PlayStation, Xbox apply for top level domain names
Published Jun 13 2012, 17:08 BST | By Liam Martin
Microsoft and Sony have applied for top level domain names for their respective console brands.Sony has applied for the .playstation suffix, while Microsoft has bid for .xbox.
© Microsoft Games
The top level domain names will replace the current .com or national suffixes, giving companies and brands one global URL.
Applications are currently being submitted to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), which aims to roll out the new domain names in batches of 500 from March, 2013.
> Google, Apple, BBC apply for new top level domain names
Anyone with an objection to the claims now has seven months to lodge a complaint.
Icann said that it has received a total of 1,930 requests for its first round of bidding for new net names, including 166 for names in non-Latin alphabets.
Google, the BBC, Amazon and Apple are among the companies to have applied for the top level domain names.
Applicants had to stump up a $185,000 (£118,800) fee to take part in the application process, and they also face a minimum $25,000 annual renewal charge to keep their suffix once it has been awarded.
Critics of the plan have expressed concern that the costs involved may force out public bodies and smaller companies, allowing the well-funded winning bidders to get an unfair advantage online.
Sounds like a money making excercise to me
25k to keep it going, talk about a gravy train!
June 14th 2012 at 9:07am
why?
June 13th 2012 at 9:18pm
This wont end well for the smaller companies.
June 13th 2012 at 5:12pm