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'''.nu''' is the [[ccTLD]] for the country of Niue. It is managed by The IUSN Foundation.<ref>[https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/nu.html IANA: Delegation Record for .NU]</ref>
'''.nu''' is the [[ccTLD]] for the country of Niue. It is managed by [[Internet Users Society Niue|The IUSN Foundation]].<ref>[https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/nu.html IANA: Delegation Record for .NU]</ref>


The TLD is currently operated by [[Internetstiftelsen i Sverige]], the organization responsible for the management of Sweden's [[.se]] TLD.<ref>[https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/nu.html IANA Root Database]</ref>  
The TLD is currently operated by [[Internetstiftelsen i Sverige]], the organization responsible for the management of Sweden's [[.se]] TLD.<ref>[https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/nu.html IANA Root Database]</ref>  


==Ownership Dispute==
== Delegation History and Ownership Controversy ==


===Early History===
The domain was originally delegated to the nonprofit Internet Users Society Niue (IUSN) in 1997. During this time, the Niue government signed an agreement with American businessman [[Bill Semich]] who wanted to control the domain in exchange for free unlimited Internet access and wifi in Niue. Through the IUSN Foundation, Semich claimed that part of the revenues generated from the .nu domain would go towards Niue’s Internet access. In 2000, realising the major losses from this deal, the Niue government cancelled the deal with Semich, but were unsuccessful due to the legal language of the agreement making no difference. Semich also refused to give back control over the .nu domain to the Government of Niue.<ref name="tv">[https://tvniue.com/2024/02/niues-ongoing-battle-for-the-nu-domain/ Television Niue: Niue’s ongoing battle for the .nu domain]</ref>


The domain was originally delegated to the nonprofit [[Internet Users Society - Niue]] (IUS-N), organized by [[Bill Semich]], in 1997.<ref name="biau">[https://www.businessinsider.com.au/niue-nu-internet-domain-reclaim-2020-12 Business Insider AU - 'Digital colonisation': A tiny island nation just launched a major effort to win back control of its top-level internet domain, Dec. 16, 2020]</ref><ref name="afnu">[https://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/cctlds/nu/nu-icann-af-16jan08-en.pdf .nu Accountability Framework (PDF)]</ref> As an IT news professional, Semich identified domain ownership as a "business opportunity" and became interested in the domain name industry. He found such an opportunity in .nu.<ref name="ppg">[https://www.post-gazette.com/business/tech-news/2006/03/29/On-a-tiny-island-catchy-Web-name-sparks-a-battle/stories/200603290178 Pittsburgh Post Gazette, March 29, 2006: On a Tiny Island, Catchy Web Name Sparks a Battle]</ref> Semich's interest coincided with the international interest in and eventual formation of a governing body for domain names - [[ICANN]].<ref name="ppg" /> An active participant in the early development of ICANN, Semich was appointed to the [[DNSO]]'s Names Council in 1999.<ref>[https://nunames.nu/press-release/appointed-to-icann/ Nunames.nu Press Release, August 4, 1999]</ref> ICANN and IUS-N entered into an Accountability Framework regarding the maintenance and operation of the .nu domain in 2008.<ref name="afnu" /> Semich's company [[WorldNames]] provided the technical back-end for .nu until 2013.<ref name="DIwifi">[http://domainincite.com/4357-niue-the-myth-of-the-wifi-nation Domain Incite, April 22, 2011: Niue: the myth of the 'Wifi Nation']</ref> In 2013, WorldNames transferred technical control of the domain to [[Internetstiftelsen i Sverige|IIS]].<ref>[https://nunames.nu/press-release/worldnames-selects-dot-se/ Nunames.nu Press Release, January 9, 2013]</ref>  
Mr. Semich has repeatedly denied Niue’s claims of wrongdoing. In 2013, IUSN Foundation struck a deal to hand over the operation of .nu to the Swedish Internet Foundation, which runs Sweden’s [[.se]] domain. The word "nu" means "now" in Swedish, Danish and Dutch, and thousands of Scandinavians registered websites with that suffix, making it very valuable and lucrative.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/21/world/asia/niue-nu-domain-sweden.html The New York Times: The Two-Decade Fight for Two Letters on the Internet]</ref>  


===Benefits to Niue===
In 2018, Niue filed a lawsuit to the Stockholm District Court claiming that the Swedish Internet Foundation in 2013 had taken the .nu domain name "unfairly" and without the Niue government’s consent.<ref name="tv"></ref> They also asked roughly about 20 million USD in damages. In March 2024, the ruling came out in favor of Internetstiftelsen. According to the court, Internetstiftelsen has acted in accordance with the regulations related to this matter. Internetstiftelsen does not have to apply for permission from the government of Niue in these matters.
IUS-N's primary activities on the island of Niue have been aimed at providing "free wifi" for the residents of the island. Internet Niue was founded in 1997 alongside IUS-N, and provides wireless internet access at no charge after initial setup costs.<ref>[http://internetniue.nu/about/ InternetNiue.nu - "About" page]</ref> The service received worldwide press attention in 2003 when it announced that it had developed a nationwide, freely accessible wireless network.<ref>See, e.g. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3020158.stm BBC News - 'Polynesians get free wireless web']</ref> However, this claim has since been subject to skepticism amid reports that the wireless service has not been stable or even available in many areas.<ref name="DIwifi" />
Accordingly, a foundation cannot be liable for damages and based on this the petition was denied. Instead, the Island of Niue (and their representative Pär Brumark) would to pay for the costs related to the court hearing, an amount of roughly 250,000 USD.<ref>[https://abion.com/the-nu-domain-debate-insights-from-the-recent-court-decision/ Abion: The .nu Domain Debate: Insights from the Recent Court Decision]</ref>
===Litigation & Administrative Efforts at Redelegation===
In December 2020, it was announced that Niue had initiated a proceeding asking [[ICANN]] to redelegate the TLD to its control.<ref name="biau" /> On December 8, 2020, Niue send its redelegation request to [[IANA]]; due to the "complexity and merits of the...matter," Niue also sent the document to the [[ICANN]] board of directors, the [[ccNSO]], and the [[GAC]].<ref name ="rfr">[https://icannwiki.org/images/2/2c/NU_Redelegation_Request.pdf Revocation and Redelegation Request Regarding the ccTLD .NU (PDF)]</ref> Active redelegation proceedings are exempt from [[Transparency|ICANN's transparency rules]]; it has been speculated that this is one of the reasons that Niue is broadcasting its request to multiple ICANN bodies, as well as the media.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/26160-island-demands-return-of-its-naked-cctld Domain Incite: Island Demands Return of its "Naked" ccTLD]</ref>


