Bureaucrats, Check users, Interface administrators, steward, Suppressors, Administrators, translator
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Line 15: − + − + − + − + − + + + + + − In 1993, NSF and NSI entered a five-year cooperative agreement, which appointed NSI as the sole provider of domain name registrations for the .com, [[.net]], and [[.org]] gTLDs.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010301153634/http://networksolutions.com/en_US/legal/internic/cooperative-agreement/agreement.html NSI-NSF Cooperative Agreement]</ref> In 2000, Network Solutions was acquired by [[Verisign]],<ref>[http://about-networksolutions.com/corporate-history.php Network Solutions History]</ref> which retained NSI's registry business. Verisign is the curent registry operator of the .com gTLD.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/agreements/com/ .com Registry Agreement]</ref> − + − <videoflash type="vimeo">12430383</videoflash>+ − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + − ===Renewal===+ − In March 2012, ICANN renewed Verisign's contract to run the registry for .com.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-27mar12-en.htm .com Registry Agreement Renewal, icann.org]</ref> The following month, three of [[ICANN]]'s constituencies, the ([[ALAC]], [[GNSO]] [[Business Constituency]], and [[GNSO]] [[Intellectual Property Constituency]]), sent a letter to ICANN complaining that the organization held its renewal talks with [[Verisign]] behind closed doors, which they say is responsible for the lack of [[Whois|Thick Whois]] requirements for the .com TLD.<ref>[http://domainnamewire.com/2012/08/21/constituencies-blast-icanns-closed-door-verisign-com-contract-renewal/ Constituencies Blast ICANNs Closed Door Verisign Com Contract Renewal, DomainNameWire.com]</ref> Line 96:
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'''.com''' is one of the first [[TLD]]s to be used on the Internet's [[DNS|Domain Name System]]; it was originally intended for commercial purposes, though there are no current restrictions limiting it to commercial entities. It was introduced in 1985 by [[IANA]], which is responsible for the overall coordination and management of the DNS; the organization was led by [[Jon Postel]] at the time. On January 28, 1986, the entities overseeing the DNS met and restructured its makeup to correspond to 8 TLDs, including .com, the others are: [[.gov]] (government), [[.edu ]] (American higher education), [[.mil]] (American military), [[.org]] (organization), [[.int]] (international, specifically NATO relations), [[.net]] (sites related to the Internet itself), [[.bitnet]] (computers on the BITNET network).<ref>[http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc920#page-2 RFC 920], IETF.org. Published 1984 October.</ref><ref>[http://www.livinginternet.com/i/iw_dns_name.htm IW DNS name], LivingInternet.com.</ref>
'''.com''' is one of the first [[TLD]]s to be used on the Internet's [[DNS|Domain Name System]]; it was originally intended for commercial purposes, though there are no current restrictions limiting it to commercial entities. It was introduced in 1985 by [[IANA]], which is responsible for the overall coordination and management of the DNS; the organization was led by [[Jon Postel]] at the time. On January 28, 1986, the entities overseeing the DNS met and restructured its makeup to correspond to 8 TLDs, including .com, the others are: [[.gov]] (government), [[.edu ]] (American higher education), [[.mil]] (American military), [[.org]] (organization), [[.int]] (international, specifically NATO relations), [[.net]] (sites related to the Internet itself), [[.bitnet]] (computers on the BITNET network).<ref>[http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc920#page-2 RFC 920], IETF.org. Published 1984 October.</ref><ref>[http://www.livinginternet.com/i/iw_dns_name.htm IW DNS name], LivingInternet.com.</ref>
.com is the most popular gTLD with more than 100 million registrants worldwide. The global demand for the .com gTLD remains strong as the number of global Internet users continues to grow.<ref>[http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/products-and-services/domain-name-services/registry-services/com-domain-names/index.xhtml .com Domain Name Registry], VerisignInc.com.</ref> [[Verisign]] is the registry operator of the .com gTLD, and was approved by [[ICANN]] in 2006.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/agreements/verisign/registry-agmt-com-22sep10.htm .com Registry Agreement], ICANN.org. Published 22 September 10.</ref>
.com is the most popular gTLD with more than 100 million registrants worldwide. The global demand for the .com gTLD remains strong as the number of global Internet users continues to grow.<ref>[http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/products-and-services/domain-name-services/registry-services/com-domain-names/index.xhtml.com Domain Name Registry], VerisignInc.com.</ref> [[Verisign]] is the registry operator of the .com gTLD, and was approved by [[ICANN]] in 2006.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/agreements/verisign/registry-agmt-com-22sep10.htm .com Registry Agreement], ICANN.org. Published 22 September 10.</ref>
