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ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

Summary: ICANN voted to "dramatically increase" the number of Internet address endings from the 22 today. In other words, domains such as .com, .org and .net can multiply into new monikers that can be created in any language or script. Businesses will have to assess ICANN's new system.

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

ICANN, the organization that issues domain names, has voted to "dramatically increase" the number of Internet address endings from the 22 today. In other words, domains such as .com, .org and .net can multiply into new monikers that can be created in any language or script.

Rod Beckstrom, CEO of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), said in a statement that opening up the domain name system will "better serve all of mankind." But early reaction appeared mixed.

CNet News' Stephen Shankland noted that ICANN's move is going to be a trademark headache. Businesses are likely to structure their online presence in multiple ways, say IBM.think or Lenovo.think. Who exactly will get that "think" domain? And in how many scripts would you need to reserve "think"?

Domain names can end in almost anything ranging from a city, to term like .eco or .green and native scripts from around the world. How many of these terms do companies need to lock down?

Rest assured these multiple domain names will mean more ways to try and game the system. ICANN, which has a meaty guide on the new domain names, will take applications starting Jan. 12, 2012 through April 12, 2012 to operate these domain names.

The backdrop to the ICANN move is that the organization is trying to be more autonomous and global. Edmon Chung, CEO of DotAsia and a councilor on ICANN's GNSO (generic names supporting organization) committee, told ZDNet Asia that the group remains under U.S. purview, but that power is moral only. ICANN has increasingly gone against the U.S. and is taking input from multiple governments.

A company has multiple moving parts to consider. An enterprise like Boeing may have to reserve .airplane, .Dreamliner, .777 or any other product related terms. Meanwhile, other companies, say Coca Cola, will have to research domain names in specific scripts. A global brand like Coca Cola would probably want every country covered.

Topics: Networking, Browser

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29 comments
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  • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

    So am I to understand that with this change, we are not limited to the current 22, but can create our own?

    That would be a major headache ...

    Ludo
    Ludovit
    Reply Vote

  • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

    What about firstname.lastname instead of firstnamelastname.com?

    But you know what? I agree with Ludovit. This can cause a lot of issues to get elevated to a whole new level, which can get really complicated and who want to fight off trademark and name issues? KISS those custom top-level domains goodbye (Keep It Simple Stupid).
    Grayson Peddie
    Reply Vote

  • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

    ....Except that "ICANN will not consider applications from individuals or sole proprietorships.".....<br><br>So play the TLD game without spending $185K (plus potentially unlimited annual expenses).<br><br>Anyone can now create their own set of Top Level Domains at no cost and without reference to ICANN, simply by registering new Dashcom (instead of Dotcom) Domains.<br><br>Dashcoms are memorable & relevant web addresses such as "sports-com", "live-music", "social-network" (available in any language, you can even use Facebook Emoticons like musical notes etc).<br><br>Totally outside ICANN's control and with users in over 90 countries worldwide, resolution is via an APP; although new ISP links are coming online to make that unnecessary.
    Dashworlds
    Reply Vote

    • re: Dashworlds-com

      @Dashworlds

      OK, just tried you out, plugin gets blocked by my AV, and changing DNS/using nslookup against your DNS servers doesn't seem to work.. I've sent mail to support, so lets see.
      argon0
      Reply Vote

  • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

    You have missed the fact that there are many country code TLDs in the root.

    http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/
    Kerry from BC
    Reply Vote

  • Interesting...

    <p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 1em;">Did anyone notice how the entire reaction seems to have been in terms of corporate headaches, apparently intentionally (by ICANN)? After all, if "ICANN will not consider applications from individuals or sole proprietorships", then they're explicitly turning the Internet into more of a corporate-only affair. What has been called by many, including at least one US Supreme Court justice once, the greatest opportunity for ordinary people to communicate with each other without filter or boundary seems to have been safely snuffed out.</p><p style="text-align: justify; margin-bottom: 1em;">And we wonder why the world has gone to hell in a hand-basket.</p>
    Jeff Dickey
    Reply Vote

    • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

      @Jeff Dickey I wonder if you were unintentionally thinking of second-level names when you wrote your comment. Currently there is no generic top-level domain that is run by an individual or sole proprietor. The scope of doing so is too huge for one person. This is not about second-level domains that you might register under .com or .edu; this is about joining .com, .org, .net, etc. as a new equal. ICANN is opening up much more choice, not snuffing out anything. Ordinary people are going to love it.
      spinzon
      Reply Vote

    • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

      This gives us another great way to bash corporations and engage in class envy in the business world, huh? Let's do it! We don't even have to think!
      Guitarpwayer
      Reply Vote

  • can you say DNS poisoning?

    My condolences to the DNS maintainers, the bad guys have just been given a new stadium.
    pgit
    Reply Vote

    • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

      @pgit According to ICANN's guidebook, every one of these new gTLDs will have to implement DNSSEC. The new gTLDs are likely to be safer than today's top-level domains, which were created with little to no thought about security.
      spinzon
      Reply Vote

      • thanks for the info

        @spinzon That's good to know. So legitimate records will be safer, but won't this still make it easier to more convincingly spoof a bogus url?
        pgit
        Reply Vote

  • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

    What an utterly and totally stupid thing to do. No one really looks at domain names today - so lets spend millions, totally pollute the space, open thousands of doors for more phishers but rake in the dough. While phishers may not buy "fake domains", the fact that there will be so many valid forms of domains will make it impossible for the average internet user to tell good ones from bad. I guess ICANN needed enough dough to become independent if trashing the internet is how they have to get it - well, then that is their "right", right?
    mggardner
    Reply Vote

    • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

      @mggardner I think you're 100% correct. What a nightmare for everyone. Users won't be able to block tracking domains, or state sponsored censorship like China. Guess who wants to write a cookie on your system.
      Orodreth
      Reply Vote

  • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

    Can't understand the logic behind this except to make ICANN some money. For everyone else they get screwed.
    LoverockDavidson
    Reply Vote

    • There is some logic, but this may end-up in a total mess depending on where

      @LoverockDavidson: ... ICANN might go further.

      Also, I do not see where this new measure will better serve all of mankind". Mankind is quite happy enough of current corporate Internet like "toyota.com" or "boeing.com". No headaches about this.
      DDERSSS
      Reply Vote

  • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

    Looks like a good skirting of IPV 6 to me. I see nothing wrong with it anyway; after all, how many people type in a URL anymore? 50 TLDs or a hundred might be jsut the cat's meow to alleviate the hyped-up phoney problems requiring IPV6.
    tom@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

      @tom@... as DeRSSS mentioned above, at least we know that toyota.com and boeing.com are legitimate names. I am pretty sure a lot of people would actually type these names just to make sure they buy their cars online from a real manufacturer.
      pupkin_z
      Reply Vote

    • Eh?

      @tom@... How does adding more TLDs in any way help with the shortage of underlying IP addresses?
      p.bristow@...
      Reply Vote

  • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

    Commentators who mainly see adverse effects from ICANN's decision today, are like people in previous centuries who bemoaned the advent of autos. All real progress is fraught with risk.
    Greenuity
    Reply Vote

    • RE: ICANN to ramp domain name variations dramatically: Business headaches likely

      @Greenuity Not all change is progress, however. We must be careful about how things change.
      CobraA1
      Reply Vote
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