Internet Group Eases Rules for New Domain Names

By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 26, 2008 1:17 PM CDT
Internet Group Eases Rules for New Domain Names
People attending ICANN's public forum use their laptops during the debate Thursday, March 29 2007, in Lisbon, Portugal. Attention at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers meeting has been drawn to whether the implementation of a new ''.xxx'' domain name for pornographic and adult Web...   (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

The Internet's key oversight agency relaxed rules today to permit the introduction of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new Internet domain names to join ".com," making the first sweeping changes in the network's 25-year-old addressing system. The panel, meeting in Paris, unanimously approved new guidelines to streamline review of proposed new suffixes; under the old rules, only 13 were approved in the last 8 years.

New names likely won't start appearing until at least next year, and the agency won't be deciding on specific ones until details are worked out, including fees, expected to exceed $100,000 apiece. The streamlined guidelines call for an initial review phase, during which anyone may raise an objection on such grounds as racism, trademark conflicts, and similarity to an existing suffix. The group also voted unanimously to open public comment on a proposal to permit addresses entirely in non-English languages for the first time. (More internet stories.)

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