In October 2011, [[Verisign]]'s registry passed the 100 million mark for number of .com domains under management.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/com-passed-100-million-mark-in-october/ Com Passed 100 Million Mark in October], DomainIncite.com. Published 2 Februart 2012.</ref> By the end of quarter 2 of 2012, Verisign had 240 million domain names over all of the TLDs it operates, with .com and .net holding 49% of the TLD market share, a drop of 2% from quarter 1.<ref>[http://www.trefis.com/stock/vrsn/articles/146666/verisigns-dropping-com-and-net-is-a-troubling-trend/2012-10-03 Verisign’s Dropping .com And .net Is A Troubling Trend], Trefix.com. Published 3 October 2012.</ref>
In October 2011, [[Verisign]]'s registry passed the 100 million mark for number of .com domains under management.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/com-passed-100-million-mark-in-october/ Com Passed 100 Million Mark in October], DomainIncite.com. Published 2 Februart 2012.</ref> By the end of quarter 2 of 2012, Verisign had 240 million domain names over all of the TLDs it operates, with .com and .net holding 49% of the TLD market share, a drop of 2% from quarter 1.<ref>[http://www.trefis.com/stock/vrsn/articles/146666/verisigns-dropping-com-and-net-is-a-troubling-trend/2012-10-03 Verisign's Dropping .com And .net Is A Troubling Trend], Trefix.com. Published 3 October 2012.</ref>
Verisign has been running .com and [[.net]] with 100% operational accuracy and stability for more than 15 years.<ref>[http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/why-verisign/education-center/domain-names/index.xhtml Domain Names], VerisignInc.com.</ref>
Verisign has been running .com and [[.net]] with 100% operational accuracy and stability for more than 15 years.<ref>[http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/why-verisign/education-center/domain-names/index.xhtml Domain Names], VerisignInc.com.</ref>
==History==
==History==
The .com gTLD, along with the other original TLDs, was first administered by the United States Department of Defense under the [[DARPA|Defense Advance Advance Research Project Agency]], which was first implemented in 1985. The [[NIC|Network Information Center]], which was run by [[SRI International]], was the first assigned registrar and administrator of the first domain names.<ref>[http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc920.txt RFC 920]</ref> NIC was responsible for registering and hosting the domain names,<ref>[http://www.sri.com/about/timeline/tld-nic.html SRI International]</ref> as well as administering the [[IP Address|IP addresses]].<ref>[http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1020.txt RFC 1020]</ref>
The .com gTLD, along with the other original TLDs, was first administered by the United States Department of Defense under the [[DARPA|Defense Advance Advance Research Project Agency]], which was first implemented in 1985. The [[NIC|Network Information Center]], which was run by [[SRI International]], was the first assigned registrar and administrator of the first domain names.<ref>[http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc920.txt RFC 920], RFC-Editor.org.</ref> NIC was responsible for registering and hosting the domain names,<ref>[http://www.sri.com/about/timeline/tld-nic.html SRI International]</ref> as well as administering the [[IP Address|IP addresses]].<ref>[http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1020.txt RFC 1020], RFC-Editor.org.</ref>
On October 1, 1991, the administration of the .com and all the TLDs was transfered to [[GSI|Government Systems, Inc.]].<ref>[http://www.armware.dk/RFC/rfc/rfc1261.html RFC 1261]</ref> It assumed all of SRI's service responsibilities, such as domain name registration, online informations services and help desk operations, as well as [[RFC]] and Internet-Draft archive and distribution services. The Internet registration services were provided by Defense Information System Agency (DISA) NIC, which was also operated by Government Systems Inc.<ref>[http://www.armware.dk/RFC/rfc/rfc1261.html RFC 1261]</ref> This task was sub-contracted by GSI to [[Network Solutions]] (NSI).
On October 1, 1991, the administration of the .com and all the TLDs was transferred to [[GSI|Government Systems, Inc.]].<ref name="rfc1261">[http://www.armware.dk/RFC/rfc/rfc1261.html RFC 1261], ArmWare.dk.</ref> It assumed all of SRI's service responsibilities, such as domain name registration, online information services, and help desk operations, as well as [[RFC]] and Internet-Draft archive and distribution services. The Internet registration services were provided by [[Defense Information Systems Agency]] (DISA) NIC, which was also operated by Government Systems Inc.<ref name="rfc1261"></ref> This task was sub-contracted by GSI to [[Network Solutions]] (NSI).
