Domain Incite https://domainincite.com Domain Name Industry News, Analysis & Opinion Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:08:17 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 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 .web could be a huge payday for Verisign https://domainincite.com/31827-web-could-be-a-huge-payday-for-verisign https://domainincite.com/31827-web-could-be-a-huge-payday-for-verisign#respond Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:08:17 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31827 .web entered the root zone this week, ending over a quarter-century of drama over the once-coveted gTLD, and now it looks like it could be immediately worth tens of millions to its new registry. Verisign got it, of course, seemingly by paying off the company, Altanovo Domains, that has been doggedly pursuing it through ICANN’s […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31827-web-could-be-a-huge-payday-for-verisign/feed 0 31827 Freenom is back, but no longer free https://domainincite.com/31821-freenom-is-back-but-no-longer-free https://domainincite.com/31821-freenom-is-back-but-no-longer-free#comments Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:02:48 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31821 Controversial domain registry Freenom has returned, barely two and a half years after Facebook owner Meta sued it into the ground in a massive cybersquatting lawsuit. But the company seems to have abandoned the free domains business model it pioneered that led to spammers registering millions of abusive domains and huge reputational harm. Freenom was […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31821-freenom-is-back-but-no-longer-free/feed 1 31821 First dot-brand of the year self-terminates https://domainincite.com/31819-first-dot-brand-of-the-year-self-terminates https://domainincite.com/31819-first-dot-brand-of-the-year-self-terminates#respond Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:38:29 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31819 It’s been almost 10 months since ICANN last received a demand from a dot-brand registry operator to terminate its contract, but 2026 has now had its first such request. Networking gear maker Juniper Networks has asked for its .juniper gTLD to be deleted. No specific reason was given. You might think that a dot-brand ducking […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31819-first-dot-brand-of-the-year-self-terminates/feed 0 31819 The Tax Man to get domain takedown powers https://domainincite.com/31817-the-tax-man-to-get-domain-takedown-powers https://domainincite.com/31817-the-tax-man-to-get-domain-takedown-powers#respond Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:20:11 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31817 The Tax Man is going to get powers to ask for domains to be taken down in the UK, according to local registry Nominet. His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs is set to be added to Nominet’s list of approved law enforcement agencies under its Criminal Practices Policy, enabling it to ask for domains to be […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31817-the-tax-man-to-get-domain-takedown-powers/feed 0 31817 Afnic: all your overseas territories are belong to us https://domainincite.com/31814-afnic-all-your-overseas-territories-are-belong-to-us https://domainincite.com/31814-afnic-all-your-overseas-territories-are-belong-to-us#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:31:13 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31814 French ccTLD registry Afnic has taken over management of three more ccTLDs assigned to France’s overseas territories, meaning it now looks after all eight such TLDs, according to the company. Afnic is now running .gf (French Guiana), .gp (Guadeloupe) and .mq (Martinique), in addition to the .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .re (Réunion), .tf (French Southern […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31814-afnic-all-your-overseas-territories-are-belong-to-us/feed 3 31814 .ru ready to crash as Draconian new rules come in https://domainincite.com/31811-ru-ready-to-crash-as-draconian-new-rules-come-in https://domainincite.com/31811-ru-ready-to-crash-as-draconian-new-rules-come-in#respond Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:05:07 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31811 One of the world’s most-popular ccTLDs could be on the verge of losing a substantial number of domains after extremely strict eligibility requirements come in to force just weeks from now. Registrants of new and existing .ru domains will need to prove their identity via a system administered by the Russian government from September 1 […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31811-ru-ready-to-crash-as-draconian-new-rules-come-in/feed 0 31811 Google adds .here and .eat to launch roster https://domainincite.com/31809-google-adds-here-and-eat-to-launch-roster https://domainincite.com/31809-google-adds-here-and-eat-to-launch-roster#respond Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:26:44 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31809 Google has added the long-dormant gTLDs .here and .eat to its 2026 launch timetable, synchronized with the previously announced launch of .fly. The company has told ICANN that it plans to runs its sunrise periods alongside .fly’s from September 1 until November 9, with general availability following immediately November 10. All three gTLDs are expected […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31809-google-adds-here-and-eat-to-launch-roster/feed 0 31809 “Bulletproof” registrar gets third ICANN bollocking https://domainincite.com/31806-bulletproof-registrar-gets-third-icann-bollocking https://domainincite.com/31806-bulletproof-registrar-gets-third-icann-bollocking#respond Fri, 17 Jul 2026 05:57:40 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31806 Trustname.com, a company that advertises itself as a privacy-devoted “bulletproof” registrar, is still refusing to suspend domain names used for phishing, malware, and payment card theft fast enough, according to ICANN. The Org has sent its third notice of contract breach in five weeks and given Estonia-based Trustname, also known as Fewmoretaps, until August 6 […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31806-bulletproof-registrar-gets-third-icann-bollocking/feed 0 31806 Cybercrime link as t.me gets taken down https://domainincite.com/31803-cybercrime-link-as-t-me-gets-taken-down https://domainincite.com/31803-cybercrime-link-as-t-me-gets-taken-down#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2026 06:52:27 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31803 Speculation is rampant online right now after t.me, the domain used for short links by the messaging service Telegram, was apparently taken down by the .me registry, affecting as many as a billion users. t.me seems to have gone dark shortly before 2000 UTC on Monday evening, with Whois/RDAP records showing it is now placed […]

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]]> https://domainincite.com/31803-cybercrime-link-as-t-me-gets-taken-down/feed 2 31803 ICANN rules could hamper agentic AI domain regs https://domainincite.com/31800-icann-rules-could-hamper-agentic-ai-domain-regs https://domainincite.com/31800-icann-rules-could-hamper-agentic-ai-domain-regs#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:45:28 +0000 https://domainincite.com/?p=31800 Bulk registration of domain names is likely to become more difficult under policy proposals being considered in ICANN, potentially limiting the potential of agentic AI. The Generic Names Supporting Organization is in the very early stages of a Policy Development Process that aims to “introduce friction” into bulk registration shopping carts for untrusted registrants. The […]

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