Special Domain Names - Special Domain Name Registration

.aero (aeroplane) is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) used on the Internet's Domain Name System. It is the first gTLD based on a single industry, and is reserved for aviation-related businesses. It was created in 2002 and is operated by SITA. There is also a Dot Aero Council created and controlled by SITA, which SITA supposedly consults on .aero policies.

The .aero domain is reserved for companies, organizations, associations, government agencies, and individuals in aviation and related industries.

Currently, two-letter codes under .aero are reserved for airlines according to the IATA Airline Designators, while three-letter codes are reserved for airports, according to the IATA airport codes. Must be associated with the airline or aviation industry

The .cat TLD is a generic domain. Its policy has been developed by ICANN and Fundacio puntCAT. It was approved in September 2005. It is intended to be used to highlight Catalan language and culture. The .cat domain is not territorial, but applies to the whole Catalan-speaking community, whether or not a site is based in the Catalan Countries. In order to be granted a .cat domain, one needs to belong to the Catalan linguistic and cultural community on the Internet. A person, organization or company is considered to belong if they:

* Already have contents in Catalan published online.
* Have access to a special code (sometimes called ENS), issued during special promotions or by agreements with certain institutions.
* Develop activities (in any language) to promote the Catalan culture and language.
* Are endorsed by 3 people or 1 institution already using a .cat domain name. The registrant who wants to register a .cat domain name must pass a validation process that tests whether the registrant is eligible for the specific domain.

.coop is a generic top-level domain intended for the use of cooperatives. It was created as a result of ICANN's announcement in late 2000 of a phased release of seven new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) intended in part to take the pressure off the overcrowded .com domain. It was backed by a coalition of interest groups, was developed by the worker co-operative Poptel in the UK and became operational on January 30, 2002.

.coop is a sponsored top-level domain and restricted to those who meet specified criteria: cooperative organizations, wholly owned subsidiaries, and other organisations that exist to promote or support co-operatives. Its sponsor is DotCooperation LLC (also known as dotCoop), which was created as a subsidiary of the American NCBA (National Cooperative Business Association) to operate the TLD. It was the NCBA that funded the lion's share of the costs of creating .coop. Only cooperatives and cooperative service organizations are eligible to use the .coop domain name

.name is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) intended for the use of individuals' real names, nicknames, screen names, pseudonyms or other personal names. It was delegated to Global Name Registry in 2001, although it did not become fully operational until January 2002.

Domains can be registered on the second level (john.name) and the third level (john.doe.name). It is also possible to register an e-mail address on the form john@doe.name together with, or instead of, the domain john.doe.name. Such an e-mail address is a forwarding account, and requires another e-mail address to be delivered to.

When a domain is registered on the third level (john.doe.name), the second level (doe.name in this case) is shared, and may not be registered. Further third level objects like jane.doe.name or doe@doe.name may be registered. Other second level domains like johndoe.name remain unaffected.

When the .name domain was first launched, only third level registrations (and forwarded e-mail addresses) were available; it is only later, in January 2004, that second level registrations were made available as well. The original intended structure of names was first.last.name, so that an individual could get a domain corresponding to his or her actual name.

When a domain is registered on the second level (doe.name), third level domains or e-mail addresses under this second level (john.doe.name and jane@doe.name) are associated with the second level domain, and may not be registered with the .name registry. Other objects like janedoe.name and jane.johndoe.name remain unaffected.

The .name gTLD is intended for use by individuals and personalities, both fictional and real.

As a personal, unique and memorable identifier, .name addresses are increasingly being used as a natural address for Digital Identity applications. N/A

.jobs is a top-level domain approved by ICANN on April 8, 2005 as a sponsored TLD as part of the second group of new TLD applications submitted in 2004. The licensed operator of .jobs is Employ Media LLC (http://www.goto.jobs). It is restricted to employment-related sites. It entered the root in September, 2005, and began accepting registrations later in the year.

The intended use is for companies and organizations to register some version of their corporate names in the .jobs domain and use it for a site specifically aimed at those seeking employment with that company, as distinguished from general corporate and marketing sites in other top level domains such as .com. For instance, asda.jobs is a site giving information about jobs available at British grocer ASDA. N/A

.mobi (also known as DotMobi) is a top-level domain approved by ICANN and managed by the mTLD global registry dedicated to delivering the Internet to mobile devices via the Mobile Web. It is financially backed by Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Vodafone, T-Mobile, Telefonica Moviles, Telecom Italia Mobile, Orascom Telecom, GSM Association , Hutchison Whampoa, Syniverse Technologies, and VISA.

