EuroDNS Blog

From April 6 to 11, 2013 the ICANN community held its quarterly meeting in Beijing, China. EuroDNS delegates were amongst the 2500 participants who attended this meeting; on their return they summarized the highlights of the event.

New gTLDs’ launch may not be postponed (but it might...)

Although ICANN CEO Fadi Chehadé assured that the new gTLD program timeline would not be extended again, it is highly likely that it will, by a few months.

As reported in previous articles, following the request from law enforcement agencies from various countries to strengthen the terms under which entities are allowed to act as registrars, ICANN and the Registrar Stakeholder Group (RrSG) have been negotiating a thorough revision of the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) terms.

While most of the police requests are reasonable and could be integrated into the RAA, two of them remain deeply problematic as they contravene numerous national laws on data privacy.

Data Privacy rights acknowledged in China

After 18 arduous months of discussion, ICANN has finally recognized the importance of data privacy rights. It is currently working on a mechanism which should allow registrars, such as EuroDNS which is established in a country where privacy is protected by law, to be exempt from the strengthened/illicit personal data retention and divulgation obligations the new version of the RAA would incorporate.

Additionally and presumably stemming from an overzealous quest for efficiency, ICANN also attempted to include a unilateral ‘right of amendment’ of the RAA for its sole benefit. Thus allowing it to override its bottom-up model and to modify the agreement without seeking the consensus of the stakeholders. This is clearly adverse to ICANN’s expected standards of behaviour where its website clearly states that it will, “listen to the views of all stakeholders when considering policy issues,” with a, “consensus driven approach to policy development.”

However, facing the outcry of the community and realizing that such a prerogative would be incompatible with its own standards, ICANN has drastically reworked this provision to ensure that all stakeholders be consulted beforehand and that this amendment right may only be used for “Substantial and Compelling Reasons Related to the Public Interest”.

Thanks to this acknowledgement, an ‘agreement in principle’ was reached between ICANN and the registrars during the Beijing meeting. 

All-in-one

Although only in principle at this time, we still await the new wording for the RAA from ICANN. Provision of the amended agreement has now become vital for the whole new gTLD program to proceed; ICANN discretionarily decided last February that only registrars that have executed this, yet to be released agreement, would be allowed to offer domain name registrations under the new extensions. 

This decision to limit registries distribution channel to registrars bound by the new RAA agreement, was quietly announced in ICANN’s recent publication of an amended version of the Registry Agreement. This latest version contains substantial modifications amongst which, the granting to ICANN of a unilateral amendment right of the Registry Agreement.

As for the RAA, ICANN is expected to rework this provision into a procedure that abides by the principles on which ICANN was built and functions.

ICANN’s CEO announced that a new version of both the RAA and RA would be published before the end of this week.

As per ICANN’s multi-stakeholder model that develops policy through a “bottom-up, consensus-driven process”, these documents will be put up for public comment for a 42 day period. Thus delaying their approval by the ICANN Board and therefore their coming into force; originally planned for the 20th of April.

Although this latest delay is unwelcomed by a great part of the community, it is of the utmost importance that these agreements, which are the cornerstone of the domain name industry, are not hastily finalized to the detriment of the registrants’ rights.

Expected consequences of the new RAA language

According to the latest version of the RAA published by ICANN and the presentation made in Beijing of the modifications to be included in the agreement, soon to be released; we trust that EuroDNS’ processes may, for the most part, already be in compliance with the new contractual obligations and that this shouldn’t put too strong a burden on EuroDNS’ customers.

EuroDNS will, as always, seek to implement these contractual obligations in its operational processes in a manner most convenient for its customers.

Nevertheless, it is already certain that due to the law enforcement agencies’ requests for enhanced verification of registrant’s details, the number of email validations sent by EuroDNS will greatly increase.Once these operational changes have been implemented, EuroDNS will publish an article detailing each of them and will update its help centre accordingly. 

ICANN Contractual Compliance update

During this session lead by ICANN head of contractual compliance services Maguy Serad, the audience was informed that the complaint system which allows Internet users to file formal grievance against registrars and registries that assertedly violate their agreement with ICANN and/or report Whois inaccuracies, is currently being merged into a unified and more efficient system accessible at http://www.icann.org/en/resources/compliance/complaints. 

