.nu
.nu is the ccTLD for the country of Niue. The TLD is currently operated by Internetstiftelsen i Sverige, the organization responsible for the management of Sweden's .se TLD.[1]
Ownership Dispute[edit | edit source]
Early History[edit | edit source]
The domain was originally delegated to the nonprofit Internet Users Society - Niue (IUS-N), organized by Bill Semich, in 1997.[2][3] 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.[4] Semich's interest coincided with the international interest in and eventual formation of a governing body for domain names - ICANN.[4] An active participant in the early development of ICANN, Semich was appointed to the DNSO's Names Council in 1999.[5] ICANN and IUS-N entered into an Accountability Framework regarding the maintenance and operation of the .nu domain in 2008.[3] Semich's company WorldNames provided the technical back-end for .nu until 2013.[6] In 2013, WorldNames transferred technical control of the domain to IIS.[7]
Benefits to Niue[edit | edit source]
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.[8] The service received worldwide press attention in 2003 when it announced that it had developed a nationwide, freely accessible wireless network.[9] 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.[6]
Litigation & Administrative Efforts at Redelegation[edit | edit source]
In December 2020, it was announced that Niue had initiated a proceeding asking ICANN to redelegate the TLD to its control.[2] 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.[10] Active redelegation proceedings are exempt from 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.[11]
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.[12]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ IANA Root Database
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 .nu Accountability Framework (PDF)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pittsburgh Post Gazette, March 29, 2006: On a Tiny Island, Catchy Web Name Sparks a Battle
- ↑ Nunames.nu Press Release, August 4, 1999
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Domain Incite, April 22, 2011: Niue: the myth of the 'Wifi Nation'
- ↑ Nunames.nu Press Release, January 9, 2013
- ↑ InternetNiue.nu - "About" page
- ↑ See, e.g. BBC News - 'Polynesians get free wireless web'
- ↑ Revocation and Redelegation Request Regarding the ccTLD .NU (PDF)
- ↑ Domain Incite: Island Demands Return of its "Naked" ccTLD
- ↑ Supreme Court Allows Fight for .Nu to Continue, DomainIncite