What is the Trademark Clearinghouse?

The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) is the most important rights protection mechanism built into ICANN’s new gTLD program. It's a centralized database of verified trademarks, that is connected to each and every new Top Level Domain (TLD) that will launch.

  • As a brand owner, you can submit your trademark data into our one centralized database, both prior to and during the launch of new gTLDs.
     
  • After we've verified those data, you'll receive a unique authentication key which gives you access to participate in every Sunrise period of the new TLDs. This period gives first priority in registration to trademarks. Having your trademark in the Clearinghouse is the minimum condition to be able to register your corresponding domain name during the Sunrise period.
     
  • Secondly, when someone wishes to register a domain name that matches your trademark record in the Clearinghouse we will alert this person of your rights and he or she will need to acknowledge your rights before completing registration.
     
  • Should that registration be completed we will also notify you of the domain that has been registered with your trademarked name.This way you will immediately be aware of any possible infringement of your trademark in a new gTLD.