domain name news
Google has applied for 39 new top-level domains in ICANN’s 2026 expansion round, down from the 101 it sought in 2012. It faces competition for .agent from 13 applicants, including OpenAI and Meta.
Source: Domain Name Wire published on
An auDA review panel has recommended scrapping the option to register .com.au or .net.au domains based on services, goods or events offered, leaving mainly registered names, acronyms or Australian trademarks as valid grounds.
Source: domainbrief.de original in German published on
ICANN announced on September 24 that its three 2027 public meetings will be held in Lisbon, Vancouver and Adelaide, hosted respectively by DNS.PT, and Australian registry auDA for the final gathering.
Source: domainbrief.de original in German published on
Guatemala's .gt domain registry has appointed Carlos Lemus de León as its new director, succeeding Luis Furlán. LACTLD, the Latin American and Caribbean ccTLD association, welcomed the appointment and praised Furlán's long service to the region.
Source: lactld.org original in Spanish published on
EURid announced 25 finalists for its .eu Web Awards 2026 on October 6, chosen from 193 websites submitted across 22 countries, more than double last year's 93 entries from 15 countries. Five finalists compete in each of five categories, judged on content, structure, design, and environmental and social impact. Public voting runs until October 31 alongside a jury review, each counting for half the result, with jury scores breaking ties.
Source: domainbrief.de original in German published on
AFRINIC's board has appointed Mike Silber, a South African lawyer and former ICANN board member, as CEO designate starting January 1, 2027, pending approval by the court-appointed receiver overseeing the troubled African regional internet registry.
Source: domainbrief.de original in German published on
Australia's domain registry auDA has approved in principle removing the 'close and substantial connection' eligibility test for .com.au names, a change that could affect more than a million existing registrations according to one domain investor.
Source: iptwins.com original in French published on
The .cat top-level domain is marking 20 years of operation, with coverage noting the ongoing challenge of keeping the Catalan language relevant on the internet. The same report also mentions the upcoming 4D Conference on democratic digitalisation and digital rights, to be held on 29 October as part of MozFest, under the theme of challenging power to generate change.
Source: accentobert.cat original in Catalan published on
Chrome says attackers hijacked the .gh, .sl, and .as ccTLD registries, altering DNS records and obtaining unauthorized HTTPS certificates for Google and other organizations' domains, prompting Chrome to block the certificates via CRLSets.
Source: Google Security published on
Glenn Richard Meridth lost a UDRP complaint against Ollith.com, registered with Dominet (HK) Limited, after filing it just three days after applying for the OLLITH trademark. The panel denied the complaint without prejudice, citing no proven trademark rights yet.
Source: DomainGang published on
Philip Morris Products won a UDRP case against IQCrack.com, a Taiwan-based online shop, after a WIPO panel ruled the site's content deliberately evoked the IQOS heated tobacco brand despite the domain sharing only two letters with the trademark.
Source: DomainGang published on
Market America has sold the Shop.com domain name to e-commerce platform Shopify, the company announced in a press release. The sale price was not disclosed. Market America bought the domain in 2011; it had previously sold in 2003 for 3.5 million dollars. The sale coincides with Market America relaunching its online business under MarketAmerica.com, a new Shopify-built site, as the company consolidates its brands and shopping technology under its original name.
Source: thedomains.com published on
Austria's new NISG 2026 cybersecurity law took effect on October 1, extending EU NIS2 requirements to the .at country-code domain. Registry operator nic.at said it implemented the new rules into live operations without disruption. NIS2 is the European Union's revised network and information security directive, which imposes stricter cybersecurity obligations on domain registries and other critical service providers. The smooth transition is notable given concerns across the industry about compliance burdens tied to the directive's rollout in member states.
Source: domainbrief.de original in German published on
InterNetX published an analysis by Simone Catania on the state of domain parking following Google's shutdown of AdSense for Domains on 10 February 2026. The piece notes that Google ended the ad service, not domain parking itself, after concerns that too many parked and redirecting domains were being used to send visitors to scams and malware. Parking remains possible through other ad networks, but on a much smaller scale than before. According to the analysis, whether parking still generates income now depends on each domain's traffic volume, visitor source and commercial intent, and for an average portfolio it no longer covers renewal costs.
Source: thedomains.com published on
SIDN, the registry operator for .nl and co-developer of the Hello Registry platform, commissioned NielsenIQ to study why domain registration intent among 18 to 29 year olds has fallen sharply since 2023. The survey of more than 500 people found young entrepreneurs often start on social media platforms and only register a domain once their business gains traction. Respondents still valued websites as professional, permanent and independent of platform algorithms, but cited cost, complexity and time as barriers to earlier adoption. SIDN suggests AI-assisted website tools could lower these barriers and eventually boost domain uptake among this group.
Source: circleid.com published on
Since April, German registry Denic has placed around 36,000 of its 18 million .de domains into quarantine, but none have been deleted so far. Denic representative Thomas Keller said the first deletions are expected from early October onward, as the quarantine process moves toward completion.
Source: domainbrief.de original in German published on
The DNIB Quarterly Report for Q2 2026 says worldwide domain name registrations across all top-level domains reached 401.6 million by the end of June 2026. That figure represents a rise of 9.1 million registrations, or 2.3%, compared with the first quarter, and a year-over-year increase of 29.9 million, or 8.1%. The report also states that .com and .net combined held 179.1 million registrations, up 3.0 million from the previous quarter. As of June 30, 2026, .com alone accounted for 166.6 million names and .net for 12.5 million, according to the report.
Source: DNIB.com published on
The organization that runs the .bank domain extension is reportedly looking to hire a new leader, according to a brief report from DomainIncite. No further details about the departing executive, timeline, or reasons for the search were provided in the available source material. The .bank TLD is a restricted top-level domain intended for verified banking institutions. Any leadership change at the registry could affect policy direction for the sector-specific domain.
Source: domainincite.com published on
LACNIC, the regional internet registry for Latin America and the Caribbean, is holding elections to fill three vacant board seats. Nominations for candidates can be submitted until September 9, according to domainbrief.de. The election itself will run from November 3 to November 10. The outcome will shape leadership of the organization responsible for managing internet number resources across the region.
Source: domainbrief.de original in German published on
Several domain industry players have put forward competing proposals to make artificial intelligence agents discoverable and accountable through the Domain Name System, according to domainbrief.de. Verisign and Identity Digital are among the companies involved, alongside former Tucows chief executive Elliot Noss. The proposals reportedly differ in approach but share the goal of giving AI agents a verifiable presence within existing internet addressing infrastructure. The report did not specify timelines or which proposal, if any, is gaining traction among standards bodies.
Source: domainbrief.de original in German published on