Generic top-level domainsIDNDNSSEC
Overview
.sony is a brand gTLD created for Sony Corporation under ICANN's New gTLD Program. The extension uses the SONY brand name to provide a controlled internet namespace for Sony's services, communications and branding.
History
- Applied as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program (Reveal Day: 13 June 2012).
- Delegated to the DNS root zone on 16 April 2015.
- Classified as a brand gTLD. The TLD is managed by Sony; ICANNWiki records ARI Registry Services in the registry field.
Usage and Audience
- Primary users and audiences:
- Sony Corporation itself for corporate, promotional and navigational purposes.
- Sony affiliates and subsidiaries (potentially licensed in the future under contract).
- Sony customers, employees and other stakeholders as targets of Sony-controlled sites.
- Industries connected to Sony's businesses mentioned in the application include consumer electronics, TV and video, information and communication equipment, mobile devices, entertainment and financial services.
- Sony maintains a large domain portfolio (over 600 domains) and envisions .sony as a platform to interact online with customers and stakeholders.
Registration Rules
- Sony initially intends to reserve all names within .sony for its exclusive use.
- The company anticipates the possibility of licensing domain use to affiliates, but not likely for at least three years post-delegation.
- Any licensed use would be governed by contract terms that limit permitted uses; Sony would monitor use and may revoke licenses at any time.
- The registry may provide ancillary services related to registrations, including website hosting, SEO, marketing and consulting.
SEO and Brand Impact
- .sony is positioned primarily as a branding, technology and services platform to support Sony's online presence and communications.
- Sony's long-established corporate brand (registered in over 200 countries and/or trademark jurisdictions) and centralized control of the TLD aim to ensure consistent brand messaging and stewardship of trust for Sony-controlled sites.
Operator
Whois
% IANA WHOIS server % for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org % This query returned 1 object domain: SONY organisation: Sony Corporation address: 1-7-1 Konan address: Minato-ku Tokyo 108-0075 address: Japan contact: administrative name: Chief Operating Officer organisation: GMO BRAND SECURITY Inc. address: Cerulean Tower address: 26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho address: Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-8512 address: Japan phone: +81.357841069 fax-no: +81.334625040 e-mail: registry@brightsconsulting.com contact: technical name: Director organisation: GMO Registry, Inc. address: Cerulean Tower address: 26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho address: Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-8512 address: Japan phone: +81.354561601 fax-no: +81.337805239 e-mail: newgtld@gmoregistry.com nserver: A.GMOREGISTRY.NET 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:4 37.209.192.4 nserver: B.GMOREGISTRY.NET 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:4 37.209.194.4 nserver: K.GMOREGISTRY.NET 37.209.196.4 nserver: L.GMOREGISTRY.NET 2001:dcd:4:0:0:0:0:4 37.209.198.4 ds-rdata: 31580 8 2 f783850c3c82680a57c926b79098ee5de999772dcf6745a56fcab20ce9330de5 whois: whois.nic.sony status: ACTIVE remarks: Registration information: http://www.sony.com created: 2015-03-06 changed: 2023-06-20 source: IANA