.meme

Status:	Proposed
Registry Provider:	Google
Type:	Generic
Category:	Technology
More information:

.meme is a proposed TLD in ICANN's New gTLD Program. The applicant is Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.).

Application Details

The following is excerpted from the applicant's response to question #18:

"The proposed gTLD will provide the marketplace with direct association to the term, ʺmeme.ʺ The term ʺmemeʺ connotes the echoing of a cultural idea, and was coined by Richard Dawkins in his book, ʺThe Selfish Gene.ʺ In the context of the .meme gTLD, the mission of the gTLD to provide a dedicated domain space in which registrants can enact second-level domains related to viral phenomenon, ideas, images, and videos. This mission will enhance consumer choice by providing new availability in the second-level domain space, creating new layers of organization on the Internet, and signaling the kind of content available in the domain. Charleston Road Registry believes that registrants will find value in associating with this gTLD, which could have a vast array of meanings and purposes for businesses, organizations and individuals. Charleston Road Registry expects these uses may include but are not limited to applications such as discoverthis.meme, needtoknow.meme, or memename.meme.

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Charleston Road Registry believes that given its wide variety of uses, the .meme gTLD will best add value to the gTLD space by remaining totally open and unencumbered by registrant restrictions. There will, therefore, be no restrictions on second-level domain name registrations in the proposed gTLD, .meme.

Charleston Road Registry will make access to Registry Services, including the shared registration system, available to all ICANN-accredited registrars. Domain names within the proposed gTLD will be available to the general public for registration and use.

Charleston Road Registry is committed to implementing strong and integrated intellectual property rights protection mechanisms. Doing so is critical to Google’s goals of model Internet citizenship and fostering Internet development, especially in emerging regions. Accordingly, Charleston Road Registry intends to offer a suite of rights protection measures, which builds upon ICANNʹs required policies while fulfilling our commitment to encouraging innovation, competition and choice on the Internet."