articles
November 20, 2000
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THE NEW DOMAINS .biz .info .name .pro .aero .coop .museum |
by Barbara Fletcher
The Internet -- it's not just for dot.coms anymore.
Pretty soon you will be able to grab a new domain that better reflects the content of your Web site. However (alas!), .cool was not one of the chosen few.
As of Thursday, November 16, the Internet Corporation for Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved seven new top-level domains (TLD): .biz, .info, .name, .pro, .aero, .coop, and .museum.
ICANN is the non-profit organization created in 1998 that, amongst other functions, coordinates the assignment of Internet domain names worldwide. The Corporation includes members of the "Internet's business, technical, academic, and user communities."
The new potential domain suffixes were selected from over 200 initial suggestions that included .kids, .tel, and .health -- three highly-desired domains that didn't make the cut.
Here is a breakdown of the usage requirements for each new suffix:
.biz: specifically for businesses
.info: global option -- like .com
.name: for individuals. For example: jones.name and jane.jones.name
.pro: strictly for professionals (must prove professional status) For example: jimmyjones.med.pro or jane.jones.law.pro
.aero: sponsored by the Società Internationale de Tilicommunications Aironautiques
.coop: for business cooperatives such as credit unions and co-ops
.museum: for accredited museums worldwide
So, why the need for these new domains? For over a decade the only allowable domains (other than country suffixes such as .ca) have been .com, .org, and .net.
And with over 32 million dot.com addresses out there in cyberspace, there is significant concern -- by both those seeking and those selling domain names -- that trying to register www.YourCompanyName.com is getting harder and harder. Face it, all of the decent dot.com addresses have been snagged.
This situation prompted ICANN to begin accepting applications for new TLDs.
The application process concluded on October 2, and ICANN reached its final decision on November 16 at the annual meeting in Los Angeles.
ICANN will now conduct negotiations with the selected domain suffix applicants until December 31. After these agreements are approved by the Board of Directors, the recommendations will be shipped off to the U.S. Department of Commerce for implementation.
And the possibility exists that the Department of Commerce might just decide not to approve ICANN's recommendations, especially considering the protests by groups whose suffix was not selected -- groups like the World Health Organization who lobbied for .health.
The weeks leading up to December 31 may see some challenges to the seven chosen domains, and this may affect the Department of Commerce's final decision.
So, since the final seven aren't really final at all, there has been no indication of when the new domain suffixes will be available to the public. You can be certain, however, that domain resellers are smacking their chops in the anticipation of potential sales opportunities.
Stay tuned for details.
Related reading:
ICANN Announces Selections for New Top-Level Domains -- ICANN press release
Do We Really Need New Domains? -- Wired News
Doubts surround new domain names -- BBC News
ICANN names new dot-competition -- ZDNet News
Net name body oks seven new domains -- CNET News
ICANN's TLD choices upset many -- internetnews.com