The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, has approved a proposal that would allow the registration of new top level domains or TLDs, by corporations.

For example, instead of being required to use TheStandard.com as a domain name, http://the.standard/ could theoretically be used to get to this site. In another potential example, cities could register their own TLD's like .NYC or .LAX -- though any theoretical name could be registered, there will be an approval process and they won't be cheap. Prices for a TLD could rise above $50,000 each.

The new naming procedure will roll out in 2009, but I don't think it will make much of a difference to the average user.

The "dot-com" naming scheme has become such a part of the lexicon, I don't think anything will change its domination as the preferred domain ending. Many other new TLD's have been rolled out, but very few of them have gained any traction. The general result of a new general TLD like .biz or .info, has been for companies like Apple and Microsoft to have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars registering any domain name that comes even close to their copyrights.

We suspect the same thing will happen here, with companies buying TLD's like .Apple and .Microsoft and then not actually using them for anything. What will happen? ICANN makes bank off the sale of TLDs. Nice.

There is another useful proposal in the works as well -- ICANN is opening to public comment a proposal to allow non-latin characters to be used in domain names, something that Russian, Arabic and Asian-language speakers have been asking about for many years.

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