Did you ever want your own TLD (Top Level Domain)? Instead of having a website with a standard TLD like .COM or .NET, why not .BOB or .Dude or .News or .Honda? Well, today the ICANN voted to proceed with plans to make custom TLDs available.
“This is a historic resolution,” said Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of Icann’s board. “It’s going to make a big difference to how the Internet looks and works.”
ICANN officials said some technical issues for the new system must still be worked out, but it could be reviewing the first applications for new TLDs as early as next spring. The application fee is expected to cost more than $100,000.
Under the new system, individuals, companies or groups could apply to have any string of letters established as a domain name. It could be a vanity name, for example — .smith — or a category name like .sports or .perfume. A company could also change its domain to reflect its brand, so Apple.com could become Apple.mac, for instance.
(source: http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2635186520080626)