New gTLD Auction Records & Contention History
The authoritative historical ledger of the 2012 ICANN expansion auctions. Analyze nine-figure bidding wars, private settlement proceeds, runner-up contenders, and modern registration multiples.
Top gTLD Contention Auction Results
| TLD | Winning Bidder | Winning Bid | Auction Date | Auction Type | Runner-Up Applicants | Active Regs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .web | Nu Dotco LLC (Verisign backed) | $135,000,000 | 2016-07-27 | ICANN Last Resort | Afilias (Identity Digital), Google (Charleston Road), Radix, Donuts, Schlitterbahn | Unlaunched |
| .shop | GMO Registry Inc. | $41,501,000 | 2016-01-27 | ICANN Last Resort | Amazon EU S.a.r.l., Google, Famous Four Media, Donuts, Radix | 1,420,000 |
| .app | Charleston Road Registry (Google) | $25,001,000 | 2015-02-25 | ICANN Last Resort | Amazon EU S.a.r.l., Donuts, Minds + Machines, Radix | 685,000 |
| .blog | Knock Knock WHOIS There LLC (Automattic / WordPress) | $19,000,000 | 2015-08-13 | ICANN Last Resort | Google, Donuts, Minds + Machines, Radix | 215,000 |
| .spot | Amazon EU S.a.r.l. | $22,000,000 | 2015-10-15 | ICANN Last Resort | Google (Charleston Road Registry) | 1,200 |
| .buy | Amazon EU S.a.r.l. | $4,588,888 | 2014-09-17 | ICANN Last Resort | Google, Famous Four Media, Donuts | 4,500 |
| .realty | Fegistry LLC | $5,588,888 | 2014-11-19 | ICANN Last Resort | National Association of Realtors, Donuts | 12,400 |
| .tech | Radix (Dot Tech LLC) | $6,760,000 | 2014-09-18 | Private Settlement Auction | Donuts, Google, Uniregistry | 540,000 |
| .hotel | Afilias plc (Identity Digital) | $11,000,000 | 2014-11-12 | ICANN Last Resort | HOTEL Top-Level-Domain S.a.r.l., Booking.com, Donuts | 3,800 |
| .baby | Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. | $3,088,888 | 2014-12-04 | ICANN Last Resort | Google, Donuts | 15,600 |
The .web Saga & Verisign Financing
Nu Dotco LLC stunned the domain industry by bidding $135 million for .web in July 2016, easily exceeding the previous record of $41.5 million for .shop. Minutes after the hammer fell, Verisign filed an 8-K disclosure with the US SEC revealing they had financed Nu Dotco entire bid under an agreement to assign the registry contract.
Private Settlements vs ICANN Auctions
Over 80% of contention sets were resolved through private auctions before reaching ICANN last-resort stage. In private auctions, the winning bidder payment was redistributed directly among the losing contenders as compensation for withdrawing their applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did ICANN resolve contention when multiple applicants applied for the same TLD?
When multiple entities applied for the identical string, ICANN encouraged private settlement auctions where losing applicants split the proceeds, or conducted an official ICANN "Last Resort" auction where 100% of the proceeds were placed into an ICANN auction reserve fund ($240+ million total).
What was the highest price ever paid for a top-level domain at auction?
The highest auction price in domain history was paid for .web on July 27, 2016, where Nu Dotco LLC (secretly funded by Verisign) bid $135,000,000, beating out Google, Donuts, Radix, and Afilias.
Why was the .web auction tied up in litigation for nearly a decade?
Runner-up applicant Afilias (now Identity Digital) filed Independent Review Process (IRP) challenges and antitrust complaints asserting that Verisign secretly financed Nu Dotco in violation of ICANN auction rules prohibiting undisclosed third-party transfers.
How did Google acquisition of .app influence root-level web security?
Google paid $25,001,000 for .app in February 2015 and incorporated Specification 11 mandatory HSTS preloading at the root, making .app the first major open gTLD requiring HTTPS for all hosted websites.