electronics, automotive, retail, and fitness because it compresses "the fullest version of this" into a syllable needing no translation. A naming layer built on that word inherits the same staying power. Every product cycle yields a new top model; every promotion re-establishes a best offer; every subscription eventually adds a higher plan. These repeat on the cadence of commerce, and each repetition gives a brand fresh reason to name and point to its peak offering, so the concept refreshes rather than ages out.

The mission of .max is to provide a memorable namespace for businesses, products, services and individuals focused on performance, optimization, achievement and reaching their full potential.

1. Mission and purpose. This gTLD will be operated as an open, unrestricted generic top-level domain. Its purpose is to expand naming choice in the DNS by making this term available at the top level for any lawful use chosen by the registrant. Registrations will be available to all registrants on a first-come, first-served basis through ICANN-accredited registrars, subject only to the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. The applicant will not operate this gTLD on an exclusive basis. 2. Intended registrants and users. Intended registrants are individuals, businesses, and other organizations worldwide seeking a short, meaningful domain name. There are no eligibility or name selection restrictions beyond those required by the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. Intended users are internet users worldwide who access domain names registered in this gTLD. 3. Related activities. The applicant is an established registry operator under contract with ICANN for 35 gTLDs, including .xyz. It has in place a qualified Registry Service Provider, distribution agreements with ICANN-accredited registrars across multiple regions, and all required rights protection mechanisms and DNS abuse mitigation practices. For this gTLD the applicant will onboard the TLD to its existing registry platform, conduct a Sunrise Period and Trademark Claims Period, launch General Availability through its registrar channel, and maintain ongoing registrar enablement, abuse monitoring, and compliance reporting. 4. Sustainability. Operation is funded by recurring registration and renewal revenue and does not depend on any single registrant, sector, or campaign. This gTLD will run on the applicant's existing shared registry infrastructure, so incremental operating cost is low and no minimum registration volume is required for viability. The applicant has operated gTLDs continuously since 2014.