While this logistical improvement is more than welcome, EuroDNS remains concerned that submission of a Whois inaccuracy report is not subject to any clear terms of use; particularly the fact that while registrants are contractually bound to prove that their details are accurate, the reporter, on the other hand, is not compelled to prove its assertions.

Regrettably, this critical unbalance is an open invitation for abuse by ill-intentioned parties.

Furthermore and in light of the above, the announcement that ICANN would reopen the bulk Whois inaccuracy report system - which allows Internet users to submit an unlimited number of complaints at once – within the next two months, adds to the urgency for an immediate implementation of safeguards by the ICANN compliance department. 

GAC communiqué

During this meeting, ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee issued a communiqué in which it announced that it had reached full consensus to reject two applications based on their lack of community involvement and support (.africa and .gcc).

No support, no gTLD

On top of those two rejections the GAC is also requesting a delay so as to thoroughly analyse 14 other strings which may call for further consideration.

While the aforementioned advice was expected and in line with the GAC role in the framework of the new gTLD program, the government representatives also established a list of broad safeguards that they would like to see implemented into all new gTLDs terms of registration.

Advice is cheap

Although these safeguards were divided into six bullet points, they may be summarized into two categories.

The first one is the GAC advice for an improvement of the accuracy of Whois details, which as explained above, should already be accomplished by the provisions contained in the new RAA.

The second category pertains to the monitoring of domain names used by the registries. Presumably influenced by the example set by ccTLDs registries such as Switzerland’s, who drastically reduced illicit activities under their TLDs by actively monitoring registrations for abuse; the GAC is requesting that registries for new gTLDs be contractually compelled to do the same.

The honourable judge gTLD Registry 

Albeit this second category of advice seems reasonable and even desirable, the wording in the communiqué appears rather too broad as it also includes the monitoring of activities that clearly falls under the jurisdiction of law courts and not under private players’.

Should the ICANN Board follow this advice, it would impose impossible regulations on registries such as determining between two or more parties which one has a prior right to a given domain name, judging the deceptive nature of a domain name use, etc.

And contrary to law courts that are not accountable for their decisions, registries would be, thus putting them at great risk.

Fortunately, the Chair of the ICANN Board, Steve Crocker intimated in the usual post ICANN interview, that the Board while preferring to always follow the GAC’s advice could also overrule them.

In addition to this advice, applicable to all new gTLDs, the GAC communiqué also provides a list of advice for a non-exhaustive list of strings the GAC considers linked to regulated and professional sectors. Although the national and international regulatory bodies to reach out to and the standards to abide by for some of the strings will be easily identifiable (such as .bank, .pharmacy, or .casino, etc.) others may prove more difficult (.earth, .eco, .wtf. etc.).

Closed in the public interest

Lastly, the GAC issued advice on the ‘closed generics’,  applications for generic strings - terms on which no one may claim an exclusive right – to be operated in a closed manner and for the sole benefit of one entity (.blog, .cloud, .docs, etc.).

The government’s representatives advise that such (ab)use of the new gTLD program may only be allowed if the relevant applicants establish that the closed operation of a generic term serves the public interest.

As per the letter from September 2012 signed by EuroDNS and alerting the ICANN Board of the threat this practice would constitute to consumer choice, EuroDNS strongly supports this GAC advice. 

Trademark Clearinghouse

During this session lead by Karen Lentz, ICANN Operations and Policy research Director, Deloitte and IBM, the companies contracted by ICANN to provide the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) services, explained that while the recording of trademarks was already open to trademark holders, several functions required for the launch of the new extensions were not yet implemented as they need to be more specifically defined by ICANN.

Although these functions are not required at this stage, Deloitte and IBM assured the audience that they would be ready before the launch of the new gTLDs. 

As announced, eBrand Services, EuroDNS’ corporate arm has become one of the first TMCH agents to be accredited to record trademarks and is already providing this service to several IP professionals and its corporate customers via its TMCH-Genius innovative platform.

If you would like further information on eBrand TMCH-Genius, please do not hesitate to contact newgtlds@ebrandservices.com.

However, and despite eBrand Services efforts to simplify the use of this service, the inner complexity of the trademark registration system makes it difficult to use for the “occasional” trademark holder. Fully aware of this problem, EuroDNS is currently working on the implementation of a highly simplified version of the TMCH service on its platform; this version will allow customers who hold a trademark to record it for Sunrise registration in just a few clicks.

Never take your eye off the ball – this could happen to you. Having built a successful marketing strategy around your domain name and with an ever expanding customer base, everything is good in the world. 

