A closed top-level domain (TLD) is a generic top-level domain whose registrations are reserved for the registry operator and its affiliates. Under ICANN’s current 2026 rules, an applicant cannot propose to run a generic string exclusively for itself unless ICANN first approves a public-interest methodology and assessment criteria for closed generics. A qualifying trademark-based .Brand TLD is different: it may restrict registrations to the trademark owner, its affiliates and trademark licensees when it meets ICANN’s Specification 13 requirements.
“Registering a closed TLD” can also mean two different things. An organization may apply to create and operate a new registry, or an eligible registrant may register a second-level name inside an existing restricted TLD. Those are separate rights.
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What “closed TLD” means
The internet domain name system is hierarchical. The final label in a name, such as .com or .example, is the top-level domain. Names created beneath it, such as shop.example, are second-level domains. A registry operator runs the database and technical systems for a TLD; registrars and registrants use that registry under its rules.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems“Closed” describes who may register names beneath the TLD. In ICANN’s terminology, a closed generic is a generic TLD in which the registry operator and its affiliates are the only permitted registrants. The operator also controls the registration policy and, where the rules allow, the DNS records associated with the names.
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A closed TLD is therefore not the same as a private website, an internal DNS suffix or a premium domain name. It is a proposed or existing public DNS top-level registry subject to ICANN policy and contractual requirements. Creating one means operating registry infrastructure; it does not mean buying a suffix from a normal domain registrar.
Who can apply, and who can register names?
ICANN’s current materials distinguish the organization that applies to operate a registry from the people or entities allowed to register names in it.
| Question | Who is eligible | What the right covers |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply to create a new TLD? | An established public or private organization anywhere in the world, subject to eligibility and capability requirements. | Submitting an application to operate registry infrastructure for a proposed string. |
| Who can register under a closed generic? | Under the proposed closed model, only the registry operator and its affiliates. | Registering second-level names inside that TLD. Current ICANN policy does not permit a new generic TLD to use this model without an approved public-interest methodology. |
| Who can register under a qualifying .Brand TLD? | The registry operator, its affiliates and trademark licensees, if the TLD satisfies Specification 13. | Registering names and controlling DNS records at any level, subject to the specification and ICANN review. |
An individual cannot simply purchase a custom suffix for personal use. A company cannot obtain an extension through an ordinary registrar either. The applicant is proposing to become a registry operator and must demonstrate that it can run the service responsibly.
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ICANN’s Board determined in January 2024 that applications for closed generics will not be permitted until an approved methodology and criteria exist for evaluating whether a closed generic serves the public interest. The issue is that a generic word can describe a whole class of goods, services, organizations or things. Giving one operator exclusive control could affect competition, consumer choice and access to an important internet identifier.
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The current application process therefore requires an applicant to affirm that it does not intend to operate an applied-for generic string exclusively for a single person or entity. ICANN can review concerns raised through the application comment process, but the application itself must contain that self-assertion.
The Applicant Guidebook version identified here is V3, dated October 7, 2026. It repeats the prohibition on exclusive use of a generic string and the Board’s position that closed-generics applications cannot be approved before the public-interest methodology and criteria exist. ICANN’s guidebooks and process documents can change, so an applicant should verify the current version and official FAQ before filing or advising on a specific string.
Closed generic versus a trademark-based .Brand TLD
The key distinction is why the operator wants exclusivity. A generic string names a general category. A .Brand TLD identifies a particular trademark and can qualify for restricted registration under a separate contractual framework.
| Issue | Closed generic | Qualifying .Brand TLD |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the string | A term that denominates or describes a general class, rather than distinguishing one brand. | A string identical to textual elements protected by a valid registered trademark under applicable law. |
| Permitted registrants | Operator and affiliates only in the proposed closed model. | Operator, affiliates and trademark licensees under Specification 13. |
| DNS control | Would be limited to the operator’s closed policy, subject to ICANN approval. | Only the operator, affiliates or trademark licensees may be registrants and control DNS records at any level. |
| Current policy status | Not approvable until ICANN adopts a public-interest methodology and criteria. | Potentially available when the trademark and all Specification 13 conditions are satisfied and the application passes review. |
| Evidence required | There is no currently approved route for exclusive operation of a generic string. | Trademark registration evidence, non-generic status and compliance with the specification. |
ICANN’s 2026 guidebook gives “.tree” and “.banana” as examples of strings that may be generic because they describe classes of things. The same guidebook cautions that a string’s classification depends on the facts and that a word could potentially qualify as a .Brand TLD in a particular case. A trademark application alone does not automatically turn a generic category word into an eligible .Brand.
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Specification 13 requirements for a .Brand TLD
Specification 13 is the route that can allow restricted registration for a trademark-based TLD. ICANN lists several cumulative conditions:
- The TLD string must be identical to textual elements protected under applicable law by a valid registered trademark.
