Tag: new gTLDs

The acquisition of Rightside Group by Donuts becomes a reality

new gTLDs - The acquisition of Rightside Group by Donuts

It’s at mid-July that ICANN has given its consent regarding the merge of Rightside Group, the registry behind the 40 new gTLDs (.ATTORNEY, .NINJA, .PUB, .DENTIST, .NEWS, .ROCKS, .LIVE, etc.) and the other well-known registry in the new gTLDs’ world, Donuts Inc (more than 200 TLDs: .LIFE, .LOANS, .MEDIA, .SOLUTIONS, .WORLD, etc.).

Donuts will then acquire Rightside at the price of 10.60$ per action, in the context of a takeover offer, i.e. an operation of approximatively 213 million in total.

Donuts, already largely dominant with its hundred extensions, continues to reinforce its position and benefits from difficulties faced by some registries suffering from deficit of commercial success.

This new operation highlights a fact: many new extensions didn’t obtain the expected enthusiasm and the registries which created them are in difficulties.

Are we heading slowly but surely towards a retrieval by Donuts of unsuccessful registries seeking to limit the losses?

 

New extensions: The first signs of a (R)evolution?

Domain names registration strategies follow reasoning sometimes hard to understand. However “sheep-like” reasoning is the one we can easily observe.

When Alphabet (Google) used for the first time its domain name ABC.XYZ, a sensitive rise of registrations for this extension has been observed. More than a simple registration, ABC.XYZ has created for the public, informed or not, an interrogation on the extension used: “they aren’t in .COM?”

 

New extension - abc.xyz Alphabet Google

 

New gTLDs’s program by ICANN has generated many thoughts on naming politic on the web. Until now, these extensions weren’t well known by the general public, despite the real concern of the brands to communicate on this subject: BNP Paribas, Leclerc and AXA for French examples, which have chosen a dedicated extension.

New gTLDs creation allows to register domain name by searching to give a meaning to the associated activity: be it geographical or by sector.

That way, the following sentence makes more sense: “When I look at the domain name, I know what’s behind it”.

Today, despite this opportunity, few companies of big scale have chosen to use a new extension. And none to my knowledge, suppress its former address to go on the new one. Which can be quite logical. But things which seem unchanging, are changing.

DXC an American company, present in NYSE, has changed its short domain name, three characters, dxc.com to dxc.technology. It was our colleagues of DNW who announced this news. However the email addresses service didn’t move to the new extension yet.

 

New extension - dxc.technology
Example of dxc.technology

 

This information may seem of little importance, but have in mind the impact it will have on the process of new extensions use. Simply put, it begins with the importance and the safety of the extension for a company to change. Wait for the next step! It may only be the beginning of an underlying trend on communication and naming strategy on Internet.

Technology revolution growth is usually slower than the one planned, but its impact is often more important… To be continued.

The launch of .AFRICA

After more than five years of legal dealings and battles, South African organization .ZA Central Registry (ZACR) is now designed to commercialize the internet extension “.AFRICA” which will be opened to all. As presented by Koffi Djossou, member of UNIFORUM ZACR, future domain names in .AFRICA will “promote African companies, people and culture on Internet”. President of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has already saluted the end of this battle as the moment when Africa “has finally acquired its own digital identity”.

 

new gTLD .africa

 

We will go back to present the facts: in the application call for new extensions launched by ICANN, they were two to claim the .AFRICA. On one side, we have South African national extension operator .ZA (ZACR). On the other side, we have an African/American business woman Sophia Bekele, the DotConnectAfrica (DCA) founder.

With the geographical and cultural nature of the .AFRICA, the extension couldn’t be sold by bidding. So ICANN has required the participants to obtain the support of at last 60% of the concerned region governments. After this, ZA Central Registry (ZACR) has benefited from many official supports (39 African governments) like the African Union. While DotConnectAfrica (DCA), has been the object of many mails opposed to this “dissident application”.

In early 2014, ICANN has finally given the delegation of the .africa domain to ZA Central Registry (ZACR). At that time begins this unprecedented judicial marathon, after DotConnectAfrica (DCA) submits a claim against ICANN for fraud and unfair business practices. DotConnectAfrica (DCA) has requested to the United States Federal Court to stop ICANN from giving the delegation of .africa domain to ZA Central Registry (ZACR) during the trial.  Even if the last request was finally denied, the claim against ICANN is still ongoing…

This highly political saga has ended in February 15th, 2017 but for ZA Central Registry (ZACR), the work begins now: to make of .Africa a real banner of the African continent.

Find more information on http://nic.africa/ or contact Nameshield regarding the conditions and the open period for the registration of your .AFRICA.