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A different kind of Top Level Domains 14

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – A global body that charts the course of the Internet voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposal at a meeting in Singapore to allow the creation of new website domain suffixes by private companies, enabling major firms to replace “.com” with their own “.whatever” brand.

By the introduction of these domain names, the entire online business
model may change and the way how the search engines work will also
change. This comes with a price tag of $185,000 and that is why creating a new domain won’t be cheap or easy.
For example, Apple can have its own suffix domains and put names of its products in subdomains ending in.apple such as
iphone.apple , ipad.apple , ipod.apple etc !
It can also used by regions in such a way that the regional names are listed as the suffix. For example, .londonwhere domain names such as travel.londontourism.london , business.london etc… can be more relevant.
What’s good is that businesses would no longer be restricted to the list of  generic top level domains (gTLDs) that include .com, .net and .org when they  apply to register a website address . Brands need to act now if they want to apply for one of these new domain names as it is not as simple as registering a .com address. It is a complex task that will need thought and investment !
The new domain names will not be restricted to Latin characters written by
users of English and other Western European languages but also other
scripts, benefiting users of other languages such as Chinese and Russian.

The Scope :

Today, just 22 gTLDs exist .com, .org and .info are a few examples [Here is the entire list ] — plus about 250 country-level domains like .in , .uk , .us , .cn .  After the change, several hundred and thousands of new gTLDs are expected to come into existence. The new domains will also change how ICANN works, as it will have a role in policing how gTLDs are operated, bought and sold. Until now, it has overseen names and performed some other tasks but has been little involved in the Internet’s thornier issues.

How Long will this Process last ?
ICANN estimates that the evaluation process could be as short as nine months or as long as twenty months, depending on the application, intended usage and other issues. ICANN expects the first new gTLDs to appear within the year, but it’s likely going to be 2013 before end users see the new domains in action.
And in case of  Two Entities Applying for the Same gTLD – it will depend on the timeline. If one of the users has already completed process before another party has applied, the TLD will be delegated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
If neither applicant has completed the process, ICANN has a more detailed resolution process in place. The applicants will be given points in four different categories. The applicant that amasses the most points, based on this set of criteria, will win the domain. In the even of a tie in points, an auction will take place and the TLD will go to the highest bidder.

What About Trademarks?

This is going to be a very delicate situation for ICANN to moderate. Although users do not need to own a Trademark to apply for a new TLD, the evaluation review will take any existing trademarks (from all over the world) into account when looking at the application. Users cannot “reserve” a TLD of a trademarked name, they must go through the same process as everyone else. In addition to checking for trademarked names for a TLD, ICANN will also look at similar names that may be trademarked or might be confusing. Additionally, trademark owners or other interested parties can file an objection during the evaluation process.

The Effects :
This will play a key role in preventing so-called cyber-squatting, when people register and sit on a high-profile name in the hope of selling it, gTLD owners will be expected to maintain operational sites. ICANN will have to approve transfers to new owners.
This has to be the most exciting and smart move from ICANN . After all, what company wouldn’t jump at the chance to have its own name or hallmark product as the suffix on its website’s URL ?

What do you think ? Is this the best choice for the future of domains ?

14 thoughts on “A different kind of Top Level Domains

  1. Reply rakesh kumar Jul 9,2011 9:01 pm

    Great news man, But it also reinforce that google is now filtering contents according to the region. Thanks mate for this beautiful information

  2. Reply cheap designer handbags Jul 10,2011 2:49 pm

    it is the very good news for ,me also. thanks for sharing it with me .this is my 2nd time to read this post and its very useful because of its best news of the week for me

  3. Reply Olawale Daniel@Tech Blog Jul 29,2011 11:38 am

    Thanks a lot for this awesome advice but I still think people like to respect .com domains more than any other extensions but all, thanks for the great idea 🙂

  4. Reply SeoDezin@fred loya insurance Jul 30,2011 3:19 pm

    According to my thinking this step will change online business scenery and e-commerce new age will start.

  5. Reply Jamal@broccoli soup Aug 1,2011 9:55 am

    Sometimes I think a time will come that it will capture viral marketing.By doing brain storming I still not got any answer related to SEO but it will be sign of pride on online business.

  6. Reply Business logo design Aug 4,2011 12:25 pm

    Thanks for this link. There are already enough blogger blogs with the same theme. So this is a
    great chance for people to make their blog somewhat unique.

  7. Reply Smith Aug 22,2011 11:45 am

    Many online improvements have been observed during last two years but nothing was update related to domain name.I think it will make business opportunities focused.

  8. Reply Jordan@Car Donation California Aug 31,2011 9:11 am

    It’ll be interesting to see how these new top level domains affect how we browse the internet, and also how it affects SEO. Will Google know that shoes.nike is related to clothing.nike, for instance?

    And while registering a domain using one of the new TLD’s will initially be expensive (like domain registration was prior to about 1998), prices should come down by around 2015, making things interesting for regular users and businesses that could then afford it. Nice post.

  9. Reply reeha@gift ideas Oct 13,2011 1:01 pm

    you clear my mind regarding extensions and domain name. A suitable and matching domain name is important because without a best domain name you can,t succeed in online race.

  10. Reply Maja@fantastic sams coupons printable Oct 27,2011 5:39 pm

    We welcome this advancement in technology. It awesome to have URL of your own brand.

  11. Reply Andrew Clarke@dallas primelending Nov 14,2011 9:47 am

    These types of domain suffixes are quite inevitable. We really can’t expect Internet domain suffix names to be limited to the .com’s and .net’s. It will, however, change the way search engines work for sure. I just wonder how companies like Apple are going to name their website if they decide to use .apple – apple.apple?

  12. Reply Lalit@Samsung Tablet Nov 14,2011 6:37 pm

    The cost os huge indeed and let’s wait to see the advantages of these domains. Thanks for the information.

  13. Reply Alx@anuntul Nov 21,2011 6:39 am

    This is sound like is wants to create exclusive domains for people who have money or companies who want a unique image on web, if we have Bugatii, Ferrari etc.. why could not exist and such domains for people who have money to buy them,the success of this type of domain only time will show us this.

  14. Reply Sam@bed and breakfast london Dec 19,2011 8:22 pm

    So I could technically have belgravia.hotel or .bandb or something like that? If I coughed up mega amounts of money?

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