.website

Overview

• .website is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) introduced through ICANN's New gTLD Program.
• The registry operator is Radix. The string was delegated to the DNS root zone on 30 May 2014.

History

Application and Delegation

• .website was proposed as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program.
• Radix's application succeeded and the registry agreement was signed by ICANN on 3 April 2014. The string was delegated to the Root Zone on 30 May 2014.

Contention and Private Auction

• Radix won a private auction for the .website string in October 2013, competing against Top Level Domain Holdings Ltd. (TLDH) and Donuts. The auction was managed by Innovative Auctions and the final price was not disclosed.
• TLDH reported receiving $5 million from losing private auctions for several gTLDs, including .website, but did not disclose the portion attributable to Radix.

GAC Early Warnings and Responses

• The Independent State of Samoa issued a GAC (Governmental Advisory Committee) Early Warning recommending withdrawal of the applications for .website, expressing concern that the new gTLD would be confusingly similar to Samoa's country-code TLD .ws (marketed as shorthand for "website") and could harm .ws's revenue.
• Donuts responded to Samoa's early warning, arguing that potential impact on .ws is not established grounds for rejection under the Applicant Guidebook and emphasizing the New gTLD Program's goal of increasing consumer choice.
• Radix (as a portfolio applicant) also received GAC early warnings in a separate context related to administrative correspondence included with applications.

Usage and Audience

• As a generic gTLD, .website is intended as a general-purpose domain name option for websites and online presence. The string's literal meaning ("website") positions it as a broadly applicable namespace for individuals and organizations establishing web identities.
• The GAC early-warning discussion highlights sensitivity from ccTLD operators (notably Samoa's .ws) about potential market overlap and confusion.

SEO and Brand Impact

• The primary brand/market concern documented during the application process was potential confusion with the .ws ccTLD, which had been marketed as shorthand for "website." Samoa warned that .website could negatively affect .ws registrations and revenues.
• Applicants (e.g., Donuts) argued that introducing .website promotes consumer choice and is not inherently a basis for denial. The record does not provide details on search-engine treatment or indexing differences for .website compared with other TLDs.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Radix won the private auction for .website (October 2013) and became the registry operator.
• Other applicants included Donuts (Fern Edge, LLC) and Top Level Domain Holdings Ltd.; both submitted Public Interest Commitments as part of their applications.
• GAC Early Warning issued by Samoa was a notable event in the application's review process.
• Registry Agreement signed 3 April 2014; delegation completed 30 May 2014.

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

domain:       WEBSITE

organisation: Radix Technologies Inc.
address:      Services Cayman Limited, P.O. Box 10008, Willow House, Cricket Square, Grand Cayman
address:      KY1-1001
address:      Cayman Islands (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Director
organisation: Radix Technologies Inc.
address:      Services Cayman Limited, P.O. Box 10008, Willow House, Cricket Square, Grand Cayman
address:      KY1-1001
address:      Cayman Islands (the)
phone:        +971 44487934
e-mail:       admin@radix.email

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.WEBSITE 194.169.218.52 2001:67c:13cc:0:0:0:1:52
nserver:      B.NIC.WEBSITE 185.24.64.52 2a04:2b00:13cc:0:0:0:1:52
nserver:      E.NIC.WEBSITE 212.18.248.52 2a04:2b00:13ee:0:0:0:0:52
nserver:      F.NIC.WEBSITE 212.18.249.52 2a04:2b00:13ff:0:0:0:0:52
ds-rdata:     47815 8 2 cb5f31743f17c1c1641d7ecc4c7dc40217363645e7ac25c509393c6709d933a8
ds-rdata:     58591 8 2 bad631380e8e6f70cf21dec0d8d8abbe9df00cd2f0f9376a33535a3fa6ab26e6

whois:        whois.nic.website

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://radix.website/

created:      2014-05-22
changed:      2024-03-20
source:       IANA