One fine day you receive an email from a registrar you may have never done business with, informing you that your domain name is in the process of being transferred to them and your confirmation is required. News to you; within minutes you receive a second email – the transfer has been accepted and is now complete. Very efficient; however, the transfer request and confirmation that the gaining registrar received did not originate from you. Sorry to say, you have been hacked, you can expect to see your domain name up for sale shortly, it is imperative that you contact both your current registrar and the new one immediately.

Large portfolio, single domain name – you are a target

Small or large business, domain investor or private individual; you are all vulnerable to this scam, but let us call it what it is; stealing. Do not assume that because your domain name is personal to you, i.e. myownname.com, you are safe – you are an easy target because the hacker already knows you want this particular domain name.

Following the theft of your domain name you may experience a lengthy legal battle involving hefty fees; your relationship with current and future customers may be jeopardized. Having taken over your domain name the thief has control of your website and emails because they have access to the DNS (domain name server). If you are lucky, customers will call to verify you are still in business, unfortunately there are those who will, on being faced with the wrong page, simply go elsewhere.  

The meek shall inherit the earth… but only if they have a strong password

“Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anyone else use it, and get a new one every six months.”

Clifford Stoll – a cyberspace sleuth who exposed a ring of hackers that were stealing military secrets and selling them to the KGB.

Having a weak password for your email account is akin to leaving your front door open. Would you be surprised if your house was burgled? No. Once a thief has access to your emails they have virtual control of your life. A weak password is an invitation to a hacker, you are granting them control of your domain name; and they are now able to take over your registration records and transfer your domain name to another registrar.

It would be prudent to avoid using a free email account as the contact address for your domain registrations – generally, they are more prone to hacking attempts. Also, regularly check the filter settings on your email account (if your account allows this), if a hacker has accessed your account they can create filters for words such as ‘domain’, ‘DNS’, or your registrar’s name; these emails will then be redirected to the hackers email address and you will be unaware of their existence.

Pa33w0rd – the key or the lock?

Until one is hacked the importance of a strong password is not always appreciated, in 2012 the most popular passwords were: password, 123456, abc123, qwerty, letmein; the list goes on and although you may mock - it is a major concern. An effective password should be eight or more characters, containing symbols, numbers and capital letters. Do not use the same username and password combination for numerous sites; and, as Clifford Stoll advises, change it regularly.

If your email address is compromised a hacker is in control; most online providers will send a password reset message to your email account if a password recovery procedure is initiated, but your email account is now under the control of the hacker. After the hacker has reset the password, you no longer have access.

If your domain name is stolen and you are subsequently approached by the thief generously offering to sell it to you for a ‘very reasonable’ price, call your domain name registrar and report the incident immediately. Once you have informed them of the situation your first question should be, “why didn’t you contact me for confirmation?” Regrettably there are registrars that lack an effective verification process; there are also those without scruples and they may not try to recover your domain having successfully re-registered your name with the thief. If you are having doubts about your provider, leave; find a new registrar with an intelligent security procedure in place and sign up for it all.

EuroDNS provide high levels of security to protect customers and their property, if you have any questions regarding the security of your domain name(s), please do not hesitate to contact sales@eurodns.com; the company has a multilingual team of experts ready to help. Alternatively, if you feel you are under attack from a hacker and require assistance, the EuroDNS legal department can provide support, legalservices@eurodns.com.

In the meantime, please follow the advice below:

• Choose strong passwords for your email and registrar accounts, and change them frequently.

• In the Whois database, ensure your contact information is kept up to date.

• If the extension under which your domain name is registered offers it, subscribe to the Registry Lock service.

• Confirm your account details with your registrar and again, check your contact information is accurate and you are reachable.

• Keep records of everything so in the event that your domain name is hijacked, you are able to present a timeline and proof of ownership.

• Automate the renewal of your domain name(s). We all lead busy lives, we run out of milk, library books are overdue, and we forget to renew the registration of our domain name(s). Hackers look for names soon to expire, and pounce – it offers a quick financial return; important only to you, they will be confident that you will pay more than the market value for the return of your name(s).

And finally, do not ever, ever assume that this only happens to other people. Be vigilant at all times and if you feel vulnerable, or would like more information regarding security measures, please talk to EuroDNS.

Definition of password – a secret word or phrase that is used to gain admission; a string of characters that allows access to a computer, interface, or system.

