New Web Address Rules Change dot-Everything
As domain regulations shift, you could own .anything and .everything
Under new ICANN regulations only your imagination, and perhaps your wallet, will limit what domain name you can register.
The web is about to get a whole lot bigger: ICANN (Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers), the entity in charge of how web domains operate today, has announced a landmark change to the way web addresses will work.
You'll still be able to park your web site at classic domains, the .coms, .nets, and .infos. But you could also make up your own -- how about .football, .videogames or .ferrets? "Whatever is open to the imagination can be applied for," ICANN rep Paul Levins told USA Today.
Okay, so the application will cost you $185,000, plus an annual "continuance" fee of $25,000. But you'll get to actually own the domain suffix (unlike with .com or .biz). And with that, you can decide who parks there (which could be a long list if it's something like .music or .sports) and more importantly, for how much. So if you snap up .madonna before the Material Girl does, get ready to name your price.
Copyright NBC Owned Television Stations
Posted Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009 - 5:46 PM EST
