• AI Domains
  • Pricing
  • Membership

    • .icu

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    .icu is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) created under ICANN's New gTLD Program. The string was proposed and applied for by One.com and is positioned as an "ICU" brand TLD intended for branding, customer use and web-hosting-related services. The registry manager listed is ShortDot SA.

    History

    • Application and advocacy:
      • The .icu string was applied for as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program (application revealed in June 2012).
      • One.com (the applicant in the application materials) described the gTLD as a way to reflect and operate its "ICU" brand at the top level of the DNS.
    • Delegation and operation:
      • .icu was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 02 May 2015 (implementation/delegation date).
      • ICANNWiki lists ShortDot SA as the manager/registry and notes key people associated with the registry (Lars Jensen, Kevin Kopas).

    Usage and Audience

    • Intended audiences (as stated by the applicant):
      • One.com customers, subsidiaries, suppliers, sponsors, directors, officers and employees.
      • Physical persons, organizations and entities that meet eligibility requirements at launch and afterward.
    • Purposes and positioning (applicant claims):
      • Branding and marketing: reflect the "ICU" brand at the top-level DNS.
      • Provide a recognizable and trusted identifier tied to the registry operator.
      • Offer a secure and safe Internet environment largely under the control of the registry/operator.
      • Enable One.com to offer domain registrations as part of low-cost hosting or bundled service packages.
    • Scale and reach referenced by the applicant: One.com stated it serves more than 900,000 customers in 149 countries and intends to promote .icu through advertising, traffic redirection and email marketing.

    Registration Rules

    • Eligibility and launch phases:
      • Sunrise: planned to allow trademark holders and eligible parties to register domain names identical to their trademarks.
      • General availability: open to physical persons, organizations and entities that meet the registry's eligibility rules in force at the time.
    • Reserved names and registry control:
      • The applicant reserved the right to reserve and register a number of descriptive and brand-related names in the name of the applicant (e.g., names referring to the applicant's business, departments, subsidiaries, products and services).
      • The registry/operator may impose additional restrictions or reserve names at its discretion.
    • Contention resolution and allocation methods (described in the application):
      • Reservation and controlled release of names to limit contention.
      • Rights of first offer or first refusal for existing One.com customers during launch phases.
      • Auctions after sunrise or launch phases using price and guaranteed registration duration as parameters.
      • First-come, first-served allocation as a last resort, subject to the registry policy in force.
    • Pricing and terms:
      • The applicant indicated an intention to make .icu available at low or no cost as part of hosting/service packages, while retaining the ability to charge premium fees for certain names or packages.
    • Data protection:
      • The applicant noted it is established in Denmark and is subject to Danish and European privacy/data protection rules.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Applicant claims regarding brand and SEO impact:
      • The .icu gTLD would provide high recognition and specialization tied to the registry operator and the "ICU" brand.
      • The registry asserted that being able to intervene quickly against abuse would support safety and trust in the TLD.
      • Positioning as a low-cost or bundled offering could affect brand perception and market positioning, while the registry also retained the option to offer premium names.

    Notable Cases or Examples

    • Principal organizations mentioned in source material:
      • One.com — the applicant that proposed and described the intended use and policies for .icu in its ICANN application materials.
      • ShortDot SA — listed as the registry/manager for .icu (ICANNWiki entry) with named key people Lars Jensen and Kevin Kopas.

    Operator

    Shortdot SA

    Whois

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

domain:       ICU

organisation: Shortdot SA
address:      29 Boulevard de la Grande-Duchesse Charlotte
address:      Luxembourg L-1331
address:      Luxembourg

contact:      administrative
name:         Lars Jensen
organisation: Shortdot SA
address:      29 Boulevard de la Grande-Duchesse Charlotte
address:      Luxembourg L-1331
address:      Luxembourg
phone:        +352621811103
fax-no:       +35227862529
e-mail:       sales@nic.icu

contact:      technical
name:         CTO
organisation: CentralNic
address:      Saddlers House, 4th Floor
address:      44 Gutter Lane
address:      London EC2V 6BR
address:      United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)
phone:        +44 20 33 88 0600
fax-no:       +44 20 33 88 0601
e-mail:       tld.ops@centralnic.com

nserver:      A.NIC.ICU 194.169.218.108 2001:67c:13cc:0:0:0:1:108
nserver:      B.NIC.ICU 185.24.64.108 2a04:2b00:13cc:0:0:0:1:108
nserver:      C.NIC.ICU 212.18.248.108 2a04:2b00:13ee:0:0:0:0:108
nserver:      D.NIC.ICU 212.18.249.108 2a04:2b00:13ff:0:0:0:0:108
ds-rdata:     31762 8 2 ccc397a837f6491166129e1d99ed03cca6635166b2f5b58c65b5cf516ae92b8f
ds-rdata:     46625 8 2 bb6ac27bbb99b05da380516d9c342bec3585259e22e4791472908e4370067886

whois:        whois.nic.icu

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://nic.icu/

created:      2015-03-06
changed:      2024-06-19
source:       IANA

    Registrars