.food

Overview

• .food is a proposed generic top-level domain (gTLD) submitted to ICANN's New gTLD Program.
• The string is intended for the food & drink sector and related businesses and communities.

History

• .food appeared as a proposed gTLD during ICANN's New gTLD Program; the string was publicly revealed on Reveal Day, 13 June 2012.
• Applicants named in ICANN records and coverage include:
  • Donuts (Wild Orchard, LLC) — Wild Orchard was created by Donuts to submit applications; Donuts invested heavily in new gTLD applications. Donuts indicated Demand Media as a back-end registry service provider for this applicant.
  • Dot Food, LLC — partnered with Neustar for back-end registry services.
  • Lifestyle Domain Holdings, Inc. — listed Verisign as its back-end registry provider.
• Notable timeline items from coverage:
  • November 2012: Lifestyle Domain Holdings, Inc. received a GAC Early Warning concerning its application.
  • November 2012: Dot Food, LLC launched a non-binding pre-registration system to gauge interest in names under the string.
  • A Legal Rights Objection (filed via WIPO's LRO process) was lodged by Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. against Dot Food, LLC and Donuts.
• Prior to the New gTLD round, a separate 2009 dispute involved celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and Minds + Machines over plans to pursue .food; that dispute led to litigation that was dismissed by the court on October 28, 2009.

Usage and Audience

• Target audience is entities in the food & drink industry, including restaurants, food brands, publishers, suppliers, and other food‑sector businesses.
• Industry stakeholders and trademark holders have shown interest; Dot Food's pre-registration system indicated preference for USPTO trademark holders in its non-binding sign-up.

SEO and Brand Impact

• Public objections and formal filings highlight brand and IP risk for applicants and potential registrants:
  • A GAC Early Warning noted concerns about an applicant seeking exclusive access to a common generic string and the possible negative impact on competition.
  • Legal Rights Objections (WIPO LRO) were filed, indicating contested trademark or rights issues tied to proposed uses of the string.
• These disputes and government concerns may affect perceptions of trust, exclusivity, and commercial suitability for some registrants.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Wolfgang Puck / Minds + Machines (2009): A planned partnership to pursue .food did not materialize and culminated in litigation between the parties; the court dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice on October 28, 2009.
• Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc.: Filed Legal Rights Objections against at least two applicants (Dot Food, LLC and Donuts) via WIPO's LRO process.
• Applicant back-end relationships called out in applications:
  • Donuts (Wild Orchard) — Demand Media (backend)
  • Dot Food, LLC — Neustar (backend)
  • Lifestyle Domain Holdings — Verisign (backend)

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

domain:       FOOD

organisation: Internet Naming Co.
address:      23 Lime Tree Bay, West Bay
address:      Grand Cayman KY1-1505
address:      Cayman Islands (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Shayan Rostam, Principal
organisation: Internet Naming Co.
address:      23 Lime Tree Bay, West Bay
address:      Grand Cayman KY1-1505
address:      Cayman Islands (the)
phone:        +1.424.888.0690
e-mail:       partners@inaming.co

contact:      technical
name:         Francisco Obispo, Chief Technology Officer
organisation: Tucows.com, Co.
address:      96 Mowat Avenue
address:      Toronto Ontario M6K3M1
address:      Canada
phone:        +1 (416) 535-0123
e-mail:       trs-ops@tucows.com

nserver:      NS01.TRS-DNS.COM 2620:57:4001:0:0:0:0:1 64.96.1.1
nserver:      NS01.TRS-DNS.INFO 185.159.198.3 2620:10a:80ab:0:0:0:0:3
nserver:      NS01.TRS-DNS.NET 2620:57:4002:0:0:0:0:1 64.96.2.1
nserver:      NS01.TRS-DNS.ORG 185.159.197.3 2620:10a:80aa:0:0:0:0:3
ds-rdata:     29023 13 2 5cfba2baaa02242b1a9b83677493f4205a70f202a7ae2afced9f907af47b0ea1

whois:        whois.tucowsregistry.net

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://internetnaming.co

created:      2016-11-04
changed:      2025-09-08
source:       IANA