.ag

Overview

.ag is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Antigua and Barbuda. Introduced on 3 September 1991, it is marketed and used both for entities connected to Antigua and Barbuda and for international uses such as domain hacks, references to the chemical symbol for silver (Ag), agriculture-related sites, and corporate sites using the German abbreviation "AG" (Aktiengesellschaft).

History

• Introduced: 3 September 1991.
• Registry / Management: NicAg is the registry; as of 2021 the .ag ccTLD is maintained by the UHSA School of Medicine (UHSA) and managed through Nic AG.
• Technical and policy: DNSSEC is enabled for the zone and the registry applies the UDRP for dispute resolution.
• Legal milestone: In July 2004 a German court (5. Zivilsenat des Oberlandesgerichtes Hamburg) ruled that a ".ag" domain may only be registered by an Aktiengesellschaft (AG) in Germany and only when the domain matches the company's name.

Usage and Audience

• Corporations: Frequently used by companies in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) where "AG" denotes a joint-stock company.
• Domain hacks and branding: Marketed for creative, short, or memorable domains and URL shorteners (e.g., organizations using "her it.ag" style links).
• Industry-specific uses:
  • Agriculture-related sites ("ag" shorthand).
  • Silver and jewelry sellers referencing the chemical symbol Ag.
• Media example: The Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq has used the .ag TLD following a merger and branding decisions.

Registration Rules

• Availability:
  • .ag, .com.ag, .net.ag, and .org.ag are available to registrants worldwide.
  • .edu.ag is restricted to recognized Antiguan and Barbudan educational institutions.
  • .gov.ag is restricted to Antiguan and Barbudan government departments/agencies.
• General rules and requirements:
  • Registrations are on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Applicants must demonstrate a legitimate interest and certify that the registration does not violate third-party rights or trademarks.
  • Offensive domain names may be declined.
  • The registration agreement is governed by the laws of the State of New York.
• Blocked / reserved names (examples and categories):
  • Local emergency numbers and certain national identification number formats.
  • Names of countries and worldwide geographic regions.
  • Country codes or ccTLDs and gTLD strings at the second level (e.g., "br.ag" or "org.ag").
  • Example/test domains (e.g., example.ag, localhost.ag) and certain misleading names.
• Character and length rules:
  • Use only letters, numbers, or hyphens; domain labels cannot begin or end with a hyphen.
  • Domain names beginning with two characters followed by two dashes are barred from registration.
  • Domain names cannot have a single digit or single alphabet letter as a label.
  • Maximum label length: 63 characters (excluding the TLD).
  • Maximum full FQDN length: 255 characters.

SEO and Brand Impact

• Positioning: .ag is often positioned for branding (corporate AG identity), industry-specific sites (agriculture, silver), and short, memorable domain hacks or URL shorteners.
• Legal/market perception implications:
  • The 2004 German court ruling limits the use of .ag domains by entities in Germany, which can affectbrand legitimacy and availability for German corporations not named exactly as the domain.
  • Use as a creative or niche TLD can aid memorability and brand differentiation, particularly for short links and domain hacks.

Notable Cases or Examples

• The Heritage Foundation uses herit.ag as a short link.
• The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M uses tx.ag for URL shortening.
• Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq uses the .ag TLD following a merger and rebranding.
• German court ruling (July 2004) restricting .ag registrations for German Aktiengesellschaften (AG) is a notable legal precedent affecting use in Germany.

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       AG

organisation: UHSA School of Medicine
address:      P.O. Box 510
address:      Saint John's
address:      Antigua and Barbuda

contact:      administrative
name:         George S. Daniel
organisation: UHSA School of Medicine
address:      P.O. Box 510
address:      Saint John's
address:      Antigua and Barbuda
phone:        +1 268 460 1391
fax-no:       +1 268 460 1477
e-mail:       daniel@uhsa.edu.ag

contact:      technical
name:         Senior Director, DNS Infrastructure Group
organisation: Afilias Limited
address:      C/O Afilias USA, Inc.
address:      300 Welsh Road
address:      Building 3, Suite 105
address:      Horsham PA 19044
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 215 706 5700
fax-no:       +1 215 706 5701
e-mail:       tld-tech-poc@afilias.info

nserver:      A0.CCTLD.AFILIAS-NST.INFO 199.254.59.1 2001:500:25:0:0:0:0:1
nserver:      A2.CCTLD.AFILIAS-NST.INFO 199.249.116.1 2001:500:44:0:0:0:0:1
nserver:      B0.CCTLD.AFILIAS-NST.ORG 199.254.60.1 2001:500:26:0:0:0:0:1
nserver:      B2.CCTLD.AFILIAS-NST.ORG 199.249.124.1 2001:500:4c:0:0:0:0:1
nserver:      C0.CCTLD.AFILIAS-NST.INFO 199.254.61.1 2001:500:27:0:0:0:0:1
nserver:      D0.CCTLD.AFILIAS-NST.ORG 199.254.62.1 2001:500:28:0:0:0:0:1
ds-rdata:     8905 8 2 e3cdce330b6f170283c06a1e3aad11c098ad4a83cfc0f3cb603ecfc49af4a059

whois:        whois.nic.ag

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.nic.ag

created:      1991-09-03
changed:      2021-02-08
source:       IANA