Three Largest South African Cities Join gTLD Applicants - 22 May, 2012, 10:53 am

The three largest South African cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town have all decided having their cities as generic Top Level Domains is a good idea and have joined with ZA Central Registry, who will apply for the gTLDs. The three gTLDs – .JOBURG, .DURBAN and .CAPETOWN – will [...]

TLDH Adds .BUDAPEST To Stable - 22 May, 2012, 10:25 am

Top Level Domain Holdings has added the Hungarian capital to its stable of gTLD clients, with their latest announcement that they will be applying for .BUDAPEST with the support of the city government, while Minds + Machines will provide registry services. TLDH is behind a number of gTLD applications, including [...]

Award for excellence: DENIC wins second prize in Database Award 2012 - 21 May, 2012, 7:26 pm

[news release] Today, it was granted for the second time, the Database Award of the German computer magazine “COMPUTERWOCHE” and its partner Oracle. Innovative spirit, strategic importance to the company and sophisticated technologies are the criteria to determine the winners. This year, DENIC is one of them. Participating for the [...]

ICANN: New L-Root DNS Server Enhances DNS Fault Tolerance and Resistance to DDoS Attacks - 19 May, 2012, 12:33 pm

A new instance of L-Root has been installed in Odessa, Ukraine, increasing the Domain Name System’s (DNS) overall fault tolerance and its resilience against certain types of cyber threats, such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The launch of the server node is a joint operation between ICANN and [...]

DRAFT – ICANN Language Services Policy and Procedures - 19 May, 2012, 12:31 pm

Purpose (Brief): ICANN Language Services is submitting for public comment the draft Language Services Policy and Procedures. The purpose of this document, although implicit in its title, is to establish policies and procedures for all services related to languages – translation, simultaneous interpretation, teleconference interpretation, transcription (of recorded sessions) and [...]

ICANN: Approved July 2012 – June 2015 Strategic Plan Posted - 19 May, 2012, 12:27 pm

Based upon the Board Resolutions resulting from the recent Special Meeting of the Board of Directors held in Amsterdam on 6 May 2012, the adopted 2012-2015 Strategic Plan [PDF, 864 KB] is now posted. 2012-2015 Strategic Plan English [PDF, 864 KB] العربية – coming soon 中文 – coming soon Français [...]

ICANN Targets 22 May For TAS Reopening - 18 May, 2012, 2:29 pm

ICANN are planning to reopen the TLD Application System (TAS) on 22 May the organisation announced. If all goes as planned, the TAS will reopen at 19:00 GMT/UTC and be open for a further eight days to allow users to review their applications for new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) [...]

Draft Statement of ICANN’s Role and Remit in Security, Stability and Resiliency of the Internet’s Unique Identifier Systems - 18 May, 2012, 2:13 pm

Purpose (Brief): ICANN is seeking community feedback on a draft statement of ICANN’s Role and Remit in Security, Stability & Resiliency of the Internet’s Unique Identifier Systems. This is intended to provide a clear and enduring explanation of ICANN’s role and remit in this area, and also will inform ICANN’s [...]

ICANN Public Comment Periods Approaching Closing Dates From 17-27 May - 18 May, 2012, 2:09 pm

The Following Public Comment periods are approaching their Comment or Reply Period Close dates, May 17-27 2012. As a member of the ICANN community, your timely feedback is critical to our accountability and transparency efforts. For your convenience, we have included direct links below to comments that will soon close. [...]

Pre-Prague ICANN Policy Update Webinar Invitation - 17 May, 2012, 1:18 pm

In order to participate, please RSVP via email to the GNSO Secretariat (gnso.secretariat@gnso.icann.org) to receive the call details. Whether you plan to participate in the upcoming ICANN meeting in Prague remotely or in person, you’re invited to an update on the background and current status of each major policy issue [...]

ICANN: Open-Source Reference Implementation of a Domain Name RESTful Whois Server – Request for Proposals - 17 May, 2012, 1:13 pm

ICANN is issuing today a Request for Proposal [PDF, 183 KB] to identify a provider capable of providing an open source reference implementation of a Domain Name RESTful Whois server. On 15 May 2012, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) chartered a new working group to standardize a RESTful-based Registration [...]

ICANN: Call for Expressions of Interest for 2012-2013 Nominating Committee Chair-Elect - 17 May, 2012, 1:11 pm

ICANN is immediately seeking expressions of interest for the 2012-2013 Nominating Committee (NomCom) Chair-Elect. In accordance with the Bylaws, “[i]t is anticipated that upon the conclusion of the term of the Chair-Elect, the Chair-Elect will be appointed by the Board to the position of Chair.” See Article VII, section 3.4. [...]

