Canon to Apply for Its Own Top-Level Domain

By Geoff Duncan March 17, 2010

In what’s believed to be the first such move by a major corporation, Canon has announced it intends to apply for its own .canon top-level domain (TLD) for global use on the Internet. The move may mark the beginning of a new “land rush” for top-level domains by major brands and manufacturers as they all try to claim their own spots on the Internet—and protect their trademarks—but registering their own TLDs.

The possibility of company-specific TLDs got preliminary approval from ICANN back in June 2008; however, the organization has been working to iron out how the process would be managed and what requirements would be both workable and fair to companies involved. (This is the same organization that hasn’t been able to set up a .xxx TLD for over a decade.) However, the new TLD more-open TLD system isn’t expected to go into place until the latter part of 2011—and that’s at the earliest—so Canon is truly jumping the gun with its announcement.

“With the adoption of the new gTLD system, which enables the direct utilization of the Canon brand, Canon hopes to globally integrate open communication policies that are intuitive and easier to remember compared with existing domain names such as ‘canon.com,'” the company wrote in a statement.

Not all stakeholders are happy with the way the new TLD system is emerging: for instance, Hewlett-Packard has expressed dismay that a .hp top-level domain won’t be permitted because it’s less than three letters. But once the system is in place, it potentially represents a goldmine of opportunity for domain registrars, as companies, brands, and even celebrities will have little choice but to rush to grab their own TLDs and protect their trademarks and intellectual property.

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Lawmakers urge ICANN to delay new top-level domains

ICANN-new-domain-names-TLD

Several members of the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce have asked the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to delay the planned rollout of new top-level domain policies scheduled for January 12, 2012 (PDF). Although the letter doesn't spell out specific reasons, the representatives asking for a "short delay" to work out "significant uncertainty" about the new top-level domains process for consumers and non-profits, as well as businesses.

Adopted last summer, ICANN's adopted a new policy for top-level domains, or gTLDS, for Generic Top Level Domains. Currently, there are only a couple dozen gTLDs—things like .com, .org—alongside a few hundred country codes like .jp that aren't "generic." In theory, the new wide-open gTLD application process enables virtually any term or name to be registered as a top-level domain, subject to three criteria: applicants have to establish a legitimate claim to the term to be used as a gTLD, they must be an "established public or private organization," and most groups would have to fork over $185,000 to get the top-level domain approved. The application process is scheduled to launch next month.

Computing

ICANN approves new top-level domains: Now .anything is possible

ICANN-new-domain-names-TLD

In the most significant change to domain name regulations since the institution of .com, the Board of ICANN, the body that regulates how domain names work, has approved the creation of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) that will allow for a near-infinite variety of new website addresses. The colossal decision not only enables corporations and other organizations to create domains like drink.coke or buy.apple, but they could theoretically create .almost .anything .they .can .think .of.
"ICANN has opened the Internet's addressing system to the limitless possibilities of the human imagination. No one can predict where this historic decision will take us," said Rod Beckstrom, President and chief executive of ICANN in a statement.
"Today's decision will usher in a new Internet age," said Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of ICANN's Board of Directors told reporters. "We have provided a platform for creativity and inspiration, and for the next big dot-thing."
Despite these claims of grandeur, three massive barriers will hold back the onrush of new domains. First, the price: new custom domain available through the program will cost $185,000 to register. Second, those seeking to acquire one of these new domains must prove legitimacy to their claim of the terms they want to use in their web address. Third, only "established public or private organizations" can apply. And those that do must prove that they have the technological infrastructure to support the domain.
Some domain applications may be discarded for other reasons, said Dengate Thrush. For instance, if the domain could infringe on religious or social sensitivities, like .nazi, then ICANN will not approve the creation of the domain.
Currently, a mere 22 gTLDs exist — things like .com, .org, .net or .gov — as well as about 250 country-level domains, like .uk or .cn. ICANN expects between 300 and 1000 new domains to come into existence as a result of the new program.
Organizations who seek a '.anything' domain may send in applications as soon as January 2012, through April 2012. ICANN anticipates that the first new domains will be approved by the end of 2012.
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Computing

VeriSign: Internet has almost 210 million domains

Verisign Top-Level Domain Registrations

The Internet may have run out of IPv4 address space earlier this year, but that doesn't seem to have put any damper on the worldwide market for Internet domains. According to a new Domain Name Industry Brief from VeriSign (PDF) at the end of the first quarter of 2011 the total number of top-level domains registered around the world was over 209.8 million, an increase of 4.5 million (or 2.2 percent) over the fourth quarter alone. Overall, domain registrations grew by 7.9 percent (15.3 million) during the last year.

For the year, the ten largest top-level domains in order were .com, .de, .net, .uk, .org, .info, .nl, .eu, .cn, and .ru. Although there are more than 240 top-level domains in use around the world, some 61 percent of all registrations in the last year were in those top ten domains.