GMO Registry Passes ICANN’s Initial Evaluation for New gTLDs, .tokyo, .osaka, and .nagoya
Tokyo, Japan (PRWEB) July 02, 2013 -- GMO Internet Group company, GMO Registry, Inc. today announces that its applications to operate new generic Top Level Domains, .tokyo, .osaka, and .nagoya have passed the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers initial evaluation process.
GMO Registry was first selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan government to operate the TLD, .tokyo in November 2011. In 2012, the company went on to receive official support from the governments of Osaka and Nagoya to operate .osaka and .nagoya. During ICANN’s new gTLD application window early last year, GMO Registry submitted applications for the three city TLDs, and on June 28 this year ICANN announced that all three applications had successfully completed its technical and financial evaluation processes.
There are currently 22 gTLDs in use worldwide (.com, .net, .org etc.). Between January and May of 2012, ICANN began accepting applications for new gTLDs, setting afoot what is likely to be the biggest ever expansion of the Internet namespace. During the application window, 66 applications were received for TLDs designated as “geographic names” representing cities and regions around the world including New York, London and Dubai. Applicants for geographic names were required to obtain a letter of support or non-objection from the relevant governments. GMO Registry made submissions to the municipal governments of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama. The government of Yokohama also endorsed GMO Registry’s application for .yokohama, however this application has not yet completed evaluation.
GMO Registry believes that winning government support for each of its city TLD applications is evidence of GMO Internet Group's strong reputation in technology and proven track record.
City TLDs have the potential to positively contribute to the economy, industry, culture and community in the cities they represent. The new genre of TLDs will establish a unified online presence for cities, and provide an opportunity for citizens, businesses, cultural institutions and community groups to link their online identities to their city’s brand. By bringing together high quality and informative content under a single TLD, GMO Registry aims to create a platform to effectively deliver information related to each city to Internet users worldwide. GMO Registry expects city TLDs to appeal to registrants for their relevance, local brand and the wide availability of valuable and memorable names. Registration of all GMO Registry operated city TLDs will be completely open, and no local address will be required.
The next step in the process is for GMO Registry to sign a Registry Agreement with ICANN, and for ICANN to delegate the TLDs to GMO Registry. The company aims to open .tokyo for general registration as early as Spring 2014, and expects to open .nagoya and .osaka later in the same year.*
*This schedule is subject to change pending finalization of the Registry Agreement or other delays in the new gTLD program.
About GMO Registry
GMO Registry was established in 2009 to provide all-in registry solutions for new gTLDs including assistance with the new gTLD application process, building and operating registry systems, and marketing support. The company is founded on the technology and extensive industry experience of the GMO Internet Group. Many global brands including Canon and Hitachi have chosen to partner with GMO Registry to secure their respective brand names as TLDs. GMO Registry has the official support of the governments of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama to operate their respective city gTLDs, and new registry Business Ralliart also chose to work with GMO Registry to apply for and operate the TLDs .okinawa and .ryukyu. In the current new gTLD application round, GMO Registry has also applied to operate the three generic names .shop, .inc, and .mail. For more information, please visit: http://www.gmo-registry.com/en/.
About GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group is a comprehensive provider of industry-leading Internet solutions including domain name registration, cloud-based and traditional hosting, ecommerce, security, and payment processing services that each hold the top share of their respective markets in Japan. Other key business areas for the Group include online securities/FX trading, Internet advertising, search engine marketing, and smartphone game development and publishing. GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. For more information please visit: http://www.gmo.jp/en.
Related Links
ICANN New gTLD Application Results: https://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/viewstatus
Group IR/PR, GMO Internet Group, http://www.gmo.jp/en, +81-3-5456-2695, [email protected]
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