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    • .pics

    Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC

    Overview

    .pics is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) introduced through ICANN's New gTLD Program. Its intended meaning is "pictures" — a semantic namespace aimed at sites whose primary content is photographic or image-based. The registry operator named in the application materials is Uniregistry.

    History

    • Proposed as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program (application reveal noted on 13 June 2012).
    • A Registry Agreement with ICANN was signed for .pics on 14 November 2013.
    • .pics was delegated to the DNS root zone on 18 January 2014.
    • The application and delegation process and operator cited in source material identify Uniregistry as the registry services provider.

    Usage and Audience

    • Target registrants include companies, organizations, and individuals who provide or publish pictures and image-based content.
    • The registry positioned .pics as a semantic, specialty namespace intended to give users an immediate context that a site contains picture-related content.
    • The applicant emphasized suitability for photographers, photo services, media and anyone seeking a clearer, memorable label for image content.

    Registration Rules

    • Allocation model: the applicant proposed first-come, first-served allocation as the fair and inexpensive method for public registrations.
    • Pricing: planned flat-rate pricing with no material price increases for the first five years.
    • Registration queue and allocation controls described in the application:
      • Rate-limited registration queues with randomized, round-robin acceptance of orders to balance landrush demand.
      • Post-registration redemption provisions: a no-charge, 180-day suspension period for expiring domain names to allow outgoing registrants to recover accidentally expired names.
      • Deletion process: after an extended redemption period, names would be deleted within a randomized one-month window to reduce gaming of the deleted-name stream.
      • A "must delete" policy was proposed to discourage registrar warehousing of expiring names.
    • Intellectual property and rights protection: the registry planned to implement safeguards for IP interests while fostering growth of the namespace.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • The application argues that semantically meaningful TLDs like .pics enhance mnemonic value and immediately convey site purpose to users, aiding discoverability and recall.
    • The registry planned to add value through central services such as directory services, traffic-generation toolkits, and search-related functionality to promote the .pics namespace and its registrants.
    • The applicant emphasized operating .pics as a neutral registry to avoid bias and to support trust and fair access for registrants.

    Operator

    XYZ.COM LLC

    Whois

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

domain:       PICS

organisation: XYZ.COM LLC
address:      4425 Spring Mountain Rd., Suite 2
address:      Las Vegas NV 89102
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         General Counsel
organisation: XYZ.COM LLC
address:      4425 Spring Mountain Rd., Suite 2
address:      Las Vegas NV 89102
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 702 763 2191
e-mail:       hello@xyz.com

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.PICS 194.169.218.151 2001:67c:13cc:0:0:0:1:151
nserver:      B.NIC.PICS 185.24.64.151 2a04:2b00:13cc:0:0:0:1:151
nserver:      C.NIC.PICS 212.18.248.151 2a04:2b00:13ee:0:0:0:0:151
nserver:      D.NIC.PICS 212.18.249.151 2a04:2b00:13ff:0:0:0:0:151
ds-rdata:     35457 13 2 5c51e30fb24690462119a205ba0de9a3ad9742ec1e598eed93eaf240b9c170c4

whois:        whois.nic.pics

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://nic.pics

created:      2014-01-09
changed:      2025-08-12
source:       IANA

    Registrars