PALM BEACH, FL - The growth of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) is reshaping the domain name industry, introducing a wave of innovation and diversification that challenges the long-standing dominance of traditional gTLDs like .COM and .NET. This transformation is not just technical but represents a fundamental shift in how businesses and individuals approach their digital identities. Expansion of the Domain Name System The introduction of new gTLDs stems from … [Read more...]
The End of an Era: Whois Lookup Service Fades Into History, Replaced by RDAP
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - In a significant shift for the internet's infrastructure, the decades-old Whois system is being phased out, making way for its modern successor: the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP). This transition marks the end of an era for one of the internet's most recognizable tools and ushers in a new chapter in how domain registration data is accessed and managed. For years, Whois has been the go-to resource for querying domain name registration … [Read more...]
Annual Number of Domain Name Registrations Remains Flat at End of 2024
LOS ANGELES, CA - According to end-of-the-year roundups, the number of domain name registrations that took place during the course of 2024 remained essentially flat when compared to the year prior, indicating that growth within the industry has stagnated to a degree following the increased demand brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 362.3 million domain names registered at the end of the fourth quarter of 2024 according to the most recent Domain Name … [Read more...]
Senator Elizabeth Warren Calls for Antitrust Investigation into Domain Registrar Verisign
WASHINGON, D.C. - Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is claiming that internet domain registrar Verisign is a “monopoly” and is subsequently demanding that an antitrust investigation be carried out against the company. Working in conjunction with Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Warren sent a letter last week to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that accuses the top-level domain (TLD) market of being tightly controlled by Verisign, whom she claims … [Read more...]
GoDaddy or Namecheap: Which Registrar Should You Use to Buy an .AI Domain?
PHOENIX, AZ - With the boom of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution the talk of the technology industry – both for good and bad – the demand for the .AI domain has skyrocketed. Originally an obscure country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the small Caribbean island of Anguilla, it has spiked in popularity with tech companies looking to cash in on the AI craze, making it one of the most popular extensions out there currently. That being said, the US-based GoDaddy … [Read more...]
Lawsuit Alleges GoDaddy “Stole” Domain Name Two Months After Purchase
TEMPE, AZ - A lawsuit filed by Sweden-based Crisby Studio AB alleges that the biggest Internet registrar in the world, GoDaddy, “wrongfully took possession of” a domain name, two months after it had been successfully purchased by the company earlier this year. Crisby Studio AB, a Swedish limited liability company, and Niklas Thorin, a Swedish resident Plaintiffs, v. GoDaddy, Inc., a Delaware corporation, GoDaddy.com, LLC, a Delaware corporation, … [Read more...]
Unstoppable Domains and Blockchain.com Partner to Launch “.blockchain” Domain
LAS VEGAS, NV - Unstoppable Domains, a crypto domain name and wallet address registrar, has announced they have teamed up with Blockchain.com in order to launch a “.blockchain” domain name system (DNS)-enabled Web3 domain, with plans to go on to commercialize the joint venture for profit. A web3 domain name is a a decentralized, blockchain-based domain name that's registered on a crypto network, like Ethereum or Algorand. Web3 domains are also known as … [Read more...]
Expired Domains: New Tool to Search for Recently Expired Names You Can Register
PALM BEACH, FL - A new free-to-use website features an interesting tool that allows domain investors to search for expired, inexpensive domains that can be registered. https://justexpired.net allows users to search through a plethora of domains that have recently expired in order to discover ones that may be worth picking up for their possible intrinsic value. Typically, the most desirable expired domains are not picked up in searches such as these because they are … [Read more...]
Following Early-Access, Five New gTLDs Now Available for General Availability
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Late last week, five new top-level domains (TLDs) were made available for early access registration, spanning a variety of different uses and covering topics that are designed to appeal to very specific audiences. The five TLDs in question are .diy, .food, .living, .lifestyle, and .vana, all of which were acquired late last year by Internet Naming Co. from Lifestyle Domain Holdings, which was the previous owner but had not yet launched the … [Read more...]
New Service to Assist with WHOIS Lookups Launched by ICANN for Authorized Users
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – the nonprofit organization that oversees the domain industry – has launched a new centralized online service to assist researchers, law enforcement, and others to request personal data from all public domain registration records. This new service comes after ICANN had instructed all registrars in May 2018 to redact personal data – such as a customer’s name, address, phone number … [Read more...]
Q3 Domain Report: Slight “.COM” Reg Decline, New GTLDs Enjoy 10% Increase
RESTON, VA - Verisign, the company that is the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains (TLDs) and the .cc country-code top-level domain, released their 3rd quarter 2023 Domain Name Industry Brief (DNIB) this week that reveals by the end of the latest quarter, total domain registrations across all TLDs worldwide have reached 359.3 million. That number represents a 2.4 percent increase year over year, amounting to an … [Read more...]
WordPress Offering 100-Year Domain Registration, Hosting Plan for $38,000
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – WordPress – which recently made headlines when they offered up to one million Google Domains customers free transfers to their service after the company's assets were acquired by Squarespace – announced this week a new plan where they will be selling domains with a registration length of 100 years for a one-time payment of $38,000. Known primarily for its content management system that allows users to create simple and easy-to-use … [Read more...]
44,000 Domains Have Taken Up WordPress’ Free Transfer Offer from Google Domains
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - After previously announcing on August 1st that they would be offering free domain transfers for current Google Domains clients following the sale of the company's assets to Squarespace for $180 million, WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg announced that 44,000 customers have taken him up on his offer so far, with many more expected to cross over as well in the near future. Customers of Google Domains – which sold off its assets in June, including … [Read more...]
Prices of .Com Domain Name Registrations, Renewals Set to Increase in September
RESTON, VA - Verisign Inc., the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains and the .cc country-code top-level domains, recently announced that August is the last month to register or renew your .com domain name and save some money before prices are increased this upcoming September. Once September 1 hits, Verisign stated they will increase the wholesale price of annual .com registration and renewals from $8.97 to $9.59, an … [Read more...]
Website Company Squarespace Enters Agreement to Purchase Google Domains
NEW YORK, NY - New York City-based website building and hosting company Squarespace announced this week that they will be entering into an agreement to purchase Google Domains – a domain name registrar operated by Google that offers domain registration, DNS hosting, dynamic DNS, domain forwarding, and email forwarding – in a deal that includes all of the company's assets, which includes approximately 10 million domains that are owned by millions of … [Read more...]