The legislation of the Scientific and Advanced Technology Act in 1992 gave an expanded mandate to the [[NSF|National Science Foundation]] (NSF). This is a statutory body, which supports and strengthens basic scientific research, engineering, and educational activities in the United States, including the maintenance of computer networks used to connect research and educational institutions. It assumed the responsibility of coordinating and funding the management of the non-military portion of Internet infrastructure, pursuant to the High-Performance Computing Act which was legislated on December 9, 1991.
The legislation of the Scientific and Advanced Technology Act in 1992 gave an expanded mandate to the [[NSF|National Science Foundation]] (NSF). This is a statutory body, which supports and strengthens basic scientific research, engineering, and educational activities in the United States, including the maintenance of computer networks, used to connect research and educational institutions. It assumed the responsibility of coordinating and funding the management of the non-military portion of Internet infrastructure, pursuant to the High-Performance Computing Act which was legislated on December 9, 1991.
In 1993, NSF and NSI entered a five-year cooperative agreement, which appointed NSI as the sole provider of domain name registrations for the .com, [[.net]], and [[.org]] gTLDs.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010301153634/http://networksolutions.com/en_US/legal/internic/cooperative-agreement/agreement.html NSI-NSF Cooperative Agreement], Archive.org.</ref> In 2000, Network Solutions was acquired by [[Verisign]],<ref>[http://about-networksolutions.com/corporate-history.php Network Solutions History], NetworkSoutions.com.</ref> which retained NSI's registry business.
Verisign is the current registry operator of the .com gTLD.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/agreements/com/ .com Registry Agreement]</ref>
===.com Boom===
===.com Boom===
The first .com registration was for Symbolics.com on March 15, 1985. Two and a half years later there were still only 100 names registered in .com. In 1992 there were less than 15,000 .coms, and the million-domain mark was crossed in 1997; however, the following two years were known as the ".com boom", when about 20 million domains were registered. This was an exciting but also turbulent time, as many [[domainer]]s believed the best way to make money was through newfound methods of trademark infringement, known as [[cybersquatting]]. Processes to reverse and punish registrations made by third-party registrants not associated with a person or trademark that is referenced in the domain were eventually developed, such as the [[UDRP]]. An early and well-known dispute over a domain includes the legal battle over madonna.com between the famous performer and an unassociated web-developer.<ref>[http://articles.cnn.com/2000-10-16/entertainment/wb.madonna_1_cybersquatter-madonna-louise-ciccone-wipo?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ Madona 1 Cybersquatter, Articles.cnn.com]</ref> The boom eventually levelled off, though steady growth in the .com namespace continued. Some believe that the .com boom initiated the era of scarcity for quality .com names, and fueled the high-value aftermarket for domain names, but domains for currently popular websites, such as youtube.com and twitter.com, were registered years after the boom ended.<ref>[http://www.25yearsof.com/25years/ 25years, 25yearsof.com]</ref>
The first .com registration was for Symbolics.com on March 15, 1985. Two-and-a-half years later, there were still only 100 names registered in .com. In 1992, there were less than 15,000 .coms, and the million-domain mark was crossed in 1997; however, the following two years were known as the ".com boom", when about 20 million domains were registered. This was an exciting but also turbulent time, as many [[domainer]]s believed the best way to make money was through newfound methods of trademark infringement, known as [[cybersquatting]]. Processes to reverse and punish registrations made by third-party registrants not associated with a person or trademark that is referenced in the domain were eventually developed, such as the [[UDRP]]. An early and well-known dispute over a domain includes the legal battle over madonna.com between the famous performer and an unassociated web-developer.<ref>[http://articles.cnn.com/2000-10-16/entertainment/wb.madonna_1_cybersquatter-madonna-louise-ciccone-wipo?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ Madona 1 Cybersquatter], CNN.com. Published 16 October 2000.</ref> The boom eventually leveled off, though steady growth in the .com namespace continued. Some believe that the .com boom initiated the era of scarcity for quality .com names, and fueled the high-value aftermarket for domain names, but domains for currently popular websites, such as youtube.com and twitter.com, were registered years after the boom ended.<ref>[http://www.25yearsof.com/25years/ 25years], 25yearsof.com.</ref>
