.inc

Status:	Proposed
Type:	Generic TLD
Category:	Commerce
More information:

.inc is a proposed new gTLD with ICANN's New gTLD Program for the use of corporations.

Current Applicants

1. Dot Registry LLC, a new registry operator founded by Ephraim Gershon is an applicant for the string and plans to restrict the registration of domain names under .inc string to legally registered corporations in the United States. Neustar has been selected by the company to provide its back-end registry solutions. Shaul Jolles is the CEO of Dot Registry LLC.
2. Top Level Domain Holdings, Ltd. (TLDH), the parent company of Minds + Machines engaged in TLD acquisitions, consultancy and registry services also applied for the .inc domain name string. TLDH submitted the application to ICANN on its own behalf. Antony Van Couvering is the CEO of the company. This applicant submitted a Public Interest Commitment, which can be downloaded here.
3. STRAAT Investments (NU DOT CO LLC), a holding company founded and chaired by Juan Diego Calle and the parent company of .co Internet is applying for 13 new gTLDs including .inc. The company selected Neustar to provide back-end registry solutions.
4. Uniregistry, Corp., a company owned by domainer Frank Schilling.
5. Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.)
6. GMO Registry
7. GTLD Limited
8. Donuts, one of 307 applications submitted by the company (Baxter Sunset, LLC). This applicant submitted a Public Interest Commitment, which can be downloaded here.
9. Afilias

Former Applicants

1. CNI Registry, LLC - This application was WITHDRAWN. It was the first applicant to leave the contention set.
2. C.V. TLDcare - WITHDRAWN; the second applicant to leave the contention set, May 2013.

TLDH & $15mm Auction Funding

On February 26 2013, Top Level Domain Holdings Ltd. announced that it had entered into a funding agreement worth $15 million to be used in the case of auction for a specific unnamed TLD. The investor will not receive ownership of the TLD but a share of future revenues. TLDH did not name the TLD that the funds are directed for, and it is in 11 head to head contentions and 12 featuring more than one contender.

Possible String Objection

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) president Beth Chapman sent a letter to ICANN expressing the concerns of the organization regarding entities applying for the .inc TLD including other corporate-themed domain name strings (.llc, .corp and .llp). The organization informed ICANN that they will object to any application if the TLD is not restricted to "entities that are also legally and appropriately registered with the Secretaries of State, or the equivalent state agency as well as the registry operator."

Top-Level Domain