gtld
Latest
ICANN kills Google's dotless domain search dreams
We'd like to imagine that somewhere in Mountain View, a group of high-level tech execs are giving ICANN the stink eye. After all, the organization has recently passed a resolution that prohibits dotless domains, effectively squashing Google's dreams to own and operate http://search. This development follows a study ICANN published a few days ago, detailing how hard it'll be to mitigate security and stability risks that could come with the unusual domains. Google had big plans to turn http://search into a service where users could choose among a number of search websites that registered to be a part of it. Now that the one-word wonder is no longer an option for Page and Co., the company has to make do with .search (with a dot), assuming its bidding spree for a pile of gTLDs pays off.
Early objections over generic TLDs throw the .book at Amazon, Google
Technology companies went wild bidding on generic top-level domains (gTLDs) once the opportunity presented itself. That seemingly impulsive behavior hasn't sat well with the Government Advisory Committee, which just posted a list of its member countries' initial 250 objections over the internet gold rush. While the list is broad, Amazon and Google (under a Charleston Road Registry proxy) have received a disproportionate amount of the flak: Australia, for example, isn't happy that far-reaching terms like .book and .search might be owned by individual companies. The resistance automatically puts the perceived offenders' backs to the wall -- they have to either make a good case as to why they need a disputed gTLD or risk losing both the domain as well as 20 percent of the refunded claiming fee. ICANN remains optimistic that the first gTLDs will still go into use by May, but it's entirely possible that the final list will be much thinner than what we saw in June.
ICANN shows the full generic TLD application list, Google's bidding splurge
ICANN told us that June 13th was the golden day that we'd get to see all of the initial applications for generic top-level domains (gTLDs), and the full list has surfaced on cue. The early roster shows a lot of competition for certain domains -- we're seeing a baker's dozen in companies trying for .app alone. Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and other companies are understandably trying to protect their brand names, but we're just now seeing the full extent of Google's gTLD madness: we're counting 101 instances in which the search firm has tentatively pulled the $185,000 trigger. ICANN still has to settle on which bidders get the domains they want, though, and there's no certainty that Google will fulfill its dreams. When even the cherished .lol domain has a challenger, you know the competition is getting fierce.
Google springs for .lol, .youtube domains, we wonder if it's going TLD .crazy
Google just can't wait until ICANN reveals custom domain name bids in mid-June to say what it's trying to buy -- and it's clear that Mountain View went on a shopping spree. Some of the top-level domains in the land grab are ones you'd expect safeguarding Google's prized possessions, such as .google, .youtube and .docs. Others make us fear for the future of Internet memes. Google claims that it's bidding for TLDs such as .lol to explore their "interesting and creative potential,' but we have a hunch it's just taking the addition of LOL to the dictionary a little too seriously. The company does assuage our fears with a promise to prevent TLD abuse. If we ever see omgwtf.lol become a reality, though, we'll know Google has gone off the .deepend.
