ICANN doesn’t have cheeseburgers, but they have unveiled a major change for internet websites of the future. The worldwide organization plans to revolutionize the internet’s domain name system and will allow generic top-level domains (gTLDs).
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) met in Singapore to discuss the potential to loosen their restrictions for top-level domain names. Currently, the only top-level domains which are permitted include the familiar .com, .net, .org, .edu, and .biz, among several others. Companies will now be able to apply for custom domain names that reflect the image or name of a corporation.
This is a major departure from the current structure associated with the internet. Allowing corporations like Microsoft, Sony, Apple and countless others to create their own corporate domain name gives them a flexibility to portray their brand in a new light for both online and offline marketing. Providing this additional degree of expression and personal identity to companies online will likely be a welcome change due to the newfound freedom and also will likely limit the effectiveness of “cyber-squatters” who buy up domain names in anticipation of reselling them for a profit.
Of course it sounds wonderful and will likely prove popular, just be sure that your company is ready to make the financial commitment and jump through a few hoops before you apply. To submit a request to ICANN to create a new custom domain name it will cost around $185,000, and you must also meet some yet to be finalized criteria before the application may be approved.
ICANN reports that the large fees are necessary in order to get this program off the ground and ensure they can properly establish the new domain for any approved organization’s use. I might suggest waiting a couple years to flesh out any issues and the price to come down, unless your company has close to $200,000 burning a hole in its pocket.
If you just have to have one like the latest gadget, the first applications for gTLDs will be accepted beginning next January. At least initially they will only be available to established business entities in good standing with ICANN; individuals and sole proprietorships need not apply.
Of course if it’s just ICanHasCheezburger you were looking for, as well as a chuckle, well I’ve got you covered there too.
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