New.net's Domain Play
Selling URLs with 20 new extensions.
Amy Collins
03/05/2001
New.net
has begun offering to register URLs using 20 additional top-level
Internet domains- including the .xxx, .shop, .mp3, and .travel
extensions. With this move, New.net is jumping ahead of the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' own plan to add
top-level domains.
New.net was founded in May with
funding from Idealab!,
which launched one-time Web darlings such as eToys
(ETYS,
info)
and CarsDirect.com.
"New.net seeks to become the
world's leading domain name registry by introducing and selling
domain names with new extensions that offer greater relevance and
meaning than current Website addresses ending in .com, .net, and
other existing top level domains," the company states on its
Website.
New.net claims 16.4 million
Internet users have access to the new URLs, which can be reached
either by downloading special software, or via a partner Internet
Service Provider, including EarthLink
(ELNK,
info).
New.net is also offering URLs with
the following extensions: .inc, .kids, .sport, .family, .chat,
.video, .club, .hola, .soc, .med, .law, .game, .free, .ltd, .gmbh,
and .tech.
Although New.net says it will work
with ICANN as it implements the new names, the move basically is
an end-run around ICANN's own process, which has been criticized
as slow and unresponsive.
ICANN, the non-profit corporation
that was formed to take over from the U.S. government role of
domain name system management, has been developing the following
domains: .biz, .info, .name, .pro, .museum, .aero and .coop. It
had hoped to approve them by the end of 2000, but now says the
negotiation process turned out to be more difficult than expected.
The topic is scheduled for discussion at ICANN meeting in
Australia on March 12.
New.net, which registers its new
names for a $25 fee, says it has partnerships with a handful of
companies, including EarthLink, Excite@Home
(ATHM,
info),
NetZero (NZRO,
info)
NetZero, and MP3.com.
The registries for the new domains will be managed by New.net.
The registries of .com, .net and
.org are now managed by VeriSign
(VRSN,
info)
which gained control of all three when it bought Network
Solutions, the one-time monopoly for domain-name registration.
ICANN had previously told VeriSign
it would have to either sell off its entire registry operations,
or its entire domain-name registration business, in order to
compete fairly with other companies. But last week, VeriSign and
ICANN announced they have reached a preliminary agreement that
would allow VeriSign to keep everything except for the .org
registry.
Amy
Collins covers business and technology for Business 2.0.