DotMobi domain names were made available for public registration on September 26, 2006. Although introduced quite recently, .mobi has already made headlines with several 6-figure domain sales, including german website Flowers.mobi for $200,000, Sportsbook.mobi for $129,800, and Fun.mobi for $100,000, possibly indicating the confidence developers have in this young extension. It has also had its share of criticism due to allegedly breaking the principles of device independence. Some argue that providing content tailored to particular devices can and should be done by other means than a specific TLD, such as using hostnames within an existing domain, content negotiation through the HTTP protocol, cascading style sheets or other forms of adaptation. N/A

.museum is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) used exclusively by museums, museum associations, and individual members of the museum profession, as these groups are defined by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). In joint action with the J. Paul Getty Trust, ICOM established the Museum Domain Management Association (MuseDoma), headed by Cary Karp, for the purpose of submitting an application to ICANN for the creation of the new gTLD, and to operate it if the application was approved. The .museum domain was entered into the root of Domain Name System on 20 October 2001, and was the first sponsored top-level domain to be instituted through ICANN's action.

The idea behind this domain is that it will be beneficial for Internet users to have a segment of the TLD namespace reserved for the use of museums; a namespace whose conventions are defined by the museum community. The .museum TLD will grant users a quick and intuitive way to verify the authenticity of a museum site. Conversely, since it is a type of formal third-party certification, museums using this namespace obtain a way to assure visitors of the site's validity.

In addition to the eligibility requirements specified in the .museum charter, a number of naming conventions apply to the labeling of subdomains. Extensive support is also being introduced for internationalized domain names, as described at about.museum. For museums, archival institutions, and exhibitions

.pro (professional) is a generic top-level domain. It was created in 2002 and is operated by the Registry Services Corporation. The intention of the domain is to signal to web visitors that the website owner is a professional with valid credentials, but so far .pro has not been popular.

.pro domains are very expensive compared to other domains. Professional credentials must be verified, and the domain costs $350, with a one-time $100 registration fee. The .pro serves as an official certification that the website owner's credentials are accurate.

.pro has three second level domains: .law.pro, .med.pro, and .cpa.pro, reserved for lawyers, physicians, and certified public accountants, respectively. Direct second-level registrations were later opened up, with restrictions. For members of the medical, legal and accounting professions

.pro (professional) is a generic top-level domain. It was created in 2002 and is operated by the Registry Services Corporation. The intention of the domain is to signal to web visitors that the website owner is a professional with valid credentials, but so far .pro has not been popular.

.pro domains are very expensive compared to other domains. Professional credentials must be verified, and the domain costs $350, with a one-time $100 registration fee. The .pro serves as an official certification that the website owner's credentials are accurate.

.pro has three second level domains: .law.pro, .med.pro, and .cpa.pro, reserved for lawyers, physicians, and certified public accountants, respectively. Direct second-level registrations were later opened up, with restrictions. For lawyers.

.pro (professional) is a generic top-level domain. It was created in 2002 and is operated by the Registry Services Corporation. The intention of the domain is to signal to web visitors that the website owner is a professional with valid credentials, but so far .pro has not been popular.

.pro domains are very expensive compared to other domains. Professional credentials must be verified, and the domain costs $350, with a one-time $100 registration fee. The .pro serves as an official certification that the website owner's credentials are accurate.

.pro has three second level domains: .law.pro, .med.pro, and .cpa.pro, reserved for lawyers, physicians, and certified public accountants, respectively. Direct second-level registrations were later opened up, with restrictions. For physicians.

.pro (professional) is a generic top-level domain. It was created in 2002 and is operated by the Registry Services Corporation. The intention of the domain is to signal to web visitors that the website owner is a professional with valid credentials, but so far .pro has not been popular.

.pro domains are very expensive compared to other domains. Professional credentials must be verified, and the domain costs $350, with a one-time $100 registration fee. The .pro serves as an official certification that the website owner's credentials are accurate.

.pro has three second level domains: .law.pro, .med.pro, and .cpa.pro, reserved for lawyers, physicians, and certified public accountants, respectively. Direct second-level registrations were later opened up, with restrictions. For certified public accountants.

.travel is a top-level domain approved by ICANN on April 8, 2005, as a sponsored TLD in the second group of new TLD applications evaluated in 2004. It is restricted to the use of travel agents, airlines, bed and breakfast operators, tourism bureaus, and others in the travel industry. It is sponsored by Tralliance Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of TheGlobe.com.

ICANN's independent evaluators recommended against approval of Tralliance's application to sponsor .travel, but ICANN's Board of Director's approved the delegation of .travel on April 8, 2005. Also on April 8, 2005, travel journalist and consumer advocate Edward Hasbrouck made a request under ICANN's bylaws that the decision to approve .travel be referred to an independent review panel charged with determining whether that decision was made in a manner consistent with ICANN's bylaws on openness and transparency, and that the decision be stayed pending independent review. Those requests remain pending.

The official launch began in October 2005, with a screening process to determine eligibility to register domains in each of three monthly groups for October, November, and December. Normal registrations began in January 2006. Any business, organisation or individual whose primary activity is within one of 18 industry sectors identified within the travel industry