.name
 | |
| Introduced | August 17, 2001 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Generic top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | Verisign |
| Sponsor | None |
| Intended use | Personal sites of individuals |
| Actual use | Mostly used as intended |
| Registration restrictions | No prior restriction on registration, but registrations can be challenged if not by or on behalf of an individual with a name similar to that of the domain, or a fictional character in which the registrant has rights |
| Structure | Originally registrations had to be at third level, in form john.smith.name, but later direct second-level registrations were allowed |
| Documents | ICANN registry agreement |
| Dispute policies | dot name - Eligibility Requirements Dispute Resolution Policy (ERDRP) at the Wayback Machine (archived September 12, 2008) |
| Registry website | verisign |
.name is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is intended for use by individuals for representation of their personal name, nicknames, screen names, pseudonyms, or other types of identification labels.
History
[edit]The top-level domain was founded by Hakon Haugnes and Geir Rasmussen and initially delegated to Global Name Registry in 2001, and become fully operational in January 2002. Verisign was the outsourced operator for .name since the .name launch in 2002 and acquired Global Name Registry in 2008.[1]
In late September 2007, security researchers accused Global Name Registry of harboring hackers by charging fees per WHOIS lookup.[2] The policy of selling detailed registration info about domains in name for US$2 each was criticized as hindering community efforts to locate and clean up malware-spreading hosts, zombies, and botnet control servers located in name.[3] The registry offers unlimited lookups to approved users who sign a 10-page legal agreement.[4]
In November 2009, internationalized domain names (IDNs) became available for second- and third-level domain names.[5] IDNs are domain names that are represented by user applications in the native character set of a language.
Structure
[edit]When the TLD name was first launched, only third-level registrations and forwarded e-mail addresses were available. Second-level registrations became available in January 2004. The original intended structure of domain names was first.last.name, so that individuals could get a domain corresponding to their name.[6]
The purpose of this sharing of second-level names was to ensure that the highest number of people possible could get an email address that included their last name. This sharing did not impact any other people with the same last name, and research by Global Name Registry showed that a majority of the world's population does not have an overlapping firstname–lastname combination.
Usage
[edit]Subdomains of name may be registered at the second-level (john.name) and the third-level (john.doe.name). It is also possible to register an e-mail address of the form john@doe.name. Email forwarding will be operated by Verisign. The target address can be specified by an additional EPP mapping.[7] The second-level domain of third-level subdomains is shared, and may not be registered by individuals.
The WHOIS service for name is available at whois.nic.name. Domain name registrations are available from accredited ICANN registrars.
Discontinuation of third level domains
[edit]On 28 July 2026, ICANN approved[8][9] VeriSign's requests[10][11] to discontinue third-level domain registrations and the associated email forwarding service, with existing registrations to be unilaterally terminated by VeriSign so that the second level domains would become available for registration[original research?]. A pre-emptive request for reconsideration[12] by a registrant of a third level domain was rejected by both the ombudsman[13] and the board accountability mechanisms committee,[14] in each case on the basis that the proposal did not raise significant security, stability or competition issues. Third-level domains were originally marketed as being "for life"[15] and some acquired them when second-level domains were not available for sale yet.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Arrington, Michael (3 October 2008). "Domain Name Consolidation: Verisign Acquires .Name Guys". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ↑ Singel, Ryan. "Dot-Name Becomes Cybercrime Haven". Wired. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ↑ Singel, Ryan. ".Name Registrar Defends Pay for Whois Policy". Wired. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ↑ Extensive Whois access program agreement
- ↑ ".NAME IDNs Now Available & .SE Allowing Multiyear Registrations". hexonet.net. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ↑ Reardon, Marguerite. "Registry remakes .name for itself". ZDNet. ZDNet. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ↑ ".name Registry Agreement Appendix 7, Functional Specification". ICANN. 1 December 2012.
- ↑ "Removal of Third-Level Domain Name Registrations Service - 28 July 2026 Letter to VeriSign, Inc" (PDF). ICANN. 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Removal of E-mail Forwarding Service - 28 July 2026 Letter to VeriSign, Inc" (PDF). ICANN. 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Removal of Third-Level Domain Name Registrations Service - VeriSign, Inc. request 15 April 2026" (PDF). ICANN. 15 April 2026.
- ↑ "Removal of E-mail Forwarding Service - VeriSign, Inc. request 15 April 2026, Inc" (PDF). ICANN. 15 April 2026.
- ↑ "Request 26-2: Doytchin Spiridonov - Reconsideration Request Form" (PDF). ICANN. 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "ICANN Office of Ombuds Substantive Evaluation of Reconsideration Request 26-2" (PDF). ICANN. 31 July 2026.
- ↑ "Board Accountability Mechanisms Committee Recommendation on Reconsideration Request" (PDF). ICANN. 24 August 2026.
- ↑ "Web address for life". The Global Name Registry, Limited. 9 June 2002. Archived from the original on 9 June 2002.
- ↑ "Neil Fraser: News: .name Termination". neil.fraser.name. Retrieved 2026-09-03.