Changes

.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.

===US Seizures of Domain Names===

===U.S. Seizures of Domain Names===

The U.S. government has stated that because .com's registry operator, Verisign, is based in the United States, it has the right to seize any .com domain names at any time. The government goes straight to the registry in cases where the domain name is foreign, as foreign registrars are not required to comply with U.S. law. By early 2012, the government had seized 750 domain names like this, most registered through foreign registrars. Usually, the domain names are redirected at the [[DNS]] level to a U.S. government IP address that informs visitors that the site has been seized. Recently Bodog.com was targeted because federal law in the United States makes it illegal to offer online sports wagering and to payoff online bets, although online gambling isn’t illegal globally. The domain name was registered through a Canadian registrar, but the United States closed the site without any intervention from Canadian authorities or companies.<ref>[http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/feds-seize-foreign-sites/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=twitterclickthru Uncle Sam: If It Ends in .Com, It’s .Seizable, wired.com]</ref>

The U.S. government has stated that because .com's registry operator, Verisign, is based in the United States, it has the right to seize any .com domain names at any time. The government goes straight to the registry in cases where the domain name is foreign, as foreign registrars are not required to comply with U.S. law. By early 2012, the government had seized 750 domain names like this, most registered through foreign registrars. Usually, the domain names are redirected at the [[DNS]] level to a U.S. government IP address that informs visitors that the site has been seized. Recently Bodog.com was targeted because federal law in the United States makes it illegal to offer online sports wagering and to payoff online bets, although online gambling isn’t illegal globally. The domain name was registered through a Canadian registrar, but the United States closed the site without any intervention from Canadian authorities or companies.<ref>[http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/feds-seize-foreign-sites/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=twitterclickthru Uncle Sam: If It Ends in .Com, It’s .Seizable, wired.com]</ref>