Overview
- .link is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) intended as a short, semantic namespace for labeling web resources using the word "link".
- The string was proposed in ICANN's New gTLD Program and positioned as a broadly applicable, neutral registry aimed at registrants worldwide.
History
- Application: .link was applied for through ICANN's New gTLD Program; the applicant described the namespace as a way to let registrants "label their content with the clear and simple word 'Link'."
- Registry operator: Uniregistry is identified in the application and related documentation as the registry/manager for .link. (An ICANNWiki entry also lists the Internet Services Consortium in its registry field.)
- Contract signed: Uniregistry received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN on 14 November 2013.
- Delegation: .link was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 18 January 2014.
Usage and Audience
- Target audience:
- Individuals, companies, and organizations wanting a short, semantically meaningful domain related to links, navigation, portals or directories.
- Registrants seeking memorable alternatives or complements to legacy TLDs (.com, .net, .info).
- Intended use cases described by the applicant:
- Shortened, memorable marketing identities.
- Directory services and portals.
- Generic labeling of content where the word "link" is semantically relevant.
Registration Rules
- Allocation model: The applicant and registry operator favored first-come, first-served allocation for public registrations.
- Pricing and structure: Plans described a flat pricing structure with fixed renewal costs and no material price increases for the first five years.
- Registration mechanics and protections proposed by the registry:
- Rate-limited registration queues with randomized, round-robin acceptance to make land-rush allocation more balanced.
- Ongoing post-registration redemption rights with a no-charge, 180-day suspension of expiring domain names to allow recovery of accidentally expired names.
- After an extended redemption period, names would be deleted within a randomized one-month window to avoid gaming of the deleted-name stream.
- A "must delete" policy intended to counteract registrar warehousing of expiring names.
SEO and Brand Impact
- Semantic value: The applicant emphasized that single-word, generic second-level domains carry strong semantic value; .link was promoted as a meaningful namespace for signifying connections, links or portals.
- Brand positioning: .link was positioned as a competitive, moderately priced alternative or complement to legacy TLDs, useful for marketing and concise branding.
- Registry support: The registry proposed central services such as directory features, traffic-generation toolkits and search-related functionality to promote the .link namespace and registrants.
Operator
Nova Registry Ltd.
Whois
% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object
domain: LINK
organisation: Nova Registry Ltd.
address: 136, St. Christopher Street
address: Valletta VLT1463
address: Malta
contact: administrative
name: Vaughn Liley
organisation: Nova Registry Ltd
address: 136, St. Christopher Street
address: Valletta VLT1463
address: Malta
phone: +34 686 084 480
fax-no: +34 686 084 480
e-mail: vaughn@nova.link
contact: technical
name: Vice President, Engineering
organisation: Tucows.com, Co.
address: 96 Mowat Avenue
address: Toronto ON 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: 16766 13 2 40f1045035d7ba48d27a66442b2c71ca159d219756d3ad4d35cf1e80419228b5
whois: whois.uniregistry.net
status: ACTIVE
remarks: Registration information: http://uniregistry.link
created: 2014-01-09
changed: 2025-05-15
source: IANA
Registrars