===25 Years of .com===
===25 Years of .com===
An informational video on the growth of the Internet since .com was introduced, produced in 2010:
An informational video on the growth of the Internet since .com was introduced, produced in 2010:
{{#ev:vimeo|12430383}}
<br>
<br>
Verisign had a number of events, forums, contests and awards planned for the 25th anniversary of .com, in 2010. These included awards to 25 people and companies recognized for influencing the .com namespace and the Internet as a whole; a Washington D.C. based Policy Impact Forum featuring [[Bill Clinton]], [[Rod Beckstrom]], Arianna Huffington, [[Ken Silva]], and others; and Verisign unveiled details for four $75,000 research grants at its San Francisco event, which also featured then CEO [[Mark McLaughlin]] and ICANN Chairman [[Peter Dengate Thrush]].<ref>[http://www.25yearsof.com/ 25yearsof.com]</ref>
Verisign had a number of events, forums, contests and awards planned for the 25th anniversary of .com in 2010. These included awards to 25 people and companies recognized for influencing the .com namespace and the Internet as a whole, and a Washington D.C.-based Policy Impact Forum featuring [[Bill Clinton]], [[Rod Beckstrom]], Arianna Huffington, [[Ken Silva]], and others. Verisign unveiled details for four $75,000 research grants at its San Francisco event, which also featured then CEO [[Mark McLaughlin]] and ICANN Chairman [[Peter Dengate Thrush]].<ref>[http://www.25yearsof.com/ 25yearsof.com]</ref>
===Registry Agreement===
The dropping of the aforementioned litigation between Verisign and ICANN cleared the way for the renewal of the [[.com]] registry agreement from 2005 through 2012.<ref>[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/25/verisign_icann_deal/ Verisign ICANN deal], TheRegister.co.uk. Puhed 25 October 2005.</ref> The agreement and its appendices can be viewed via the ICANN site [http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/registries/com here].
In March 2012, [[ICANN]] posted a proposal for Verisign's potential renewal of the 2006 .com registry agreement.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-27mar12-en.htm .com Registry Agreement Renewal], ICANN.org.</ref> Three months later, in June 2012, the [[ICANN Board]] went against community suggestions to approve Verisign's .com registry agreement for an additional seven years after its expiration on November 30th, 2012. According to the ICANN decision, Verisign would've also been allowed to increase its registry fee by 7% in four out of the next seven years,<ref>[http://domainincite.com/9610-icann-gives-verisigns-com-contract-the-nod ICANN gives Verisign’s .com contract the nod], DomainIncite.com. Published 25 June 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.</ref> but this decision was changed by the [[DOC|Department of Commerce]]. Nonetheless, the new policy will result in Verisign paying ICANN a $0.25 fee for every .com registration, renewal, or transfer, instead of the lump sums it paid previously, potentially netting ICANN an additional $8 million in revenue annually.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/9845-icann-to-get-8-million-more-from-new-com-deal ICANN to get $8 million more from new .com deal], DomainIncite.com. Published 27 July 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.</ref><ref name="verisign2">[http://domainincite.com/10865-breaking-us-probing-verisign-price-hikes-com-contract-extended US probing Verisign price hikes, .com contract may be extended], DomainIncite.com. Published 25 October 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.</ref> The original board resolutions can be viewed [http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/documents/resolutions-23jun12-en.htm#2 here].
