Do we have our first new gTLD application trade?

Top Level Domain Holdings (TLDH) withdrew two applications tonight one for .Review which had a prioritization number of 492 and its application for .Science which had a prioritization number of 924, leaving Famous Four as the sole remaining applicant for each of those extensions.

Famous Four withdrew its 1st new gTLD application for .Fit leaving Top Level Domain Holdings as the sole applicant.

Was it a trade or just a coincidence?

We have reached out to both TLDH and Famous Four to see if we can get a statement.

We should point out while there is only one application for .Fit now there is still an application for .Fitness which was filed by Donuts.

Likewise, while there is only one applicant for .review, Donuts has an application for .Reviews.

L’Oréal  dropped another brand application tonight as well, as it withdrew the application for .Garnier which had a prioritization number of 927.

L’Oréal has now withdrew 5 of the 14 new gTLD its applied for, all brand applications.

With today’s activity, there are now 87 new gTLD applications withdrawn with ICANN.

UPDATE: Today June 26th the above has been confirmed by a press release of TLDH:

“””The Directors of Top Level Domain Holdings (AIM: TLDH) are pleased to announce that the Company has resolved the contention for three of its gTLD applications – .fit, .science, and .review –following an agreement with gTLD investor Domain Venture Partners PCC Limited and its associates Platinum Registry Limited, dot Science Limited, dot Review Limited and Famous Four Media Limited.  Each of TLDH’s applications for the three gTLD strings in question were in contention with single competing applications by entities managed by Famous Four Media Limited.

“”As a result of the agreement, Platinum Registry Limited has withdrawn its application for .fit, leaving TLDH as the only applicant, and TLDH has withdrawn its applications for .science and .review in exchange for a revenue share in the .review registry to be operated by dot Review Limited”.

“TLDH now has interests in 23 uncontested applications,  including 15 wholly/majority owned applications, 6 where it is acting as the registry service provider for client applications, 1 equal joint venture, and 1 where it will receive a minority revenue share. Of the remaining 63 applications which TLDH either wholly-owns, is a joint-venture partner, or is acting as the registry service provider, 7 are in contention with a single other applicant, 17 with two other applicants and 39 are in contention with three or more applicants.”