Could the domain name system be in for its biggest shake-up ever?
ICANN is targeting May 30, 2011 as the application launch date of it’s controversial new generic Top Level Domains program.
Geographic and specialty names appear to be the leading forces in over 100 proposed TLD’s put forward so far on websites and in media articles.
Internet researcher Rob Rozicki has gathered a list of these proposals, and found that there are currently 104 identifiable applicants pushing for 93 different TLD’s. There are thus competing Registry applicants for identical TLD’s, including .SPORT and .GAY.
A very interesting development is that two corporations intend to run their own TLD: .CANON and .DELOITTE.
Obviously the arrival of such brand specific TLD’s could spell a revolution of the whole domain name system. In future newsletters we will cover this issue in more detail.
Source info: http://robrozicki.wordpress.com/