Demand Media, Inc. (DMD) withdrew its first new gTLD application, .Bar.
The application had a prioritization number of 1,689.
According to the ICANN website, “the Geographic Names Panel determined that the .Bar falls within the criteria for a geographic name contained in the Applicant Guidebook Section 2.2.1.4.”
“The applicant was contacted to provide documentation of support/non-objection per Section 2.2.1.4.3 of the Applicant Guidebook.”
“Bar” is a commune of Montenegro.
However DMD planed to operate the domain name as an open generic for everything related to the term Bar including Bars and drinking establishments to lawyers (Bar as in Bar association) and everything in between.
There is still another applicant for .Bar, filed by Punto 2012 Sociedad Anonima Promotora de Inversion de Capital Variable of Mexico.
According to the Mexican company’s application the .bar gTLD is expected to appeal to all entities who identify themselves with the word or the concept of a “bar,ʺ including but not limited to: sushi, espresso or tapas bars (places where food is served and consumed); juice, smoothie, cocktail, martini, and espresso bars (places where drinks are served and consumed); nail, wax or beauty bars (places where beauty treatments are performed); sports, jazz or beach bars (places where people gather to drink and be entertained); candy, chocolate and energy bars (products); and related products and entities”
That application has a prioritization number of 230 but did not have a determination in Initial Evaluation as of yet as it still has to overcome the same Geographic Names Panel requirement of getting a letter of non-objection from that commune of Montenegro.
DMD application for .Bar becomes the 96th new gTLD application to be withdrawn, Demand Media originally applied for 26 new gTLD’s.
