Government Body Objects to Most of Google and Amazon’s Domain Name Applications

The move towards generic top level domain names, i.e. gTLDs, is going forward. A few months ago, companies were able to claim any gTLD they wanted, pending a review of their request. Google and Amazon went on a spree and filed to secure as many TLDs as possible.

But it's now becoming clear that they won't be getting most – if any – of those TLDs as the panel reviewing the applications has made its objections known.

And chief among them is a rejection of any claim for a generic word by one of these big companies, for example .app or .music.

The Government Advisory Committee, which is made up of representatives of some 50 countries, has problems with many of the applications.

In almost all cases this is about companies asking for control over terms that would detriment competitors or could be confusing for users.

ICANN, which manages the new domain names, doesn't have to abide by the objections, but has to provide a reason if it chooses to ignore the recommendations of GAC. Also, the objections are just "warnings" for now, they will become formal next spring if they are not addressed by then.