Addendum - domain names for sale

Domain name thieves work in different ways, having targeted an individual and stolen their domain name they will email and offer the name back, for a fee; usually priced higher than its market value knowing you want and need it returned.

There are also those that steal in bulk and quite shamelessly, create a website with the specific purpose of selling stolen domain names. In this instance the domaining community will be directed to the relevant site promising excellent deals on prime domain names.

If you come across one of these websites with deals on domain names that are too good to be true, they almost certainly are. The thief/creator of the website will want to sell-on the names quickly so will want you to make a deal as fast as possible; do not be pressured. Research the history of the name, check the Whois directory at DomainTools, and call the previous owner for confirmation. If all looks genuine proceed with the purchase; but be absolutely sure, although you may buy in good faith, if the name has been stolen the original owner will fight for its return and then you become another victim.

2013 is going to be an exciting year for the domain name industry with new generic top level domains (gTLDs) being readied for introduction to the Internet. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the organization in control of assigning domains; its mission is to introduce and promote competition in the registration of domain names, whilst ensuring security and stability of the DNS. In 2011, ICANN launched the new gTLD program, “To increase competition, choice and consumer trust online.”

ICANN has announced two dates for your calendar; important dates in the new gTLD program.

Trademark Clearinghouse opens March 26, 2013

The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) is a worldwide database of authenticated trademarks, enabling businesses and individuals to protect their trademarks during the launch of the new gTLDs into the Domain Name System (DNS). Following submission and verification of intellectual property rights within the TMCH, rights holders will have full access to rights protection services.

Trademark validation

As of March 26, rights holders from all over the world will be able to register their trademark data with the Trademark Clearinghouse. The verification of data is undertaken by Deloitte Enterprise Risk Services.

Database administration

Management of the TMCH database is the responsibility of IBM; they will be supplying all trademark data to the new gTLD registries and registrars during Sunrise and Trademark Claims periods.

Rights holders submitting trademark information to the TMCH will benefit from exclusive access to the Sunrise period – allowing registration of their trademarks as domain names before access becomes available to the general public. Also, during the Trademark Claims period, rights holders will receive early warning if a domain name is registered that matches or is similar to their trademark.

Rights holders must now concentrate their efforts on considering which trademarks they wish to submit to the Clearinghouse and ensure they have all registration certificates prepared and in a format accepted by the TMCH; with less than a month before opening, time is short.

Trademark Clearinghouse Guidelines

ICANN recently published the TMCH Guidelines; there is a very interesting item on page 20; ICANN has not promoted this little gem but it will certainly be welcomed by domainers. The new gTLDs’ Applicant Guidebook claimed that only ‘word marks’ would receive protection under the TMCH but the TMCH Guidelines clearly state that combined marks, i.e. word(s) and design, will be permissible. The restriction of only accepting ‘word marks’, as previously mentioned, would have meant the exclusion of a large number of trademarks composed of a logo/image and design.  

The Domaining 2013 conference will take place in Valencia, April 25 – 27. EuroDNS will be attending as the Platinum Sponsor; experts from the TMCH will also be in attendance, ready to discuss the Clearinghouse services and answer all questions.

EuroDNS and eBrand Services

As always, EuroDNS will aim at streamlining this process and is currently developing a tool that will easily enable its customers to proceed to TMCH registrations via their EuroDNS accounts. This will allow EuroDNS customers to benefit from their TMCH registrations during the Sunrise periods each new gTLD will hold; periods reserved for brand owners.

However, and as for regular Trademark registrations, right holders may choose to recourse to the services of an authorised agent such as EuroDNS’ corporate arm, eBrand Services,  to have their TMCH registrations handled for them. In addition to saving money, hiring the services of an agent will allow brand owners to eliminate the difficulties of having to go through the complex and time-consuming TMCH registration process; particularly for owners of numerous and “exotic” Trademarks.

If you need further information on eBrand TMCH services, please do not hesitate to contact newgtlds@ebrandservices.com.

ICANN says…

The March 26 date is “contingent on all systems being thoroughly tested and deemed ready for operation”. The TMCH will be the world’s first consolidated database of trademarks, designed specifically for the DNS.

To submit trademark information, rights holders will pay a yearly fee and can register their trademark for up to five years.

