The Long Wait for .web Ends

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The Long Wait for .web Ends

By CircleID Reporter
July 23, 2026, 12:58 pm PDT Views: 137 Add Comment

After more than a decade of disputes, lawsuits and arbitration proceedings, one of the internet’s most coveted domain names has finally found a home. Verisign, the operator of .com and .net, has secured control of .web and plans to launch registrations later this year.

The delegation of .web into the global Domain Name System marks the end of a saga that began with ICANN’s 2012 expansion of generic top-level domains. Although hundreds of new internet suffixes have since entered the market, .web has remained conspicuously absent. Its broad appeal—and its resemblance to the World Wide Web itself—has long made it one of the industry’s most valuable undeployed digital assets.

Disputes resolved: Verisign’s victory has been years in the making. In 2016, Nu Dot Co, backed financially by Verisign, won the rights to .web in a $135m auction, triggering prolonged challenges from rival applicants. The disputes have now been resolved under confidential terms, clearing the final obstacle to launch.

The company intends to leverage the same globally distributed infrastructure that has supported .com and .net for nearly three decades. For businesses and individuals seeking a recognisable online identity, .web offers both familiarity and flexibility at a time when digital branding remains increasingly important.

The domain also presents a commercial opportunity. Unlike .com, .web will not be subject to Verisign’s Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, affording the company greater freedom over pricing strategies. Industry observers expect premium pricing for sought-after names and possible introductory offers to encourage early adoption.

Bottom line: The arrival of .web may not transform the internet overnight. Yet its launch closes one of the domain-name industry’s longest-running chapters and raises an intriguing question: in an era crowded with digital addresses, can a familiar four-letter word still capture the web’s imagination?

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By CircleID Reporter — CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.
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