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reggiej
USA
4 Posts |
 Posted - 06/26/2008 : 09:05:26 AM
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I guess this is poitive news cause is opens up so many more domain possiblities.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/06/25/domain.names/index.html
CNN) -- The group controlling Internet domain names may soon decide whether to relax naming rules and potentially open up a virtual domain name gold rush.
At a meeting in Paris Thursday, the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will vote on two key proposals.
The first would allow domains that do not use Latin characters, meaning domain names using Chinese, Arabic or Cyrillic letters. The other proposal would allow domains to use nearly any letter or number combination, up to 64 characters.
If ICANN approves the proposals, the world of .com and .org and country names like .jp or .fr would be opened to a much wider choice, such as .hotel or .sex.
Just the thought of .sex has bloggers predicting an auction frenzy, as almost any word in any language could become a domain name extension.
"You can almost guarantee the most highly sought-after one will, unfortunately, probably be dot-sex," said Bryan Glick of Computing Magazine.
"All the meaningful words and meaningful names in the English language have been bought up already," Glick said. Watch Glick further explain the significance of such a move »
"This is why you see new companies being formed with made-up, strangely sounding names ... in order to get a unique Web domain for it."
ICANN has turned down requests for .xxx, which would be used by adult sites, over fear of seeming to give approval of pornography sites.
Analysts say .xxx and nearly everything else would be possible if the rules are relaxed.
Among the exceptions would be trademarked domains, such as .cnn or .microsoft not being on general sale.
But the more generic .hotel or .flight could set off a bidding war similar to when .tv was put up for sale by the Pacific island of Tuvalu.
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beaufort
USA
67 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2008 : 10:16:27 AM
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I wonder if the change in rules will make domain flipping less profitable. There will be so many
extension possiblities that it would seem to flood the market. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
On the other hand selling a domain name... with a website ...may still be very desireable to many.
Let's hope! |
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beaufort
USA
67 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2008 : 5:56:47 PM
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NEW DOMAIN EXTENSIONS APPROVED BY ICANN
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 26, 2008
Filed at 12:01 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Internet's key oversight agency relaxed rules Thursday to permit the introduction of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new Internet domain names to join ".com," making the first sweeping changes in the network's 25-year-old addressing system.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers unanimously approved the new guidelines on the final day of weeklong meetings in Paris. Icann also voted unanimously to open public comment on a separate proposal to permit addresses entirely in non-English languages for the first time.
New names likely won't start appearing until at least next year, and Icann won't be deciding on specific ones quite yet. The organization still must work out many details, including fees for obtaining new names, expected to exceed $100,000 apiece to help Icann cover up to $20 million in costs.
Domain names help computers find Web sites and route e-mail. Adding new suffixes can make it easier for Web sites to promote easy-to-remember names -- given that many of the best ones have been claimed already under ".com." New names could cover locations such as ".nyc" and ".berlin" or industries such as ".bank."
The new guidelines would make it easier for companies and groups to propose new suffixes. Icann had accepted bids in 2000 and 2004, but reviews took much time, and one -- ".post" for postal services -- remains pending more than four years later. Ultimately, only 13 have been approved in those two rounds.
The streamlined guidelines call for applicants to go through an initial review phase, during which anyone may raise an objection on such grounds as racism, trademark conflicts and similarity to an existing suffix. If no objection is raised, approval would come quickly.
Some Icann board members expressed concerns that the guidelines could turn the organization into a censorship regime, deciding what could be objectionable to someone, somewhere in the world.
"If this is broadly implemented, this recommendation would allow for any government to effectively veto a string that makes it uncomfortable," said Susan Crawford, a Yale law professor on the board. She voted in favor of the rule changes, but called for more clarity later.
The other proposal before Icann would permit addresses entirely in non-English characters for the first time. Specific countries would be put on a "fast track" to receive the equivalent of their two-letter country code, such as Bulgaria's ".bg," in a native language.
The Icann board said it would seek public comment on the guidelines before its next major meeting in November.
Demand for such names has been increasing around the world as Internet usage expands to people who cannot speak English or easily type English characters. Addresses partly in foreign languages are sometimes possible today, but the suffix has been limited to 37 characters: a-z, 0-9 and the hyphen.
In other action, Icann approved recommendations designed to clamp down on domain name tasting -- the online equivalent of buying new clothes on a charge card only to return them for a full refund after wearing them to a big party.
A loophole in registration policies now allows entrepreneurs to grab domain names risk-free for up to five days to see whether they generate enough traffic and advertising dollars. That practice ties up millions of Internet addresses, making it even more difficult for individuals and businesses to find good names in the crowded ".com" space.
The new guidelines would withhold refunds if too many are returned.
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Group considers relaxing Internet naming rules