In August 2012, three of [[ICANN]]'s Constituencies ([[ALAC]], [[GNSO]] [[Business Constituency]], [[GNSO]] [[Intellectual Property Constituency]]) sent a letter to ICANN complaining that the organization held its renewal talks with Verisign behind closed doors and the result is that there are no [[Whois|Thick Whois]] requirements for the .com TLD.<ref>[http://domainnamewire.com/2012/08/21/constituencies-blast-icanns-closed-door-verisign-com-contract-renewal/ Constituencies Blast ICANNs Closed Door Verisign Com Contract Renewal, DomainNameWire.com]</ref> The decision could not move forward without approval from the [[DOC|Department of Commerce]], which Verisign received on November 29th, 2012.<ref name="verisign2"></ref><ref name="verisign3">[https://investor.verisign.com/releaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=724216 Verisign Announces US Department of Commerce Approval of Newly Revised .com Registry Agreement], Verisign.com. Published 30 November 2012.</ref>
Verisign is to serve as the registry operator for .com from December 2012 through November 2018, with new terms and conditions, including:
* Verisign's current pricing of $7.85 per domain name registration will remain unchanged for the next six years;
* Verisign no longer holds the right to increasing prices up to seven percent over the six-year term, and all new price increases will be circumstantial and subject to Commerce Department approval.<ref name="verisign3"></ref>
Those who benefit most from the prize freeze include consumers, those who purchase .com domain names in bulk, brand owners who maintain expensive defensive registrations, and registrars who no longer need to pass on cost increases to their consumers.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/11176-winners-and-losers-in-the-new-com-pricing-regime Winners and losers in the new .com pricing regime], DomainIncite.com. Published 30 November 2012.</ref>
"Consumers will benefit from Verisign's removal of the automatic price increases," said [[Larry Strickling]] of [[NTIA]]. "At the same time, the agreement protects the security and stability of the Internet by allowing Verisign to take cost-based price increases where justified."<ref>[http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2012/department-commerce-approves-verisign-icann-com-registry-renewal-agreement Department of Commerce Approves Verisign-ICANN .com Registry Renewal Agreement], NTIA.doc.gov. Published 30 November 2012.</ref>
If [[ICANN]]'s [[new gTLD]] program becomes successful and "market power" is removed from .com's, Verisign believes that all price caps on .com's could be lifted as early as 2014.<ref>[http://www.thedomains.com/2012/11/30/verisign-if-new-gtlds-are-successful-we-might-be-able-to-lift-all-price-caps-on-coms/ Verisign: If New gTLD’s Are Successful We Might Be Able To Lift All Price Caps On .Com’s], TheDomains.com. Published 30 November 2012.</ref>
==.Com Domain Space==
==.Com Domain Space==
===Overcrowding of .Com Domain Space===
===Overcrowding of .Com Domain Space===
.com is the most popular and widely registered top level domain name by internet users worldwide. In 2000, there were more than 20 million registered names under the .com domain name space.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/17/technology/17DOMA.html%20(last%20visited%20Dec.%202,%202000)www.nytimes.com NYTimes.com]</ref> The overcrowding of the .com domain space has resulted in difficulties for users to find appealing domain names. This led to a proposal from the Internet community to create new gTLDs to solve the problem. On April 18-19, 2000, during the [[ICANN Yokohama]] meeting, the [[DNSO]] Names Council proposed the implementation of new TLDs to promote competition in the domain name registration business, enhance the utility of the DNS, and increase the available number of domain names.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/meetings/yokohama/new-tld-topic.htm#IIC www.icann.org]</ref> On November 16, 2000, ICANN approved seven new gTLDs which include [[.biz]], [[.info]], [[.name]], [[.pro]], [[.museum]], [[.aero]] and [[.coop]] to ease up the exhaustion of the .com and the [[.net]] domain space. Further expansion of available [[gTLD]]s is expected to be authorized at ICANN's 2011 meeting in Singapore.
.com is the most popular and widely registered top level domain name by Internet users worldwide. In 2000, there were more than 20 million registered names under the .com domain name space.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/17/technology/17DOMA.html%20(last%20visited%20Dec.%202,%202000)www.nytimes.com NYTimes.com]</ref> The overcrowding of the .com domain space has resulted in difficulties for users to find appealing domain names. This led to a proposal from the Internet community to create new gTLDs to solve the problem. On April 18-19, 2000, during the [[ICANN Yokohama]] meeting, the [[DNSO]] Names Council proposed the implementation of new TLDs to promote competition in the domain name registration business, enhance the utility of the DNS, and increase the available number of domain names.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/meetings/yokohama/new-tld-topic.htm#IIC www.icann.org]</ref> On November 16, 2000, ICANN approved seven new gTLDs which include [[.biz]], [[.info]], [[.name]], [[.pro]], [[.museum]], [[.aero]] and [[.coop]] to ease up the exhaustion of the .com and the [[.net]] domain space. Further expansion of available [[gTLD]]s is expected to be authorized at ICANN's 2011 meeting in Singapore.
===U.S. Seizures of Domain Names===
===U.S. Seizures of Domain Names===
==References==
==References==
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[[Category: TLD]]
[[Category: TLD]]
[[Category:TLDs with Registry Agreements|com]]