Internetblog.org.uk Web hosting, Domain names, Dedicated servers
Citing “community concerns on particular aspects of the program,” ICANN has announced that it will not take applications for its new gTLD program until next year.
The program, which was supposed to start accepting applications later this year, would let organizations and businesses create their own generic top-level-domains (gTLDs).
Guidelines about the application process and new systems will be available at the ICANN International Meeting in Seoul in October.
There is debate in the Internet world as to whether or not the new TLD system is needed. On one hand, there seems to be some good TLDs in the works, such as New York’s .nyc. However, each businesses does not need its own TLD. The new system would let all sorts of new TLDs on the market. There could be a .dent for dentistry, a .lock for locksmiths, or even a .google for Google.
The web is already flooded with dozens of barely used domain extensions. Creating new TLDs for small niches or businesses would just break the web up into too many pieces. It would be frustrating to consumers, too. Imagine having to remember a piece of information for each website name- like the dentist’s .dent address and the locksmith’s .lock address plus your pizza guy’s .nyc website. With most sites using .com or .co.uk, there’s less to remember.
By saturating the market with new names, the system could also reduce the value of already registered domains, most notably .coms. According to John Machenzie, a technology lawyer at Pinsent Masons, “Most companies simply don’t need and don’t want the new names.”
Creating a new TLD would cost $200,000 in fees plus millions in operational costs.
Source: Out-Law.com
