ARTICLE · 04 SEPTEMBER 2008

ICANN Announces New Expansion Of The Internet Domain Name System

Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"), the body in charge of managing the Internet domain name system, recently approved a series of recommendations which could dramatically change the Internet landscape.

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The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"), the body in charge of managing the Internet domain name system, recently approved a series of recommendations which could dramatically change the Internet landscape.

Starting in 2009, corporations, individuals and communities will have an opportunity to apply for new generic top level domains that are particularly suited to their brands, businesses or interests. This means that the number of domain name suffixes could increase significantly, with clear implications for all involved in the Internet community.

WHAT IS A GENERIC TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN?

A generic top-level domain (also known by the abbreviation "gTLD") is a string of letters which constitutes the suffix of a domain name. ICANN has accredited 21 gTLDs, the most common of which are .com, .net and .org, in addition to 249 country code top level domains (or "ccTLDs"), including .ca, .de, and .fr.

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