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    • .free

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    • .free is a proposed generic top-level domain (gTLD) submitted to ICANN's New gTLD Program.
    • The string conveys the literal meaning "free" and was positioned by applicants as a namespace for promoting free products, services, events, or offering online identity and expression.

    History

    • Status: Proposed (applied-for in the ICANN New gTLD Program).
    • Multiple organizations applied for the .free string; applicants listed in ICANNWiki include:
      • Donuts (Over Keep, LLC) — priority number 805
      • Amazon (Amazon EU S.à r.l.) — priority number 1161
      • Uniregistry, Corp. — priority number 1468
      • Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.) — priority number 1802
    • Former applicant:
      • Top Level Domain Holdings (TLDH) submitted an application but withdrew .free (and three other strings) in April 2013.
    • European Commission action:
      • The European Commission flagged the applicants for .free (among others) in a communiqué raising potential compatibility issues with EU legislation and indicating a desire to engage with applicants.
    • Name collision mitigation:
      • In November 2013 ICANN announced that .free was among 25 applied-for strings not eligible for the alternative delegation path and therefore required further mitigation work before delegation could proceed.

    Usage and Audience

    • Stated or intended uses by applicants (as described in applications summarized by ICANNWiki):
      • Amazon: use .free as a dedicated platform to promote innovation, enable secure online communication/interaction, and help protect intellectual property rights.
      • Google (Charleston Road Registry Inc.): provide an online space for enterprises, small businesses, groups or individuals engaged in marketing and promoting free products, services, events and other activities.
      • Donuts (Over Keep, LLC): offer online identity and expression for internet users seeking domains not available elsewhere; Donuts partnered with back-end and infrastructure providers to operate the registry.
      • Uniregistry: planned to operate .free with flat pricing and fixed renewal costs (no price increase for the first five years) to appeal to registrants seeking predictable pricing.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Cybersquatting concerns:
      • Observers noted that free or low-cost domain registrations could increase the risk of cybersquatting and typosquatting in the .free space.
      • Analyst Michael Berkens argued that higher registration prices for many new gTLDs could deter cybersquatters, but warned that if an applicant (e.g., Google) gave away free registrations for .free, that could exacerbate trademark and IP risks.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Applicant contention and priorities: multiple major applicants (Amazon, Google, Donuts, Uniregistry) created contention for the string; priority numbers are recorded for contention resolution.
    • Withdrawal: Top Level Domain Holdings withdrew its .free application in April 2013.
    • Regulatory attention: the European Commission specifically flagged .free applicants among 58 strings for potential legal and policy compatibility issues with EU objectives.
    • Technical/process issue: .free was not eligible for ICANN's alternative name-collision delegation path (announced November 2013) and therefore required additional mitigation before delegation could progress.

    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:       FREE

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.FREE 213.248.218.67 2a01:618:402:0:0:0:0:67
nserver:      DNS2.NIC.FREE 103.49.82.67 2401:fd80:402:0:0:0:0:67
nserver:      DNS3.NIC.FREE 213.248.222.67 2a01:618:406:0:0:0:0:67
nserver:      DNS4.NIC.FREE 2401:fd80:406:0:0:0:0:67 43.230.50.67
nserver:      DNSA.NIC.FREE 156.154.100.3 2001:502:ad09:0:0:0:0:3
nserver:      DNSB.NIC.FREE 156.154.101.3 2001:502:2eda:0:0:0:0:3
nserver:      DNSC.NIC.FREE 156.154.102.3 2610:a1:1009:0:0:0:0:3
nserver:      DNSD.NIC.FREE 156.154.103.3 2610:a1:1010:0:0:0:0:3
ds-rdata:     24446 8 2 04de92a2ccfbb31f3fe8b80a9e1c03b604062bb5726b1fe18d95c62f3cb8a26c

whois:        

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

created:      2016-10-27
changed:      2025-02-14
source:       IANA

    Registrars