.com

Overview

.com is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) in the Domain Name System. Its name is derived from "commercial," reflecting its original intent for commercial entities, but it is now open for general use. Created in 1985 as one of the first TLDs, .com is widely regarded as the standard TLD and has grown into the largest top-level domain namespace.

History

• Introduced: 1985 (one of the original TLDs alongside .edu, .gov, .mil, .net, .org, and .int).
• Early administration: originally administered by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by SRI International's NIC; operations later subcontracted to Network Solutions and then overseen by the National Science Foundation.
• Registry operator: Verisign (acquired Network Solutions' registry business and is the current registry operator). Verisign has operated .com under ICANN registry agreements; a notable registry agreement renewal was approved (coverage cited through November 30, 2018).
• Legal and policy notes: .com remains subject to U.S. law due to the registry operator's U.S. location; dispute policy for the TLD is the UDRP.
• Growth milestones: roughly 100 million .com registrations reported in 2011; Verisign reported about 145.4 million .com registrations in a Domain Name Industry Brief (March 2020). As of March 2009, there were 926 accredited registrars serving the domain.

Usage and Audience

• Intended audience: commercial entities originally, but now used by businesses, organizations, and individuals worldwide.
• Common use cases:
  • Global businesses and startups favor .com for recognizability and trust.
  • Many non-commercial sites also use .com to benefit from its familiarity.
  • In countries with ccTLDs, many businesses still prefer .com over local ccTLDs (example second-level country equivalents: com.au, com.cn, co.il, co.jp, com.mx, co.uk, etc.).
• Registrations are conducted at the second level and processed via registrars accredited by ICANN.

Registration Rules

• Restrictions: none (open registration for anyone).
• Structure: second-level registrations (example: example.com).
• Internationalized domain names (IDNs): supported (registry accepts IDNs).
• DNSSEC: supported.
• Dispute policy: Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) applies.
• Registry and registrar model: .com registrations are handled through ICANN-accredited registrars; the registry operator is Verisign.
• Historical note: in 1995 Network Solutions began charging registrants (initially US$50/year and new registrations required a two-year prepayment, making first-time registration effectively US$100); this reflects historical pricing policy rather than current rates.

SEO and Brand Impact

• Perception and trust:
  • .com is widely perceived as the default or standard TLD; many users associate it with established, commercial websites.
  • That recognizability often conveys trust and familiarity for brands and consumers.
• Scarcity and aftermarket value:
  • High demand and perceived scarcity of desirable .com names have driven a robust aftermarket where premium .com domains can sell for millions of dollars.
• Cultural impact:
  • The term "dot-com" entered common parlance and gave its name to the late-1990s "dot-com bubble," when rapid speculation and growth in Internet businesses occurred.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Earliest registrations:
  • The first registered .com domain: Symbolics.com (March 15, 1985). Several other early registrations include BBN.com, think.com, MCC.com, DEC.com, xerox.com, SRI.com, HP.com, IBM.com, sun.com, intel.com, and ti.com.
• Premium domain sales (examples and reported prices):
  • Insure.com — $16 million (2009)
  • Sex.com — reported multimillion-dollar sales (notable controversy and legal case)
  • Fund.com — $9.99 million (2008)
  • Porn.com — $9.5 million (2007)
  • Business.com — $7.5 million (1999)
  • Diamond.com — $7.5 million (2006)
  • Beer.com — $7 million (2004)
  • Toys.com — $5.1 million (2009)
• Controversies and disputes:
  • Sex.com: high-profile ownership dispute involving forged transfer documents, lengthy litigation (including a large damages judgment) and later multimillion-dollar sales and settlements.
  • Races.com: an example of registrar/transfer mismanagement that resulted in the original registrant losing the name.
  • U.S. seizures: because the .com registry is operated in the United States, U.S. authorities have in multiple cases seized .com domain names (for example Bodog.com) by directing the registry to redirect DNS to government pages.
• TLD extensions and variations: after .com's success, private registrations of country-specific ".country.com" extensions emerged (examples include br.com, cn.com, de.com, eu.com, uk.com, us.com), some active and some discontinued.

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

domain:       COM

organisation: VeriSign Global Registry Services
address:      12061 Bluemont Way
address:      Reston VA 20190
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Registry Customer Service
organisation: VeriSign Global Registry Services
address:      12061 Bluemont Way
address:      Reston VA 20190
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 703 925-6999
fax-no:       +1 703 948 3978
e-mail:       info@verisign-grs.com

contact:      technical
name:         Registry Customer Service
organisation: VeriSign Global Registry Services
address:      12061 Bluemont Way
address:      Reston VA 20190
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 703 925-6999
fax-no:       +1 703 948 3978
e-mail:       info@verisign-grs.com

nserver:      A.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.5.6.30 2001:503:a83e:0:0:0:2:30
nserver:      B.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.33.14.30 2001:503:231d:0:0:0:2:30
nserver:      C.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.26.92.30 2001:503:83eb:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      D.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.31.80.30 2001:500:856e:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      E.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.12.94.30 2001:502:1ca1:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      F.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.35.51.30 2001:503:d414:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      G.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.42.93.30 2001:503:eea3:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      H.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.54.112.30 2001:502:8cc:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      I.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.43.172.30 2001:503:39c1:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      J.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.48.79.30 2001:502:7094:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      K.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.52.178.30 2001:503:d2d:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      L.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.41.162.30 2001:500:d937:0:0:0:0:30
nserver:      M.GTLD-SERVERS.NET 192.55.83.30 2001:501:b1f9:0:0:0:0:30
ds-rdata:     19718 13 2 8acbb0cd28f41250a80a491389424d341522d946b0da0c0291f2d3d771d7805a

whois:        whois.verisign-grs.com

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://www.verisigninc.com

created:      1985-01-01
changed:      2023-12-07
source:       IANA