ICANN strikes domain name gold (updated)

The registration period for generic top-level domains (gTLDs), names like .google and .nyc, has been open for a short while and it appears that ICANN has won the lottery.

According to Domain Incite, ICANN has received 1,900 registrations so far, well above what they projected. ICANN is expected to provide details on June 13th — hopefully a full list of registrants. We know, for example, that Google has applied for at least three domains: .google, .youtube, and .lol (don’t ask me why).

If we assume $185,000 per registration (the application fee), ICANN is looking at more than $300 million in revenues.

Not bad.

It’s worth noting that this is not some overnight success story; ICANN began heading in this direction four years ago. And it has met resistance pretty much every step of the way.

But now we have entered the next phase of gTLDs.

Here’s an interesting piece on questions raised by generic TLDs. I agree that gTLDs could transform the Internet as we know it. That is, if every major brand has its own domain we could see a clear bifurcation between the domain name “haves” and “have nots.” But I emphasize could because who knows if these big brands will make use of these custom domains.

UPDATE: Here’s the list of all 1,930 domains. Registrants include major brands such as Apple, Microsoft, Bing, Lancome, Kia, Abbott, Hyatt, JPMorgan, NBA, NFL UPS, Walmart — and more than 100 IDNs! 

Speaking of IDNs, here are handy list of IDNs that .com and .net are going to use as they go global.

And here’s a brief WSJ summary.

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