This article is about the Internet domain.

For the computer magazine,

see .info (magazine). For other uses, see Info (disambiguation).

.info

Introduced 2001; 20 years ago

TLD type Generic top-level domain

Status Active

Registry Afilias

Sponsor None

Intended use Informational websites

Actual use Used for general purposes

Registration None
restrictions

Structure Registrations at second level

permitted

Documents ICANN registry agreement

Dispute policies UDRP

The domain name info is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) in the Domain

Name System (DNS) of the Internet. The name is derived from information,
although registration requirements do not prescribe any particular purpose.
The TLD info was a response to ICANN's highly publicized announcement,[1] in
late 2000, of a phased release of seven new generic top-level domains. The
event was the first addition of major gTLDs since the Domain Name System
was developed in the 1980s. The seven new gTLDs, selected from over 180
proposals, were meant in part to take the pressure off the com domain.[2]
 Contents

 1History
 2Usage
 3References
 4External links

History[edit]
Domain info has been operated by Afilias since its creation. In 2003, it was the
first gTLD domain to support IETF standards-based internationalized domain
names.[3] In 2001, Afilias CTO (Ram Mohan) discovered[4] problems with
the Universal Acceptance of the domain due to it being the first tld whose
length was greater than two or three characters.
The launching of info involved a "Sunrise Period" for trademark owners,
followed by a "landrush" open to all, the first time such a process had ever
been conducted for a new gTLD. This process received criticism for giving
trademarks precedence over words that are generic in other contexts; for
instance, the Caterpillar construction equipment company was able to
register cat.info before more generic users, such as feline enthusiasts,
were allowed to register.
Although a large number of fraudulent registrations were initially made by
registrants who did not actually own a valid trademark, a challenge procedure
later weeded out most of these.[5]
Prior to launch, the names of countries were reserved from registration at the
request of ICANN, to the consternation of those who had paid pre-registration
fees to attempt to register these names in the landrush. ICANN's
Governmental Advisory Committee, composed of country representatives
from around the world applauded the move, the first by any major domain to
protect the national interests of sovereign nations.

Usage[edit]
Domain info has been the most successful of the seven new domain names,
with over 5.2 million domain names in the registry as of April 2008. After
the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority of New York switched to the easier to remember
mta.info website to lead users to latest information on schedules and route
changes on the area's transportation services. ICANN and Afilias have also
sealed an agreement for country names to be reserved by ICANN under
resolution 01.92.[6]
Info is an unrestricted domain, meaning that anyone can obtain a second-level
domain for any purpose, similar to the domains com, net and org. This is in
contrast to TLDs such as edu, or coop. Info is the only top-level domain that
 was explicitly created and chartered for unrestricted use, although various
other TLDs resulted in this situation de facto. Info stands for information in
about 37 languages, and is a neutral name.
Afilias, the registry operator of both the info and aero top-level domains, has
been aggressive in its marketing of the domain, with significant registrar
incentives and outreach events.

References[edit]
1. ^ "Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)". ICANN. Retrieved 18
December 2014.
2. ^ Cohen, David (17 November 2000). "Magnificent seven?".
Archived from the original on 25 February 2012.
Retrieved 10 February 2012.
3. ^ INFO internationalized domain names
4. ^ Mohan, Ram (June 2005). "New TLD Domain Launch
Perspectives". Afilias Ltd.
5. ^ techlawjournal.com top story
6. ^ FAQ: What country names are reserved in .INFO?, Afilias
Limited

External links[edit]
 .info Registry Agreement with ICANN
 Domebase, a site with commentary and studies
regarding the .info launch
show

Notable generic top-level domains

Categories: 
 Generic top-level domains
 Council of European National Top Level Domain
Registries members
 Computer-related introductions in 2001
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 This page was last edited on 1 January 2021, at 03:02 (UTC).
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