New Net domain goes by ".name"
• 6 of 7 new domain names to be activated by March
By Anick Jesdanun
Associated Press
NEW YORK — The first Internet address suffixes created exclusively for individuals today join the familiar ".com" and ".org" domain names.
Currently, Internet users with personal Web sites tend to use ".org," which is commonly associated with nonprofit groups.
Operators of ".name" are hoping individuals will be lured by e-mail and Web addresses featuring their own names.
The London-based Global Name Registry, which in 2000 proposed and won rights to administer the suffix, also is exploring expanding ".name" to mobile phones and other personal devices later this year.
"We think the personal space is in its infancy," said Andrew Tsai, the registry's chief executive.
The ".name" suffix was one of seven approved in November 2000 by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, an Internet oversight body. They are the first major additions to the domain name system since its creation in the mid-1980s.
The new names were approved to help relieve domain name overcrowding. Registration of ".com," ".net" and ".org" names more than tripled in 2000, ending the year at 28.2 million.
But tackling the details of actually creating the new suffixes took much longer than expected. In the meantime, the Internet economy slid, and names lost much of their speculative value.
Total domain name registrations increased only slightly last year, a 13.5 percent jump to 32 million as of September.
Ross Stevens of New York got ".name" addresses for himself, his wife and a 6-month-old daughter. He plans to set up a Web page with baby pictures and to use ".name" for lifetime e-mail addresses.
The service costs about $30 a year for both e-mail and Web addresses. The fee is for the name only; the user still would have to set up an e-mail account or buy Web space from an Internet service provider.
Two other suffixes, ".biz" for businesses and ".info" for informational sites, debuted last fall, with more than 1.2 million names registered combined.
In addition, ".museum" began operating in November on a provisional basis, meaning assigned names may still change, and ".coop" for business cooperatives became active Wednesday. A few thousand names have been requested under each.
Debuting later this year are ".aero" for aviation and ".pro" for professionals.
The Global Name Registry began allowing pre-registrations in earnest last month for ".name" suffixes. For duplicate names requested as of Dec. 17, one was selected at random. The first batch of 60,000 names was to be activated today.
Additional rounds will be activated every two weeks or less until "live" registration begins in mid-May.
Tsai said the slow rollout should help the ".name" registry avoid some of the troubles that ".biz" and ".info" faced.
The ".info" registry failed to block some bogus trademark claims, while the ".biz" operators were hit with a lawsuit charging that their procedures amounted to an illegal lottery. Both ".info" and ".biz" changed their procedures to address the concerns.
On the Web:
www.icann.org/tlds/
• • •
6 of 7 new domain names to be activated by March
Associated Press
The seven new domain names:
.info — For informational sites. Became operational Sept. 23, with more than 700,000 registered so far. Early problems with speculators jumping ahead of queue by claiming bogus trademark ownership. To rectify, operators of ".info" plan to refer as many as 10,000 registrations this week to arbitrators at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
.biz — For businesses only. Became operational Oct. 1. Lawsuit challenged registration process, calling it illegal lottery. To address concerns, operators changed procedures for handling names for which more than one application was received. More than 500,000 names registered through mid-December.
.name — Individuals can register a name in form of "firstname.lastname.name" for Web sites and "firstname(at)lastname.name" for e-mail addresses. About 60,000 names were to be activated today.
.museum — Names for some museums were approved provisionally in November. Some names work now, but the suffix becomes formally operational in March. Names subdivided by location as in "sanfrancisco.museum" and type of museum as in "maritime.museum." Index available at http://index.museum.
.aero — For aviation industry. Registration begins in March.
.coop — For business cooperatives, such as credit unions and electric co-ops. Some preregistered names became active earlier this month. Regular registration begins Jan. 30.
.pro — For professionals, initially doctors, lawyers and accountants. Individuals and companies requesting names must show proof. Details being negotiated.
