Applications for ".yournamehere" Domains Open Today
Companies can now apply for a domain name with an extension that matches their own brand or company name.
On Thursday, ICANN opened up the doors for companies to step up and apply for a domain that replaces the typical .com, .org, .info, .gov or other extension with their actual company name. ICANN expects to see up to 2000 applications within the small three-month window it's currently permitting, and will likely not take additional .yournamehere domain applications for years to come.
The first wave of applications will probably come from big-name brand owners who are currently struggling to keep their names out of the .xxx domain. A brand-based domain like .kraft, .burgerking, and .macys would boost brand awareness online for the owners. Yet said companies may be forced to reserve their domain -- even if there are no plans to use it -- just to keep them out of the hands of cyber-squatters or other questionable parties.
According to Reuters, an application for the new domain isn't cheap, costing $185,000 per entry. The estimated start-up costs will be around $500,000 and annual costs will be around $100,000. For the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Google, that's pocket change. Other companies down the totem pole of popularity might not have the additional funds to support a specialized domain, thus could lose their "space" to someone less "qualified.''
In addition to brand holders, ICANN expects to see applications from well-known cities or regions like .london or .newyork or .lasvegas. There may even be community identifies like .gay, .eco and perhaps even .gamer. There may also be applications received from companies aiming to build a business based on new domains.
Stuart Durham, the European sales director for Melbourne IT, claims that the consultancy firm is currently preparing 100 applications for its customers who are looking at the domain opportunity as a second weapon. "Banks are looking at it for online authentication, to prevent fraud and build trust, while consumer goods makers believe they can use this to become more effective in their online marketing and consumer engagement," he told Reuters.
So far only a handful of companies have made their application known including Canon, Deloitte and Hitachi. Others are keeping quiet in fear of unwanted competition. ICANN said it will disclose the full list when the application window closes in April. To qualify, applicants must demonstrate that they have relevant intellectual property rights, and detail how they will operate the domain.
To learn more about the new domain, read the full story from Reuters here. What do you think? Would www.tomshardware.bestofmedia be a bit too long to type (or remember) without creating a bookmark?
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wouldnt this make it harder to reach there site?
Now the webside addresses will be even more complicated
.icanncashingin
.icannoverpricedaddresses
.icannmakethingsmoredifficult
Well, I could see a benefit to this...
e.g. www.clothes.target would make it faster/easier to get to the point... maybe. I don' t know, this will probably end up being useless for a long time.
Yeah, I don't think this would increase brand awareness at all, just be confusing. The pricing is retarded.
Talk about running a racket.
you can contact them at
Hoffa@mafia.icann
.icanncashingin
.icannoverpricedaddresses
.icannmakethingsmoredifficult
Sounds like a new song from Flobots .icannridemybikewithnohandlebars
So will it be coke.com, coke.coke, www.main.coke or what!? I guess we'll have to start googling what is now obvious.
I can see practical uses for it. Getting replacements of the .com/net/org that make sense like .cars or .movie etc. would be highly practical.
The pricing is of course simply insane and one must wonder if iCANN is simply pulling an Apple out of the greed bag or if they use it to artificially limit the number of players.
So will it be coke.com, coke.coke, www.main.coke or what!? I guess we'll have to start googling what is now obvious.
To answer your question, it will just be coke, which i'm sure if you type into you browsers address bar will give you lots of Colombian drug cartel information, instead of zero calorie goodness (err I guess both could be 0 calories....)
I see this as something that simplifies web surfing for major sites, instead of "HTTP:\\www.tomshardware.bestofmedia" it would just be "tomshardware"
Most browsers already auto append http:\\www for you, but you still need the domain sufix, if the domain suffix was the website (removing the .com .gov .net, or the dreaded .bestofmedia) would save me keystrokes.
