Registry Services

Registry Services / Most Commented

Cybercriminals are Driving Significant Domain Name Market Demand

Cybercriminals are becoming a major force in the domain-name market, driving an estimated one-fifth of new gTLD registrations in 2025 and exposing how commercial incentives, weak enforcement, and scale continue to fuel online abuse. more

dotBrand Domains as Trust Infrastructure in the Age of AI

As AI agents automate phishing, impersonation and domain abuse at machine scale, the Brand Registry Group argues that dotBrand domains are evolving from marketing assets into trust infrastructure underpinning cybersecurity, identity and interactions across the internet. more

The Quiet Value of .gov.ccTLD: Restricted SLDs as Trust Infrastructure

An official-looking renewal notice reveals how open namespaces shift verification burdens onto users. Restricted government domains like .gov.au function as trust infrastructure, embedding authority into the namespace and reducing fraud, confusion, and verification costs. more

Universal Acceptance Day and the Long Arc of Multilingualism

Universal Acceptance Day 2026 marks progress toward a multilingual internet, as UNESCO and ICANN deepen cooperation. Yet unresolved implementation failures and weak registry stewardship still hinder truly inclusive digital access worldwide. more

DNS Censorship Report Warns of Rising Domain Suspensions

ARTICLE 19 warns that governments are increasingly exploiting internet infrastructure to silence critics, using domain suspensions to block entire websites while regulators and registry operators debate how to balance online safety, technical abuse prevention and freedom of expression. more

ICANN Opens New gTLD Applications for First Time Since 2012, With $227K Entry Fee and 27 Scripts

ICANN reopens applications for new top-level domains after 14 years, charging $227,000 per bid while tightening rules, as it seeks to expand multilingual access and reshape competition in the internet's naming system. more

Afnic Reports Record Year for .fr Domain Names in 2025

Afnic's 2025 review finds .fr registrations at a record 4.3m, with strong new domain creation and steady retention, even as competition from .com and shifting digital trends temper expectations for future growth in 2026 overall. more

Trusted Notifier Network (TNN) Core Concept 1: Unfair Cost Transfer and Reversal of Commercial Best

A flawed abuse-response system shifts costs from perpetrators to intermediaries, overwhelming enforcement. The Trusted Notifier Network seeks to realign incentives, curb low-quality reporting, and restore efficiency by embedding trust, accountability, and cost redistribution. more

The AI Naming Gap - and Why the Legacy Namespace Won’t Wait for ICANN to Fill It

A surge in AI startups has exposed a domain-name shortage as premium .ai addresses vanish. With ICANN's next round years away, legacy TLDs and repurposed namespaces are racing to capture unmet demand. more

You Are Invited to Engage in Project Jake: Shaping the Future of DNS Data Governance

Project Jake invites global DNS stakeholders to test JADDAR, a privacy-respecting framework for secure access to registration data, aiming to reduce regulatory fragmentation and modernise domain governance through collaborative, policy-aligned engineering solutions. more

NIS2: Act Now - Practical Solution for Article 28 Successfully Established

With the NIS2 Directive now in effect, a new annex to ICANN contracts offers registries and registrars a practical, flexible path to Article 28 compliance. Early adoption has drawn international praise. more

The Domain Industry in 2025: Infrastructure Consolidation, Regulatory Milestones, and the AI Pivot

The domain industry in 2025 saw rapid consolidation, rising regulatory pressure, and a strategic pivot toward AI, trust infrastructure, and tokenization, reshaping domains from static web addresses into dynamic assets for digital identity and commerce. more

When Neutrality Isn’t Neutral: ICANN, Smart Africa, the “BluePrint” and “CAIGA”

ICANN's role in Smart Africa's governance blueprint highlights a widening divide between legality and legitimacy. Funding and participation occurred without early community consultation, raising concerns about procedural integrity, RIR independence, and the precedent such interventions may set for global Internet governance. more

DOTZON Study: Digital Company Brands 2025

DOTZON's 2025 study analyzes over 410 corporate dotBrands to reveal how companies strengthen digital identities through custom top-level domains. Audi retains first place, while newcomers like CRS and rising performers such as Schwarz demonstrate growing strategic use. more

Overcoming DNSSEC Challenges: A Guide for TLDs

Despite offering robust protection for the Domain Name System, DNSSEC suffers from poor adoption due to its complexity, cost, and operational risks. Automation and algorithmic improvements now offer practical solutions for broader deployment. more

Industry Updates

The Domain Industry’s Next Growth Phase Is About Value, Not Volume

Registration Opens for the 2026 .US Town Hall Featuring Internet Policy Pioneer Karen Rose

Young Entrepreneurs Are Delaying Domain Adoption, Not Abandoning It

Applying for a TLD Was Just the Beginning - Now Comes the Real Challenge

Radix Announces Radix Deux: 46 Primary Applications in ICANN’s Next gTLD Round

1,600 Applications Later: What’s Next for the New gTLD Round?

Why Nordic Domain Days Has Become a Defining Event for the Domain Industry

Premium Domain Demand Reaches New High in Radix’s H1 2026 Report

DNIB Reports 401.6 Million Domain Name Registrations in Q2 2026

Momentum Builds as the New gTLD Application Window Enters Its Final Weeks

Why Operational Readiness Will Define the Next Generation of TLDs

What Running .CA and .NL Taught Us About Building Better Registry Infrastructure

Making the Most of the 2026 New gTLD Application Round

Premium Domains Surge as Renewals Strengthen in H2 2025

2025 .US Town Hall Registration Open: Explore Industry Trends & Policy Insights