New.net intends to capitalize on frustration with the slow roll-out of
new TLDs by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN),
an international governing body.
ICANN granted seven new TLDs in November, including dot-biz, dot-museum
and dot-info, but many companies expressed disappointment at the lack of new
offerings.
"We think companies will love these domains because it will make it
easier for them to describe their technology or interest or passion,"
said New.net CEO David Hernand during the launch of the service Monday.
Because the new TLDs go outside the traditional Internet, Internet
service providers (ISPs) would have to reconfigure their hardware to
recognize the new domains. As an interim solution, New.net is offering a
free browser plug-in that enables consumers to access the domains.
"The political approach has proven too slow to keep up with demand,
so we offer a market solution to offer new names," said Hernand.
The initial 20 TLDs from New.net are: dot-shop, dot-mp3, dot-inc,
dot-kids, dot-sport, dot-family, dot-chat, dot-video, dot-club, dot-hola,
dot-soc, dot-med, dot-law, dot-travel, dot-game, dot-free, dot-ltd, dot-gmbh,
dot-tech and dot-xxx.
New.net has support through NetZero,
a provider of free Internet access; ExciteAtHome,
a cable modem provider; and Earthlink,
one of the largest dialup and DSL ISPs in the United States.
The domain names are now available from the New.net site for a flat fee
of $25 per year. Music site MP3.com (MPPP)
will handle the dot-mp3 registration, although it will be a few more days
before its registration server is up and running, according to John DeRose,
vice president of MP3.com.
DeRose is optimistic over the new domains. "There is a demand for
new TLDs that hasn't been met by ICANN," said DeRose. "New.net has
every chance of being successful."
MP3.com expects its artists will prefer a dot-MP3 domain over a dot-com
domain. "Many artists are interested in creating a presence on the Web
that reflects their support of the MP3 format," said DeRose.
The dot-kids domains will be handled by .KIDS Domains, which had applied
to ICANN to offer the dot-kids domain, but was turned down.
Applicants for dot-kids domain names will be required to publish content
that is "kid-friendly" and in compliance with the Children's
Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), according to Hernand. KIDS Domains
will police sites for objectionable material, and the company could take
away domain names of those not in compliance with the act.
The company will also offer a domain-blocking client in the next two to
three months. The blocking client will allow parents or IT managers to block
out certain TLDs, or restrict a computer to only access a single type of TLD.
Hernand said New.net will follow ICANN's dispute
resolution policy. "The system is not perfect. Trademark issues are
complicated, but we determined this is the best approach for now."
Hernand said there could be conflicts down the road if ICANN were to
later approve TLDs that New.net is selling, but he doesn't think ICANN will
compete with existing domains. "I think it would be unlikely for ICANN
to come out and choose a name if it is incredibly popular (through our
system)," he said.
ICANN did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The 20 new domains are only the beginning, the company said, and it is
asking visitors to vote on future domains.
Several of the domains are aimed at foreign markets. The dot-gmbh is for
German businesses, dot-ltd for the U.K. and dot-soc is for Spain. New.net
plans to offer domain names in foreign, non-Roman characters as well.