First batch of new gTLDs to be introduced on April 23, 2013

Following ICANN’s Random Draw to prioritize the new gTLD applications IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names) are to be launched on April 23, 2013. IDNs are defined by ICANN as, “domain names that include characters used in the local representation of languages that are not written with the twenty six letters of the Latin alphabet, a-z”. Despite the draw being random, IDNs were given priority over the other gTLDs to make the Internet more accessible to audiences around the world that do not use the Latin script; thus the ability to use native scripts and languages will ease online navigation. The first new gTLD on the Internet will be the Chinese language version of .CATHOLIC.

What comes next?

ICANN have stated that following the launch of IDNs the next batch of gTLDs to be released will be those that are uncontested; possibly introduced to the Internet as early as July 2013.

Fadi Chehadé, the ICANN CEO, has said that the organization is on track for processing more than 1900 gTLDs but he added, “there are some things that we can’t control that may cause this date to slip.” Fadi emphasized that, “any delays would last weeks, not months.”

January 7, 2013, saw the close of Nominet’s three month consultation period regarding the introduction of direct.uk; a proposal to allow registrants to register at the second level, i.e. yourname.uk as opposed to yourname.co.uk. This would bring the UK country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) in line with most other countries. Following thorough consideration of feedback Nominet made its decision; to go back to the drawing board.
 
Nominet is the registry managing the UK domain space; it is one of the largest Internet registries and currently has over ten million domain names. In October 2012, it proposed a new service steered towards businesses; the ability to register shorter domain names with enhanced security features. Running alongside .CO.UK, the .UK extension would cost more but would bring advanced protection against fraud and cybercrime.

Public consultation

Realizing the possible ramifications to those concerned with the .UK domain space, Nominet opened a consultation period and invited stakeholders to share their opinions, concerns and suggestions.

EuroDNS participated in discussions and highlighted a potential hazard for existing registrants of .CO.UK domain names who have not registered their name as a trademark.

The scenario – your .CO.UK domain name has been registered for several years and you have built your marketing campaign and business around it, but you did not register it as a trademark. In the meantime, someone registers your name as a trademark; this would grant them priority over you when registering the .UK domain name, despite the trademark being registered after you registered the .CO.UK name. The scenario presented by EuroDNS was a concern shared by others who agreed priority should be given to existing .CO.UK registrants.

Internet community says no

Rather than launch the direct.uk proposal without consultation, Nominet opened up a forum, “to ensure that any resulting service or changes would meet the needs of business, boost trust in the .UK namespace, and contribute positively to Britain’s fast-growing Internet economy”. The danger of course, one doesn’t always hear what one wants. Fair play to Nominet, they have listened and acted accordingly, delaying the proposal to address the various issues.

Nominet has published the direct.uk proposal feedback itemizing the concerns along with comments from the contributors and the registry’s responses. There was disquiet about the cost to businesses ‘forced’ into defensive registration and having to compete for their .UK domain name, despite owning the .CO.UK extension. Although the .UK extensions would come with heightened security justifying the increased registration fee, commentators balked at yet more expenditure.

Whilst the enhanced security features, including malware monitoring and notification, DNSSEC, and a trustmark, brought support, stakeholders thought they should be reflected in all the UK extensions under Nominet’s administration. Concerns about the possible devaluing of existing UK domain name portfolios were voiced by several domain investors. The “more secure and more trusted” direct.uk tagline implying that other UK TLDs are inferior. Nominet’s company overview states, “Safe, secure and reliable, we keep the infrastructure fully functioning and work to protect it from threats, ranging from fraud, to cyber-attacks”, and, “ensure our services work well and are as innovative as they are trustworthy”; “services” plural, not – you get what you pay for.

Nominet goes back to the drawing board

The registry have said that they will explore the numerous comments from their stakeholders and revise the proposal; revisions to include a new phased release mechanism, security features to be spread across the UK namespace, and an appropriate pricing model. Progress of work will be reviewed at the June board meeting and depending on results; Nominet will take part in further consultation before a final decision is reached.

With the release of new gTLDs beginning this year, a quick resolution is essential; stakeholders anxious to keep the UK domain space relevant and competitive expressed concern that launching direct.uk after the new gTLDs would diminish its value.   

EuroDNS, fighting for your rights
 
With the introduction of so many new domains, it is time to consider registering multiple domain names with a single registrar. EuroDNS offers specialized services to aid with domain name registration and its team of experts is available to give advice and answer your questions. Transferring and consolidating your domain names with EuroDNS will save you time, money and stress. Please contact sales@eurodns.com, we are here to protect you and your property.

