In addition to the popular generic .com, .net and .org domains, there are 243 other country-specific domain extensions (like .de for Germany, .fr for France, .jp for Japan, etc.) known as "country-code top-level domains" (ccTLDs). These domains have been in existence for many years, but in the past several years have become popular in local areas and as a way for cybersquatters and potential competitors to cause further confusion in top Internet markets. In fact, total registrations in country-specific domains have increased from just under 1 million in 1998 to nearly 4 million in early 2000, a stunning increase which until last year had gone relatively unnoticed.
One possible reason for the rapid increase is because ICANN’s dispute policy is not used or adopted by any country-code as of this writing. Each country is free to register domain names in any manner they see fit. In fact, a 1999 study concluded that only half of the top 25 country-code registries even have a formal dispute policy. The half that does have a policy merely state that "all disputes are between the parties." In summary: "see you in court."
For the most part, the delegated 243 country-code domains are not controlled by sovereigns.
Generic Domains (gTLDs):
Country-Specific Domains (ccTLDs):
There are 184 active country-specific domains
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Many are run by educational institutions, non-profits and entrepreneurs. The country-code domains can be classified as follows:
- Of the 243 assigned country codes, 184 are actively registering names.
- Of the 184 active country-codes, 100 are classified as "restricted" and require a local presence and/or specific legal documentation in order to register (China, Japan and France, for example).
- The remaining 84 are classified as "unrestricted" - anyone from anywhere can register, just like in the .com, .net and .org domains. No local presence is needed. Examples include the United Kingdom, Mexico, Denmark, Israel and South Africa.