In February 2022, the Supreme Court of Sweden confirmed that the Government of Niue has standing to sue, despite a lower court ruling in favor of .nu registry IIS’s claims to the contrary two years earlier.<ref>[https://domainincite.com/27532-supreme-court-allows-fight-for-nu-to-proceed Supreme Court Allows Fight for .Nu to Continue, DomainIncite]</ref>
== Rules and Restrictions ==
 
Refer to Rules and Restrictions and its subsection "Blocked and Reserved Domain Names" for rules. The only difference is the Blocked and reserved domain names charter, which can be seen [https://data.internetstiftelsen.se/barred_domains_list_nu.json here].
 
=== Characters ===
 
A .nu domain may contain of the letters a-z, numbers 0-9, hyphens, and the letters required to write in Swedish, the Nordic languages and other Western European languages. This means that it is possible to register a .nu domain name which contains of letters such as å, ä, ö, ü and é. A complete list of the characters currently available to use in a .nu domain can be found in this [https://internetstiftelsen.se/app/uploads/2024/06/idn-table-nu.pdf table]. Also:
 
For .nu-domain names the following technical restrictions apply
 
* a domain name cannot have a hyphen in both position three and four;
* a domain name cannot begin with a hyphen;
* a domain name cannot have a hyphen directly before ".nu";
* a domain name cannot be registered if it contains of a German sharp s, the sharp s has to be rewritten to “ss” at the registration.<ref name="how">[https://internetstiftelsen.se/en/domains/how-to-register-a-domain-name/terms-and-conditions-for-se-and-nu-domains/ Internetstiftelsen: Terms and conditions for .se and .nu domains]</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Niue]]
[[Category:CcTLD]]

Latest revision as of 18:52, 31 October 2024

.nu is the ccTLD for the country of Niue. It is managed by The IUSN Foundation.[1]

The TLD is currently operated by Internetstiftelsen i Sverige, the organization responsible for the management of Sweden's .se TLD.[2]

Delegation History and Ownership Controversy[edit | edit source]

The domain was originally delegated to the nonprofit Internet Users Society Niue (IUSN) in 1997. During this time, the Niue government signed an agreement with American businessman Bill Semich who wanted to control the domain in exchange for free unlimited Internet access and wifi in Niue. Through the IUSN Foundation, Semich claimed that part of the revenues generated from the .nu domain would go towards Niue’s Internet access. In 2000, realising the major losses from this deal, the Niue government cancelled the deal with Semich, but were unsuccessful due to the legal language of the agreement making no difference. Semich also refused to give back control over the .nu domain to the Government of Niue.[3]

Mr. Semich has repeatedly denied Niue’s claims of wrongdoing. In 2013, IUSN Foundation struck a deal to hand over the operation of .nu to the Swedish Internet Foundation, which runs Sweden’s .se domain. The word "nu" means "now" in Swedish, Danish and Dutch, and thousands of Scandinavians registered websites with that suffix, making it very valuable and lucrative.[4]

In 2018, Niue filed a lawsuit to the Stockholm District Court claiming that the Swedish Internet Foundation in 2013 had taken the .nu domain name "unfairly" and without the Niue government’s consent.[3] They also asked roughly about 20 million USD in damages. In March 2024, the ruling came out in favor of Internetstiftelsen. According to the court, Internetstiftelsen has acted in accordance with the regulations related to this matter. Internetstiftelsen does not have to apply for permission from the government of Niue in these matters. Accordingly, a foundation cannot be liable for damages and based on this the petition was denied. Instead, the Island of Niue (and their representative Pär Brumark) would to pay for the costs related to the court hearing, an amount of roughly 250,000 USD.[5]

Rules and Restrictions[edit | edit source]

Refer to Rules and Restrictions and its subsection "Blocked and Reserved Domain Names" for rules. The only difference is the Blocked and reserved domain names charter, which can be seen here.

Characters[edit | edit source]

A .nu domain may contain of the letters a-z, numbers 0-9, hyphens, and the letters required to write in Swedish, the Nordic languages and other Western European languages. This means that it is possible to register a .nu domain name which contains of letters such as å, ä, ö, ü and é. A complete list of the characters currently available to use in a .nu domain can be found in this table. Also:

For .nu-domain names the following technical restrictions apply

  • a domain name cannot have a hyphen in both position three and four;
  • a domain name cannot begin with a hyphen;
  • a domain name cannot have a hyphen directly before ".nu";
  • a domain name cannot be registered if it contains of a German sharp s, the sharp s has to be rewritten to “ss” at the registration.[6]

References[edit | edit source]

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