In February 2013, AFNIC published a report following an extensive study in 2012 of the world’s top 50 domain name extensions. The industry report reveals information regarding the performance of the 50 TLDs, in relation to each other and historically; the average growth rate was 7%, a 2% drop compared to 2011.
 
AFNIC (Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération) is the non-profit organization managing the TLDs .FR (France), .RE (Réunion Island), .YT (Mayotte), .WF (Wallis and Futuna), .TF (French Southern Territories), and .PM (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon). AFNIC is also positioned as a provider of technical solutions and services for registries and registrars.  

Please see below for highlights of the study; if you wish to read in full, please visit AFNIC.

Relaxation creates surge for .CN domain names

A remarkable annual growth of 113% means .CN (China) is displaying the greatest increase in the number of registrations in 2012. The performance of the .CN extension has fluctuated for several years due to Chinese authorities imposing tight restrictions on registrations; topping four million names at year-end 2009 this figure dropped dramatically to three million in less than two years. The restrictions were relaxed in 2012 and subsequently the number of registrations at the end of 2012 has increased to almost six and a half million.

.COM still reigns as king of the domains

No surprise that .COM leads the generic extensions in growth, 8% in 2012; but it also boasted the highest number of registered domain names, 106 million.

Accent on the French

Founded in 1998, in December 2012 AFNIC announced it had over two and a half million .FR domains registered; new registrations in 2012 amounted to 730,000, an increase of 14% compared to the previous year.

The .FR extension ranks fourteenth out of the 50 extensions covered by the AFNIC report (generic and country code) and tenth in country code TLDs. The registrations of the .FR extension increased by 15% in 2012; excluding .CN, this is double the average growth of the other extensions.

Local presence is no longer a requirement when registering a .FR domain name and this brought an influx of new registrations.  When AFNIC introduced IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names) on all their ccTLDs, the numbers grew again as French speaking Internet users were able to portray their domain names correctly using 30 new characters.

With the new gTLDs scheduled to hit the Internet this year; one applicant is The City of Paris and it has engaged AFNIC as the registry administering the new extension, .PARIS.

The best of the rest 

The second most popular extension is .NET with 15,500,000 million registered names, closely followed by .DE (Germany, 15.3m), .ORG (10.3m), .TK (Tokelua, 10.5m), and .UK (10.3m). A recent surge shows .CN with seven and a half million names registered.

It is worth noting that the hugely popular .TK extension is ranking highly due to its beneficial registration policy; domain names can usually be registered free of charge, regardless of the registrants nationality.  

Whilst there are only 300,000 registered .IR (Iran) domain names, it grew an impressive 40% in 2012. Iranians wishing to register a .IR domain name are welcomed with open arms; as is the rest of the world, but due to a UN embargo on the country whilst it is still possible to register a domain name, payment of registration fees is impossible.

The Portugal extension, .PT, displayed an annual growth of 28%; this impressive growth was aided by registration restrictions being lifted on May 1, 2012, allowing anyone to register a domain name. With the liberalization of .PT new features were also introduced including domain names supporting accented characters.

In the middle of 2010 .COM had reason to be concerned when it faced competition with the introduction of .CO (Colombia); with liberalized registration requirements it was marketed as an ‘open ccTLD’ or ‘quasi gTLD’ and an alternative to .COM. Google also recognized it as .COM substitute and aligned its terms of SEO so the two extensions were appraised accordingly. By 2012 there were two and a half million registered domain names.

Montenegro’s .ME extension has always been popular and has been increasing year on year since 2008; its potential as a generic name was soon apparent and it was heavily promoted in the English speaking market as a means to personalize ones website. Officially .ME is a ccTLD but Google accepted it as an unofficial generic name and so, allows geo-targeting.

Unfortunately not all ccTLDs are equal and there are some in decline including .KR (Korea) dropping 9% and the Russian extension represented in Cyrillic characters, .рф, dropping by 17% despite it being hugely popular when it was launched in 2012.

Final word

According to Verisign (provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world), there were seven million domains added to the Internet in Q2 2012; meaning the total number of generic and ccTLD names registered worldwide is almost 250 million. Globally, registrations have grown by 11.9% since Q2 2011; we can only wait and see what will happen when the new gTLDs hit the Internet.