Domain names thrown open

 

Domain names thrown open . Image: Des Latham, BDFM Online

Not only .com any more as the regulatory group overseeing the internet decides to open up - for a hefty $185 000 each

DES LATHAM

Published: 2011/06/21 11:08:14 AM

It’s not only .coms that will be acceptable in the future as the regulatory body that oversees domain names decides its ok to use any name - as long as you’re prepared to pay.


Business.day could be on the cards as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in a Singapore meeting agreed to allow this change.


That’s as the number of .com’s available run out.


ICANN voted this morning to end restricting domain names to suffixes like .com or .gov and from January next year the group will start assessing applications with a view to launching the new system by the end of next year.


Furthermore, the new system will not be limited to Latin characters (English etc) but scripts such as Chinese, Russian, and Hindi.


Its known as the a new generic top-level domain, and the group which voted on it this morning did so overwhelmingly, 13 to 1.


The downside is it will cost $185,000 to apply, and individuals or organisations will have to show a legitimate claim to the name they are buying.

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