ICANN: Proposed Revised Process for Handling Requests for Removal of Cross-Ownership Restrictions on Operators of Existing gTLDs - 17 May, 2012, 1:08 pm

Purpose (Brief): ICANN is posting a proposed revision to the process that allows existing registry operators to request removal of cross-ownership restrictions for the gTLDs that they operate. The revision will allow existing gTLD registries to own or control registrars that sell domain names in their own, existing registry. (More [...]

India Calls For UN Body To Replace ICANN - 16 May, 2012, 9:34 pm

India is calling for a United Nations-run body to take over the responsibilities of ICANN, with discussions likely to take place in Geneva later this week, according to a report in The Hindu. The Geneva meeting is to be led by the Commission on Science and Technology for Development and [...]

Ratification of Global Policy Proposal for Post Exhaustion IPv4 Allocation Mechanisms by the IANA - 16 May, 2012, 4:05 pm

The ICANN Board has ratified the Global Policy Proposal for Post Exhaustion IPv4 Allocation Mechanisms by the IANA as sent by the Address Supporting Organization (ASO) Council to the ICANN Board on 13 March 2012. The proposal was posted for public comment from 14 March 2012 through 4 April 2012, [...]

Instra Corporation Announces .CO Accreditation - 13 April, 2012, 11:32 am

Offers a memorable, available and global option for its customers to find their ideal digital personality Instra just keeps getting better and better. Today Instra has announced it is one of the accredited registrar partners for the .CO extension. As one of the world’s top domain name providers, this is just another way to extend the [...]

Instra Attracts Leading Senior Channel Manager Samantha Frida - 6 December, 2011, 7:46 pm

Global domain name registrar Instra Corporation has attracted one of the industry’s top players to their team; marking yet another leap forward for the fast-growing cutting-edge company. Former VeriSign Senior Channel Manager Samantha Frida has sparked controversy by aligning herself with Instra CEO Tony Lentino; a man she describes as a ‘creative genius’. With academic achievements [...]

FREE .Brand Package by Instra for Top Level Domains - 6 December, 2011, 7:21 pm

Instra Corporation, a global domain brand protection company, has launched its gTLD flagship website, http://www.newtlds.com. In a bid to attract the premium top level domain market, Instra CEO Tony Lentino is unveiling targeted TLD promotions in an aggressive new marketing campaign. “Our initiative is to offer free or reduced-cost Instra application processes for those [...]

.XXX Sunrise period commences September 7 2011 - 5 September, 2011, 11:31 am

The registry will be accepting live Sunrise applications starting September 7 2011. Applicants that hold an existing adult domain name or trademark should apply to register their brand during the sunrise period to ensure that they have the best possible chance of securing their name in the .XXX name space. Trademark holders that want to perform a [...]

.QA - Instra to become QATAR Registrar - 17 August, 2011, 9:43 am

Instra has become provisionally accredited Qatar registrar. We expect to become fully accredited in time for the Sunrise launch, which is expected in September 2011. As a foreign registrar, we will be providing registrations in the top level .QA name space. The .QA name space will be open to applicants worldwide, and it will be a great [...]

.XXX Launch dates announced - 25 July, 2011, 3:31 pm

ICM Registry has announced the official launch dates for the Internet’s newest sponsored TLD – .XXX. The Sunrise period will commence on September 7 2011 and will run through to October 28 2011. Members of the Sponsored Adult Community that have an existing Adult Domain name or Trademark will be given preference to register their brand in [...]

ICANN approves new gTLD program - 27 June, 2011, 3:33 pm

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), who are the governing authority on domain names, have decided to approve a new program that will allow businesses and individuals to apply for their own top level domain name. This means that successful applicants will be able to own and maintain a gTLD (generic Top Level Domain) [...]

.AU Celebrates 25 years - 3 June, 2011, 3:40 pm

The Australian ICT, .AU Registrars, and the Australian Business Community yesterday celebrated 25 years of the .AU domain name. AusRegistry, the .AU Registry operator hosted the 25th celebration for .AU domain name at Melbourne Museum. The .AU domain name is widely recognised both nationally and internationally, as the name space that defines Australia’s online presence. The [...]

New TLDs Update - 13 May, 2011, 4:24 pm

ICANN have released the final draft of the New TLD handbook, which means that the New TLD program will be ready for launch very soon. There has however been a few recent developments that have further delayed the launch of the New TLD Program. We are optimistic that the regulatory requirements will be resolved, and we [...]

ICM Registry appoints Instra as .XXX Registrar - 2 May, 2011, 10:17 am

We are pleased to announce that ICM Registry has appointed Instra as a .XXX Accreditted Registrar. Instra is now accepting pre-registration orders for this name space, and we expect to be formally recognised as an accreditted .XXX registrar by ICANN within the new few weeks. We will also be publishing more details about the Sunrise stages within [...]