ICANN Expands Domain Suffixes

Ever fancied having a website that was named after you, instead of .com or ? Well, if you have very deep pockets, it is now going to be possible.  

The global internet body that regulates domain names (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN) has now voted to allow the creation of new website domain suffixes (the end bits of URLs,  such as .net or .com) Currently there are 22 allowable endings plus around 250 country level domains such as .uk, but the vote allows for pretty much any word in any language.  

ICANN will start taking applications for new suffixes in 2012, but the process for gaining approval will be lengthy and costly.  It will cost $185,000 to apply for a new suffix, and companies will need to be able to prove they have a legitimate claim to the name they are buying, to prevent the issues that bedevilled the domain name business in the 1990s where opportunists bought up appealing or trademark URLS in order to profit by selling them on to the brand name owners.

The money will be used to defray the costs incurred in developing the new system, and to deal with any legal actions that might still occur due to competing claims for suffixes.  

Applicants will also have to meet high technical standards, which combined with the high cost, means that few individuals will actually be able to register a personal name.  However, we are betting internet marketing experts will see the appeal immediately and it will not be long before domains such as .coke, .unilever, and .sky are commonplace.