NameJet and XYZ.COM announced they have partnered “in a groundbreaking advanced auction format prior to the release of the TLD to the open market in 2014.”
“Forty premium .XYZ and .COLLEGE domain names will be offered in this first-of-its-kind advance auction, where the highest bidder purchases an option to acquire the domain at the winning price, taking possession of the domain when it becomes available at the registry.”
“As more gTLDs become available, individuals and organizations will have more choices for developing their brand and improving their customer user experience on the Internet. There will be new opportunities to claim keyword rich domains that have not been available in the .COM space for nearly 20 years.
“Below is a sample of the exclusive domain names being offered during these advance auctions:”
loans.college
scholarships.college
vacations.xyz
insurancequotes.xyz
students.college
jobs.college
auctions.xyz
health.xyz
The first of the advance auctions begin on November 6th, 2013, and the last of the 40 domains will be auctioned by February 28th, 2014. “
In addition to offering these advanced auctions for the registry, NameJet will also oversee both the Sunrise and Landrush auctions for the .XYZ and .COLLEGE launches.
The auction is surprising since ICANN has been pretty clear that domain name cannot be delegated or even sold to anyone until after the Sunrise period for each new gTLD has been completed and any “sale” prior to the end of Sunrise is subject to being taken in Sunrise by a trademark holder.
It will be interesting to see the what disclaimers the auction site provides when the auction goes live.…
