Icann vote will shake up internet domains

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 26 Jun 2008 at 11:22

The door could be opened to an influx of new top-level domains today, if an Icann vote approves new plans.

The internet regulator is currently holding meetings in Paris, and is set to vote on proposals to allow countries and organisations to create new top-level domains to be used alongside the more common .co.uk, .com and .org.

If approved, these new rules would allow organisations to create branded domains for business use, such as the .tv domain belonging to the island of Tuvalu that has been licensed by many television stations worldwide.

"The sheer growth of the internet requires Icann to address this in a way that will be embraced by the existing companies and individuals who are already on the internet and have top level domains, and that it will also attract new entrants to the web," says Martin Warner, organiser of the Technology of Tomorrow 08 conference.

"Perhaps the biggest problem will be transitioning to a new domain order, making every known company change from .com or .co.uk to the latest domain or a domain just representing their 'name'," continues Warner.

The move would provide more domain names, partially solving the problem of crowding that has seen several high profile cases of cyber-squatting and legal disputes over domain names.

This week the owner of www.£.com, who paid £20 for the domain nine years ago, announced that he is hoping to auction the domain name for around £1 million later this month. The domain is one of only two in the world that consist of a single symbol (the other being the Euro symbol).