GoDaddy Moves to Offer Domain Blocking Without Trademarks & How It Affects The Nigerian Registry & Registrars

GoDaddy Moves to Offer Domain Blocking Without Trademarks
By Abi John Balogun

CEO Dotifi Digital Dotifi.com  A Premium Domain Market  Hosting & Registry Service

GoDaddy’s registry division is seeking approval to introduce a domain-blocking service that would allow domain owners to prevent others from registering matching names across multiple top-level domains — even if the owner does not hold a registered trademark.

If approved widely, the proposal could mark a significant shift in how brand and name protection works across the domain industry.

The service, called Domain Options, was outlined in a Registry Services Evaluation Process (RSEP) request submitted to ICANN shortly before Christmas. According to GoDaddy, the service would enable existing domain registrants to block identical labels in other gTLDs operated by the company.

how GoDaddy’s proposed Domain Options domain-blocking service could affect Nigeria’s domain ecosystem — specifically NiRA, NIRA-accredited registrars, and Nigerian users (with a focus on Dotifi.com as a top registrar and premium marketplace):

📌 1. Different Domain Ecosystems — .ng vs gTLDs

First, it’s important to understand that NiRA manages Nigeria’s country-code top-level domain (ccTLD), .ng, under a registry–registrar–registrant (3R) model. NiRA does not sell .ng domains directly to the public; all .ng registrations go through accredited registrars like Dotifi.com.

GoDaddy’s Domain Options proposal applies to generic TLDs (gTLDs) such as .club, .photo, .design, etc., not to ccTLDs like .ng. That means:

✅ Domain Options would not directly apply to .ng domains or NiRA’s registry operations.
❌ NiRA does not plan to adopt a trademark-free blocking system for .ng currently.

However, the policy could still indirectly affect Nigerian individuals and businesses who use gTLDs alongside their .ng domains.

📌 2. For Nigerian Registrants and Businesses

Positive/Neutral Effects

a) More control and brand protection (optional):
If Nigerian businesses hold domains in gTLDs (e.g., example.biz, example.design), Domain Options could help them block identical names across other GoDaddy TLDs without a trademark — useful for protecting brand identity globally.

b) No mandatory change to .ng:
Since Domain Options is a GoDaddy initiative for gTLDs, .ng domain policies stay governed by NiRA’s own rules and dispute processes. Registrants in Nigeria won’t suddenly lose rights on .ng names because of this change.

Potential Concerns

a) Fragmentation of brand protections:
Businesses that want full brand protection across both .ng and international gTLDs might face two systems:

• NiRA’s standard domain registration and dispute process in .ng.

• Domain Options/GlobalBlock in GoDaddy-run gTLDs.

This could increase cost or complexity if Nigerian businesses must manage protections in separate platforms.

b) Trademark disparity:
NiRA’s dispute policy ties domain ownership disputes to trademark rights and existing legal frameworks.
GoDaddy’s Domain Options would allow blocking without trademark ownership, potentially making brand protection in gTLDs easier but also possibly leading to domain blocking premium services without legal backing.

📌 3. For NiRA and Accredited Registrars (Including Dotifi.com)

NiRA

• Domain Options doesn’t change NiRA’s .ng policy framework or procedures; NiRA will continue to manage .ng under its own technical and policy guidelines.

• NiRA’s focus remains on growing adoption of .ng domains and improving infrastructure (e.g., DNSSEC security upgrades).

NIRA-Accredited Registrars (Like Dotifi.com)

a) Opportunity to educate customers:
Registrars in Nigeria can advise users about the difference between local ccTLD management and global gTLD protections. This education can strengthen customer trust.

b) Cross-market service pathways:
If Dotifi.com also offers gTLD registrations (which many accredited registrars do), they can provide Domain Options or similar global protections alongside .ng registration — offering a consolidated service package: local presence + international brand defense.

c) Competitive advantage:
Registrars that help Nigerian businesses understand and navigate both local ccTLD protection and international gTLD blocking services (Domain Options/GlobalBlock) can stand out in the market.

📌 4. What Nigerian Domains Users Should Know

Protect Early, Protect Widely

✔ Even if .ng names are unique, brand owners should consider registering multiple extensions to lock in their names (e.g., .ng + .com + relevant gTLDs).
✔ Domain Options might be a lower-cost alternative to purchasing every possible variant — but it won’t replace .ng protections.

Trademark Registration Still Matters

✔ For strong legal claim in disputes (especially for .ng or across ccTLDs), trademark protection in Nigeria and abroad can be crucial. Domain Options doesn’t require a trademark, but having one bolsters enforceable rights.

📌 5. How We At  Dotifi.com are Making  This a Better PR to Our  Customers

As a NIRA-accredited top registrar and premium domain marketplace, Dotifi.com will :

🔹 Explain Domain Options clearly: what it covers (gTLDs), what it doesn’t (ccTLDs like .ng).
🔹 Offer bundled solutions: .ng domain registration + global blocking strategy.
🔹 Help Nigerian businesses map cost-effective brand protection plans — combining trademark advice and technical domain security steps.
🔹 Clarify NiRA’s .ng dispute framework versus gTLD protections to avoid confusion.

More on Godaddy

“The service will allow registered name holders to prevent registration of certain labels,” GoDaddy stated in its filing.

“Labels will be an exact match of the registered name holder’s second-level domain name label. The number of labels a registrant can protect is limited to exact-match labels, and only for registered domain names held by the registrant.”

In practical terms, this means that someone who owns example.beer could pay a fee to block registrations such as example.biz, example.cooking, or example.photo, without needing to prove trademark ownership.

The current RSEP application covers 34 GoDaddy-operated gTLDs, including:

.abogado, .beer, .biz, .blackfriday, .boston, .casa, .club, .compare, .cooking, .courses, .dds, .design, .fashion, .fishing, .fit, .garden, .gay, .health, .ink, .law, .luxe, .miami, .photo, .rodeo, .select, .study, .surf, .tattoo, .vip, .vodka, .wedding, .wiki, .work, and .yoga.

However, ICANN has already approved Domain Options for use in .horse, a GoDaddy-run gTLD that appears to have served as a pilot. The .horse registry agreement has already been amended to accommodate the service.

Under the proposal, registrants would have the option to later convert blocked domains into active registrations, or cancel the blocking service entirely. At the same time, third parties could request that blocked domains be released, though the mechanisms for such requests remain unclear.

Domain Options closely resembles GlobalBlock, a GoDaddy-led service introduced two years ago and officially known in ICANN contracts as a Label Blocking Service. GlobalBlock allows trademark holders to block their marks across as many as 710 TLDs, often at substantial cost — reportedly starting around $6,499 per year through some registrars.

Unlike GlobalBlock, Domain Options does not require a trademark, which could dramatically broaden its appeal — and its impact.

Pricing details for Domain Options were not disclosed in the RSEP filing, but it seems unlikely that GoDaddy would price the service low enough to undermine its existing GlobalBlock offering.

With ICANN’s approval already secured for .horse, approval for the remaining 34 gTLDs now appears highly likely. Industry observers would not be surprised to see similar RSEP filings from other registry operators in the months ahead, potentially signaling a broader shift toward domain protection based on registration rights rather than trademarks alone