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    • .author

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    .author is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) delegated under ICANN's New gTLD Program. Amazon was the sole applicant and is the manager; the registry operator is listed as Neustar. The TLD is categorized under Culture and was delegated to the Root Zone on 05 December 2015.

    History

    • Amazon applied for .author as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program (application details revealed on 13 June 2012).
    • The string was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 05 December 2015.
    • Manager: Amazon. Registry: Neustar. Status: Delegated (generic gTLD).

    Usage and Audience

    • Amazon stated its intent for .author to provide a unique, dedicated platform for stable and secure online communication and interaction.
    • The registry was presented as a platform for technical control, innovation, and protection of Amazon's intellectual property rights.
    • According to Amazon's application materials, all .AUTHOR domains would remain the property of Amazon and would not be delegated or assigned to third-party organizations, institutions, or individuals.

    Registration Rules

    • Amazon's Intellectual Property group is responsible for developing, maintaining and enforcing a Domain Management Policy covering eligibility, allocation rules, license terms, and dispute resolution.
    • Registration process (as described by Amazon):
      • Eligibility Confirmation
      • Naming Convention Check
      • Acceptable Use Review
      • Registration
    • Eligibility and name rules (excerpted from Amazon's application):
      • Length: minimum 3 characters, maximum 63 characters
      • No hyphen in the 3rd and 4th positions (to avoid tagged domains)
      • Allowed characters: letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and hyphens
      • Must start and end with an alphanumeric character (no leading/trailing hyphens)
      • Must not match ICANN-reserved strings
      • Must not match protected country names or geographical terms
    • Additional policy points:
      • Internationalized domain names (IDNs) may be supported at the second level
      • The registry will respect third-party intellectual property rights
      • .AUTHOR domains may not be delegated or assigned to third-party organizations or individuals
      • All .AUTHOR domains will carry accurate and up-to-date registration records
      • Amazon reserves the right to revoke a license to use a .AUTHOR domain if its use violates the Domain Management Policy

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Amazon framed .author as a way to gain additional control over technical architecture and to protect intellectual property, which positions the TLD as an Amazon-controlled brand asset.
    • The application drew scrutiny for being part of a set of "closed generics," where Amazon would retain exclusive control over generic terms; this raised concerns about market control and affected public perception.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • The applications for .book, .author, and .read prompted protests and letters to ICANN from booksellers, including Barnes & Noble, expressing concern about Amazon's closed-generic approach to these strings.

    Operator

    Amazon Registry Services, Inc.

    Whois

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

domain:       AUTHOR

organisation: Amazon Registry Services, Inc.
address:      410 Terry Avenue North
address:      Seattle WA 98109
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Program Manager, Registry
organisation: Amazon Registry Services, Inc.
address:      410 Terry Avenue North
address:      Seattle WA 98109
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 206 646 5990
fax-no:       +1 206 946 7702
e-mail:       arsi-rzm@amazon.com

contact:      technical
name:         TLD Registry Services Technical
organisation: Nominet
address:      Minerva House
address:      Edmund Halley Road
address:      Oxford Science Park
address:      Oxford OX4 4DQ
address:      United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)
phone:        +44.1865332211
e-mail:       registrytechnical@nominet.uk

nserver:      DNS1.NIC.AUTHOR 213.248.218.60 2a01:618:402:0:0:0:0:60
nserver:      DNS2.NIC.AUTHOR 103.49.82.60 2401:fd80:402:0:0:0:0:60
nserver:      DNS3.NIC.AUTHOR 213.248.222.60 2a01:618:406:0:0:0:0:60
nserver:      DNS4.NIC.AUTHOR 2401:fd80:406:0:0:0:0:60 43.230.50.60
nserver:      DNSA.NIC.AUTHOR 156.154.100.3 2001:502:ad09:0:0:0:0:3
nserver:      DNSB.NIC.AUTHOR 156.154.101.3 2001:502:2eda:0:0:0:0:3
nserver:      DNSC.NIC.AUTHOR 156.154.102.3 2610:a1:1009:0:0:0:0:3
nserver:      DNSD.NIC.AUTHOR 156.154.103.3 2610:a1:1010:0:0:0:0:3
ds-rdata:     4690 8 2 fc1aaa00c7d9798c3bbeed82b37aafba04ae15e97016e9a8b646ac5c37572da3

whois:        

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

created:      2015-11-12
changed:      2025-02-14
source:       IANA