Icann reveals new internet top-level domain name claims

BabuK

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Jul 30, 2008
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The full list ofsubmissions for new internet address endings has been published by the globalorganisation co-ordinating the expansion.
Requests to theInternet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) include .porn,.ninja, and .ferrari.
The BBC was among the applicants, applying for .bbc as analternative to .co.uk and .com.
Several top-leveldomains have been applied for by more than one party, including .sex, .home and.diy.
Both the US drugmakerMerck & Co and its German rival Merck KGaA appear to have applied for the.merck ending, which may trigger an auction process.
However the .ukmanager, Nominet, looks likely to secure .wales and .cymru after no-one filedidentical claims.
Likewise the Dot ScotRegistry was the only organisation to apply for .scot and the League of ArabStates the only body to claim .arab.
Objections
Samsung - which hadobjected to the process - has taken part, applying for both .samsung and itsequivalent in the Korean alphabet.
However, Coca-Cola andthe cereal manufacturer Kellogg's, which also signed a petition in protest,have abstained.
By contrast Google hasapplied for dozens of the generic top-level domain (gTLD) name strings.
Obvious choicesincluded .google and .youtube, but there were also unexpected inclusions suchas .and, .boo, .dad and .new.
The search giant hasalso requested .music, which has been claimed by seven other organisationsincluding the online retailer Amazon.
Other gTLDs attractingmultiple requests include .art, .book, .news, .play, .shop and .vip.
The most contestedname is .app which received 13 applications.
Icann said that it hadreceived a total of 1,930 requests for its first round of new net names - 166of them were in alternatives to the Latin alphabet.
It has now invitedanyone with an objection to any of the claims to lodge their complaint withinthe next seven months.
Icann then aims tomake the new domains live in batches of about 500, with the first set goinglive some time after March 2013.
"The plan we havedelivered is solid and fair," said Icann's chief executive, Rod Beckstrom."It is our fundamental obligation to increase innovation and consumerchoice."
However, critics haveattacked the plan, noting the costs involved and the fact that bodies in thefirst batch to be processed may gain an unfair advantage.
Nations includingBrazil, China and Russia have also suggested Icann's functions be passed to theUN or another body more under governments' control.
Expenses
Applicants had to paya $185,000 (£118,800) fee to take part in the application process. They alsoface a minimum $25,000 annual renewal charge to keep their suffix once it hasbeen granted.
The BBC made one of 40 applications for a newtop-level domain name from the UK
That may havediscouraged some public bodies from participating, but the BBC's controller ofresearch and development, Matthew Postgate, defended the broadcaster'sinvolvement.
"This is animportant extension of the BBC's brand-protection policies," he said.
"In the futurethe use of .bbc domains might ensure content is even easier to access andnavigate for our audiences, clearly identified as coming from the BBC, or moresecure and scalable."
The BBC's domesticrivals Sky and ITV have also applied for a suffix, as have the Americanbroadcasters ABC and CBS. However, CNN and PBS abstained.
One internet brandconsultant noted that the business world appeared to be split over theperceived benefits of having one of the names.
"While Next andBoots are investing in a .brand for their online retail future, all the otherbig British retailers missed the boat," said Stuart Durham from MelbourneITDBS.
"The big names ofthe internet have either invested massively or not at all. Amazon for examplehas applied for 76 names, Google for 101 and Microsoft 11. But there's noapplications from Facebook or Twitter.
"There aredifferent strategies in play here and some big gambles."

Source: BBCNews


 
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