Contest for new domain name endings heats up

Google is among the big Web players seeking domain names The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers says there have been 1,930 applications for new generic Top Level Domains. The road ahead is littered with disputes.For the first time Brands like Adidas and Apple have been able to apply for their own Top Level Domains (gTLDs) - or even secure generic "strings" like .sports and .music.
After six years of debate, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has embarked on an ambitious plan to liberalize Internet addresses.
By expanding beyond the existing, small group of top level domains - such as .com, .org and .net - ICANN says it wants to drive competition and innovation on the Internet.
At a press conference in London, ICANN chief executive Rod Beckstrom, revealed there had been 1,930 applications for new gTLDs.
"This is an historic day for the Internet and the two billion people around the world that depend on it," Beckstrom said.
More than half of the applications have come from North America, home to Internet giants like Google and Amazon - although Amazon, the retailer, lodged its applications through its Luxemburg office.
Greater online visibility
Google's chief Internet evangelist, Vint Cerf, says the move is long overdue.
Cerf once wrote in a blog that "despite the great opportunities the Web has enabled for people around the world, there is still a lingering question about the diversity of the domain space."
Marketers say one of the main benefits for brands will be increased online visibility. Nikon, for instance, could ditch nikon.com in favor of a much simpler .nikon gTLD, and Google could use movies.youtube.
Microsoft has applied to cover several of its brands, including hotmail, skydrive and skype, while software security vendor, Symantec, has applied for generic gTLDs such as .protection and .antivirus.
Around 70 applications have come from Germany for gTLDs like .gmbh (the German equivalent of the acronym for a limited liability company), .taxi, .bayern, .berlin, and .lidl for the supermarket chain.
Stuart Durham, a director at Melbourne IT, which sells domain name registration and Web hosting services, says another benefit is "security and trust."
"If you're a bank or luxury goods producer, for instance, you could create your own 'safe haven' online," Durham told DW. "You could have ultimate control of everything under your domain name."
As well as personalizing an Internet presence and the ability to replicate key search words, Durham says the new gTLDs could improve navigation or even search engine performance.
Domain disputes
Domains like .home and .free are among those that have attracted several applicants. ICANN is encouraging the different parties to work together and even partner on domains, but it will auction those that continue to be contested.
In Europe, for instance, the Guardian Media Group is reported to have applied for five gTLDs, including .guardian. But it is expected to face competition from the US-based Guardian Life Insurance company, which owns guardian.com worldwide.
The Swiss government and the airline, Swissair, are already butting heads over the rights to .swiss.
'Defensive registration'