- Only the registry operator, its affiliates or trademark licensees may be registrants and control DNS records at any level.
- The TLD must not be a Generic String TLD.
- The operator must provide ICANN with an accurate and complete copy of the trademark registration.
The application is subject to review and a community comment period. Comments, or the absence of objections, do not by themselves decide whether the string qualifies. ICANN evaluates the evidence and the applicable criteria.
That means a company considering a private extension should first determine whether its proposed string is genuinely distinctive as a trademark, not merely a common word used in marketing. It should also confirm that the registration covers the exact textual elements in the TLD and that the intended registrants and DNS controllers fit Specification 13.
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The following sequence describes the decision path without implying that every application will be accepted.
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- Confirm organizational eligibility. The applicant must be an established public or private organization. An individual seeking a personal suffix does not fit the described applicant model.
- Define the registry purpose. Decide whether the string is intended as a broad category, a brand identifier or another permitted TLD type. Document who should be able to register names and who should control DNS records.
- Classify the string honestly. A term that describes a general class may be a generic string even if the applicant uses it commercially. Do not describe a generic term as a .Brand merely to obtain exclusivity.
- Prepare capability evidence. ICANN expects evidence of operational, technical and financial capability to run registry infrastructure. This is a registry-business proposal, not a domain-name purchase.
- Make the required policy affirmation. For the current round, an applicant must confirm that it does not intend to operate an applied-for generic string exclusively for one person or entity.
- Submit through the applicable ICANN process. Follow the current Applicant Guidebook, forms, deadlines and review stages in force when the application window opens. The guidebook version and process details should be checked immediately before filing.
- Respond to review and comments. ICANN may consider issues raised in application comments. For a claimed .Brand TLD, provide the complete trademark evidence and address questions about generic status and Specification 13 compliance.
ICANN’s current materials do not establish a fee, approval probability or timetable for any particular string. Those details are application-round terms and case-specific outcomes, not universal properties of closed TLDs.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can a company own its own domain extension?
In ordinary language, a company can “own” or “have” its own extension, but the legal and technical reality is operation under ICANN’s registry framework. The organization must run or contract for the registry systems, meet continuing obligations and follow the registration policy attached to the TLD category.
A company therefore cannot reserve any word it likes and permanently exclude everyone else. If the word is generic, the current policy blocks the exclusive model unless ICANN later approves a public-interest methodology and criteria. If the word is a qualifying trademark, the company may seek .Brand treatment, but the trademark evidence, non-generic requirement and review still apply.
Can you keep everyone else from registering under your TLD?
For a qualifying .Brand TLD, the answer can be yes within the limits of Specification 13: registrations and DNS control may be limited to the operator, its affiliates and trademark licensees. The restriction must be administered consistently with the specification and the approved registry agreement.
For a generic word, the answer is currently no for a newly proposed closed generic. The applicant must affirm that it does not intend to reserve the string exclusively for itself or an affiliate, and ICANN’s Board has paused approval of closed-generics applications pending a public-interest framework.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing a TLD with a second-level domain. Buying
company.exampleis not the same as applying to operate.example. - Assuming a trademark makes any word private. A qualifying .Brand requires a valid registered trademark, an exact textual match and proof that the string is not a Generic String TLD.
- Calling a corporate intranet suffix a closed TLD. Internal DNS namespaces are not applications for an ICANN-operated top-level registry.
- Ignoring affiliates and licensees. A .Brand policy must account for which related entities and trademark licensees may register names and control DNS records.
- Treating comments as automatic approval. Community comments can inform review, but silence or a lack of objections does not establish qualification.
- Relying on an old guidebook. The current materials identified here are dated October 7, 2026; confirm the latest ICANN documents before making a filing decision.
A practical decision checklist
Before investing in a proposed extension, an organization should be able to answer these questions:
- Is the proposed applicant an established public or private organization?
- Is the string a general category term or a distinctive trademark identifier?
- If it is presented as a .Brand, is there a valid registered trademark identical to the TLD’s textual elements?
- Will registrations and DNS control be limited to the operator, affiliates and, where applicable, trademark licensees?
- Can the organization demonstrate operational, technical and financial capability to run a registry?
- Can it truthfully affirm that it does not intend to operate a generic string exclusively for itself or one affiliate?
- Has the latest Applicant Guidebook and closed-generics FAQ been checked for changes?
What remains case-specific
No general definition can decide whether a particular proposed word is generic, whether a particular trademark satisfies Specification 13 or whether ICANN would approve a particular application. Those questions depend on the string, the trademark record, the applicant’s structure, the intended registration policy and the evidence submitted. The safe approach is to classify the string first, then test the proposed operating model against the current ICANN rules rather than assuming that a company’s commercial use creates a private right to the suffix.
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