Overview
- .baidu is a brand generic top-level domain (gTLD) applied for and owned by Baidu, Inc.
- The string reflects the company name "Baidu" (literally meaning "hundreds of times", inspired by a Song Dynasty poem) and is intended for use related to Baidu's corporate services and products.
- The TLD is categorized as a Brand TLD in ICANN's New gTLD Program.
History
- Applicant/Holder: Baidu, Inc. (applicant in the ICANN New gTLD Program).
- Registry operator: Afilias (listed as the registry in ICANNWiki data).
- Application disclosure: the string was revealed on Reveal Day, 13 June 2012.
- Delegation: .baidu was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 05 January 2016.
Usage and Audience
- Intended primarily for Baidu's internal corporate use and to represent Baidu-branded services and community products (e.g., Baidu PostBar, Baidu Knows, Baidu Encyclopedia, and other Baidu search and vertical services) as described in the applicant's response.
- Audience includes Baidu's customers, users of Baidu services, and entities tied to Baidu's corporate and marketing operations.
Registration Rules
- Initial allocation policy: all available second-level names under .BAIDU were planned to be initially allocated only to a limited number of eligible registrants for internal corporate business purposes.
- Time-limited restriction: Baidu planned to maintain the limited allocation approach for three years from the launch of the .BAIDU registry service.
- Post-initial period: after the initial three-year period, Baidu indicated it might consider a phased roll-out to a broader commercial marketplace depending on internal and external factors (market demand, user expectations).
- Rationale: the conservative, defensive allocation approach was intended to provide trademark protection, minimize technological/marketing/operational risks, and allow Baidu management time to evaluate long-term strategy for the TLD.
SEO and Brand Impact
- As a brand gTLD, .baidu is a tool for strengthening Baidu's corporate branding and domain-space control.
- The registry's restricted initial allocation and trademark-protective posture emphasize trust, brand protection, and controlled usage rather than open commercial registration.
Operator
Baidu, Inc.
Whois
% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object
domain: BAIDU
organisation: Baidu, Inc.
address: Baidu Campus, No.10 Shangdi 10th Street
address: Haidian District
address: Beijing
address: China
contact: administrative
name: Yuchen Wang
organisation: Baidu, Inc.
address: Baidu Campus, No.10 Shangdi 10th Street
address: Haidian District
address: Beijing
address: China
phone: +86 188 1064 7965
fax-no: +86 10 5992 0062
e-mail: wangyuchen08@baidu.com
contact: technical
name: Gao Lei
organisation: ZDNS
address: 4, South 4th Street, Zhongguancun
address: Haidian District
address: Beijing 100190
address: China
phone: +86.15011380586
e-mail: gaolei@zdns.cn
nserver: A.ZDNSCLOUD.CN 203.99.24.1
nserver: B.ZDNSCLOUD.CN 203.99.25.1
nserver: C.ZDNSCLOUD.COM 203.99.26.1
nserver: D.ZDNSCLOUD.COM 203.99.27.1
nserver: F.ZDNSCLOUD.CN 116.169.54.111
nserver: G.ZDNSCLOUD.COM 223.72.199.37
nserver: I.ZDNSCLOUD.CN 2401:8d00:1:0:0:0:0:1
nserver: J.ZDNSCLOUD.COM 2401:8d00:2:0:0:0:0:1
ds-rdata: 23825 8 2 7daede4b986a05b32cd3698ce14d0a0866d12a2ab955b8dc3659d25d7ad65cbe
whois: whois.gtld.knet.cn
status: ACTIVE
remarks: Registration information: http://www.zdns.cn
created: 2015-12-17
changed: 2024-12-12
source: IANA
