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ICANN  Approves new .biz and .info Domain Name Suffix

The Internet is about to get its first new generic domain names in over 15 years as .biz and .info received their final approval, the group that administers the World Wide Web said Tuesday. 

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) said it approved .biz and .info as the newest top-level domain names, the suffixes that end online addresses. 

"This is a momentous step forward in the continuing evolution of the Internet's domain name system," said Vint Cerf, chairman of the ICANN Board of Directors and an Internet pioneer. "However, it is just one step among many in a long process of providing consumers with the benefits of competition through a variety of domain name options and services," he said. 

Who Will Be Responsible For New Domains?
The .info suffix will be open to any business or person to register for any purpose. The .biz domain will be restricted and open only for commercial or business purposes. NeuLevel Inc., a joint venture between NeuStar Inc. and Australia's Melbourne IT Ltd. and based in Sterling, Va., will be the registry operator for .biz. Afilias, a consortium of 18 domain name registrars with operations in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and based in New York, will administer the .info database. 

When Will They Be Available?
From late May until early July, NeuLevel will accept trademark claims before .biz is offered for widespread sale for commercial Internet addresses. Businesses can begin applying for the .biz suffix in July and the domain name will begin full operation in October. 

>>see article: "Should I Trademark My Domain Name?")

"The rollout of .info will be an opportunity for organizations to re-think not only their Web strategy, but also their brand strategy,'' said Richard Lindsay, chairman of the Afilias Board of Directors. 

Afilias will offer a 30-day "sunrise" period beginning in late June during which those with a registered national trademark can apply for a .info address. Afilias will start accepting .info applications from the public in August.

>>Please keep me informed of 
    these new domain names.

The domain name approval comes at the same time that the Commerce Department is close to finalizing an agreement that allows domain name and security services company VeriSign Inc. to retain its monopoly of the .com database for seven more years. Commerce said Monday it has concerns about competition but is expected to sign off on the agreement shortly. 

In its March agreement with ICANN, VeriSign, which bought the original sole provider of Internet domain names, Network Solutions Inc., will cede control of .org in 2002 and .net in 2006. The accord will also normalize relations between VeriSign and ICANN and enhance the stability of the Internet, ICANN has said. 

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Can You Register Your Domain Name As A Trademark? Should You Seek Trademark Protection?