.degree

Overview

• .degree is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) introduced through ICANN's New gTLD Program.
• The string is intended for education- and credential-related uses (as indicated by its categorization under Education new gTLDs) and to provide additional namespace for degree- and academic-related entities.

History

Application and applicants

• The original applicant for .degree was Donuts, via Puff House, LLC (a subsidiary of Covered TLD, LLC).
• Donuts' application used standard, boilerplate language describing the TLD as an open namespace to increase expression on the Internet.

GAC early warning

• The application received a GAC Early Warning from the representative of Australia and GAC Chair Heather Dryden, citing concerns that the applicant had not detailed sufficient protective measures for a regulated market.

Registry agreement, assignment and delegation

• Donuts received a Registry Agreement from ICANN for .degree on 6 March 2014.
• On 7 March 2014 Donuts assigned the Registry Agreement to Rightside (United TLD Holdco, Ltd.).
• The .degree string was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 30 May 2014, making Rightside the registry operator for the string.

Usage and Audience

• Categorized under Education new gTLDs, .degree is positioned for educational institutions, programs, credential issuers, students, and other academic communities.
• The application described the TLD as an open namespace intended to allow broader expression for registrants related to degrees and education.

Registration Rules

• The application stated an intent to operate .degree as an open TLD without pre-registration verification.
• The applicant committed to adhere to ICANN registration policies and to implement remediation and takedown policies to address abuse and rights protection.
• The stated approach favored avoiding pre-registration verification on the basis that such checks could deny legitimate registrants, while relying on user- and rights-protection mechanisms to control abuse.

Notable Details

• Ownership and operational responsibility moved from the original applicant structure (Donuts / Puff House) to Rightside (United TLD Holdco) following assignment of the registry agreement.
• The GAC Early Warning is a notable part of the application's record, reflecting governmental concern about consumer protection in regulated markets.

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

domain:       DEGREE

organisation: Dog Beach, LLC
address:      c/o Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Vice President, Engineering
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldadmin@identity.digital

contact:      technical
name:         Senior Director, DNS Infrastructure Group
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldtech@identity.digital

nserver:      V0N0.NIC.DEGREE 2a01:8840:1a:0:0:0:0:61 65.22.24.61
nserver:      V0N1.NIC.DEGREE 2a01:8840:1b:0:0:0:0:61 65.22.25.61
nserver:      V0N2.NIC.DEGREE 2a01:8840:1c:0:0:0:0:61 65.22.26.61
nserver:      V0N3.NIC.DEGREE 161.232.12.61 2a01:8840:f6:0:0:0:0:61
nserver:      V2N0.NIC.DEGREE 2a01:8840:1d:0:0:0:0:61 65.22.27.61
nserver:      V2N1.NIC.DEGREE 161.232.13.61 2a01:8840:f7:0:0:0:0:61
ds-rdata:     64015 8 2 a0ef2c85bf1d4f53a28654036baa10e5e6c124f4fdb4e46b2f05de8bbb07e6d7

whois:        whois.nic.degree

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.identity.digital/

created:      2014-05-22
changed:      2023-09-13
source:       IANA