@dalethepcman : Yes and no. If the company name is the domain suffix, what is the domain itself? Browers will fill the www (if the domain has one), but they won't fill the domain. I know typing "coke" in the address bar will take me to the main page of Coke. But what will the address itself be? Seems complicated for nothing. Only ICANN will benefit from this...
To answer your question, it will just be coke, which i'm sure if you type into you browsers address bar will give you lots of Colombian drug cartel information, instead of zero calorie goodness (err I guess both could be 0 calories....)I see this as something that simplifies web surfing for major sites, instead of "HTTP:\\www.tomshardware.bestofmedia" it would just be "tomshardware"Most browsers already auto append http:\\www for you, but you still need the domain sufix, if the domain suffix was the website (removing the .com .gov .net, or the dreaded .bestofmedia) would save me keystrokes.
I can save you keystrokes....you want to goto www.coke.com? Type coke and hit ctrl+enter to automatically add www. and .com
I wonder if Apple will apply for one of these:?
LOL
I can't see any reason for this other than as a cash grab by icann. What problem is this solving? What benefits will this have over the current system?
...and the porn industry was bitching about having to pay $60 for a .xxx domain name! This will shut them up. LMAO.
www.whitehousedotgov
i wonder if any cyber squatters will fork out this much for a gamble on a brand domain?
Good to see that I'm not the only one who struggles to stay out of the .xxx domain.
So will it be coke.com, coke.coke, www.main.coke or what!? I guess we'll have to start googling what is now obvious.
Could be www.new.coke or www.classic.coke or www.diet.coke. Anyway it doesn't sound too appealing. Coke.com is a lot easier than (insert name here).coke.
I can't see any reason for this other than as a cash grab by icann. What problem is this solving? What benefits will this have over the current system?
Yeah, I agree. I never heard anyone claim they wanted this, but a lot of companies will go out and spend a lot of money to buy their name domain simply so no one else will get it, and then turn around and probably never use it.
Seems ICANN has found a legal way to do what the mafia does with the "pay protection money" racket.
I can see it now:
.revolutionaryNewDevice
.revolutionaryShinyDevice
.everythingHasChangedAgain
...and the porn industry was bitching about having to pay $60 for a .xxx domain name! This will shut them up. LMAO.
no, it twas about having to register a crap ton of domains at once, if it was a one off deal like this, presuming that XXXXXX.whatever, where the XXXXXX is different costs the normal web address fee, or is even free as you own the .whatever, that would have been far less demanding, but 100k seams like to much, is there a real reason for this?
.win
This does nothing but add to the complexity... and who says who gets to own the domain name for lets say .guitar? or .mozart? whoever can afford it to make money off of it. Now instead of people going to any of the various guitar.com's, they will all be funneled to the respective domain name. It will make the internet more complicated, and smaller at the same time.
What a complete crock. Since everyone except the prospective buyers themselves (.richcompany) has been completely priced out of the stratosphere for these domains, who the fuchs is going to care whether Fiat owns .fiat? Fiat.com is just as easy as fiat.fiat. No, easier.
What. Apple.apple? Mac.apple? How bloody stupid can you get? It'll be mac.mac. Microsoft.windows. Oh, all for the small fee of $185,000 plus $100,000/yr. upkeep.
It's pure extortion, and if I were Apple or Microsoft or anyone else I'd completely ignore it. It would be cheaper to sue the cybersquatters after the fact.
It will get very confusing i think. I i surely be bored to type something like www.macdonalds.macdonalds. Search engines would benefit most from this i think, unless you bookmark the website. To avoid any confusion or if you are just too lazy to type in a long web address, you just head on to a search engine and look it up there. I just hope their won`t be any google.google address, as it would drive me crazy.
ouch for the price..... otherwise i'd like to apply for " .yourmomhere"
Looks like ICANN needed some extra cash.
Well, I could see a benefit to this...e.g. www.clothes.target would make it faster/easier to get to the point... maybe. I don' t know, this will probably end up being useless for a long time.
...already got that. subdomains: clothes.target.com