Domain Incite https://domainincite.com Domain Name Industry News, Analysis & Opinion Tue, 05 May 2026 11:50:16 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/domainincite.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Domain Incite https://domainincite.com 32 32 200573764 .music has competition as .mu repositions https://domainincite.com/31686-music-has-competition-as-mu-repositions https://domainincite.com/31686-music-has-competition-as-mu-repositions#respond Tue, 05 May 2026 11:50:16 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31686 Identity Digital and it.com Domains are to market the Mauritius ccTLD, .mu, as an open alternative to the .music gTLD. According to it.com, the ccTLD will be marketed internationally as “Everyone’s Music Domain”, starting with outreach at the trademark-focused INTA Annual Meeting in London this week. It’s a non-sunrise sunrise period, being called the Trademark […]

The post .music has competition as .mu repositions first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31686-music-has-competition-as-mu-repositions/feed 0 31686 Over 100 new gTLD bids have already been announced https://domainincite.com/31682-over-100-new-gtld-bids-have-already-been-announced https://domainincite.com/31682-over-100-new-gtld-bids-have-already-been-announced#respond Tue, 05 May 2026 10:41:59 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31682 With the 2026 ICANN new gTLD application window now officially open, one striking difference compared to the 2012 round is the number of organizations that have broken cover to announce that they will apply. Back in 2012, consultants excitedly pointed to Canon, the Japanese electronics firm, as the convincer. It had openly revealed it planned […]

The post Over 100 new gTLD bids have already been announced first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31682-over-100-new-gtld-bids-have-already-been-announced/feed 0 31682 2026 new gTLD round has actually opened https://domainincite.com/31680-2026-new-gtld-round-has-actually-opened https://domainincite.com/31680-2026-new-gtld-round-has-actually-opened#comments Fri, 01 May 2026 03:10:26 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31680 As of today, you can now apply to own a piece of the internet’s root zone for the first time since 2012. Almost unbelievably, given some of its relatively recent history, ICANN has hit its deadline and opened up its systems for companies and organizations to file applications for new gTLDs. The application window opened […]

The post 2026 new gTLD round has actually opened first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31680-2026-new-gtld-round-has-actually-opened/feed 3 31680 Nominet wants to fight shrinkage without self-abuse https://domainincite.com/31676-nominet-wants-to-fight-shrinkage-without-self-abuse https://domainincite.com/31676-nominet-wants-to-fight-shrinkage-without-self-abuse#respond Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:29:37 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31676 Nominet has acknowledged that .uk has been shrinking for some time and wants to do something about it without accidentally inviting hordes of spammers and scammers into its zone. The registry said this week that it is responding to calls from its registrar members by introducing a new .UK Growth Programme, set to launch June […]

The post Nominet wants to fight shrinkage without self-abuse first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31676-nominet-wants-to-fight-shrinkage-without-self-abuse/feed 0 31676 Verisign cranks up guidance as .com swells https://domainincite.com/31672-verisign-cranks-up-guidance-as-com-swells https://domainincite.com/31672-verisign-cranks-up-guidance-as-com-swells#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:16:12 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31672 Verisign has significantly bumped up its growth expectations for 2026, saying it expects to sell far more domains than previously thought. The company said it expects its domain name base — the combined domains under management for .com and .net — to grow by between 3.1% and 4.3% over the course of the year. That’s […]

The post Verisign cranks up guidance as .com swells first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31672-verisign-cranks-up-guidance-as-com-swells/feed 0 31672 More Verisign bitchiness as .com price rise revealed https://domainincite.com/31668-more-verisign-bitchiness-as-com-prices-rise-revealed https://domainincite.com/31668-more-verisign-bitchiness-as-com-prices-rise-revealed#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:53:22 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31668 Verisign is putting up the price of a .com domain again, and it clearly wishes it could raise it even more. The registry said that it will increase the base annual wholesale fee by 71 cents from $10.26 to $10.97 effective November 1 this year. That’s the maximum 7% hike it’s permitted to impose under […]

The post More Verisign bitchiness as .com price rise revealed first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31668-more-verisign-bitchiness-as-com-prices-rise-revealed/feed 2 31668 Is a .tree gTLD very cool or very silly? https://domainincite.com/31665-is-a-tree-gtld-very-cool-or-very-silly https://domainincite.com/31665-is-a-tree-gtld-very-cool-or-very-silly#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:43:05 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31665 .tree is one of the first-ever publicly announced gTLD applications, predating even the 2012 application round, and it seems to have been proposed for a second time. A web site using dottree.org, registered a week ago, is saying there’s a plan to apply for .tree in the forthcoming ICANN application round, with a charitable goal. […]

The post Is a .tree gTLD very cool or very silly? first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31665-is-a-tree-gtld-very-cool-or-very-silly/feed 1 31665 The internet just got its first new TLD since 2022 https://domainincite.com/31660-the-internet-just-got-its-first-new-tld-since-2022 https://domainincite.com/31660-the-internet-just-got-its-first-new-tld-since-2022#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:29:35 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31660 There’s a new gTLD in the root, the first time ICANN has added a string in over four years. Don’t get too excited though: it’s a dot-brand, kinda. As of the weekend, .merck is live and resolving, though only the mandatory nic.merck registry domain exists right now. The gTLD is interesting because it seems to […]

The post The internet just got its first new TLD since 2022 first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31660-the-internet-just-got-its-first-new-tld-since-2022/feed 1 31660 Kid-friendly domains could be reborn https://domainincite.com/31654-kid-friendly-domains-could-be-reborn https://domainincite.com/31654-kid-friendly-domains-could-be-reborn#respond Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:09:50 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31654 With governments around the world increasingly looking at reducing the harmful effects on the internet on children, it seems child-friendly domain name projects may see a resurgence. The US government’s new hunt for a registry operator for .us, launched this week, contains a fairly explicit call for whichever company wins the contract to “revitalize” the […]

The post Kid-friendly domains could be reborn first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31654-kid-friendly-domains-could-be-reborn/feed 0 31654 Shrinking .us TLD is up for grabs https://domainincite.com/31653-shrinking-us-tld-is-up-for-grabs https://domainincite.com/31653-shrinking-us-tld-is-up-for-grabs#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:30:43 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31653 The .us ccTLD may change registry operators in the not too distant future, but the domain is currently on a fairly steep downward trajectory in terms of registrations. There’s also no guarantee that a new operator, should one be selected, would necessarily lead to lower prices for registrants. The US National Telecommunications and Information Administration […]

The post Shrinking .us TLD is up for grabs first appeared on Domain Incite.

]]> https://domainincite.com/31653-shrinking-us-tld-is-up-for-grabs/feed 1 31653