ICANN To Unveil Plan For Domain Name Expansion

On Friday the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will unveil a blueprint for making sweeping changes to the way top-level domains, such as .biz, .info, and .us, are assigned. Apparently, the plan would allow any entity to apply for any domain as long as they could pay a registration fee of about $190,000. The application process is expected to start in 2009, with the first sites potentially coming online in the last quarter of the year. The scheme, which ICANN says embodies its longtime goal of introducing competition into the domain name space, could spur fierce a lobbying battle. Intellectual property owners are already on the defensive because they fear potential trademark infringement and brand dilution. ICANN, which will offer a 45-day public comment period on the draft plan, is already bracing for bickering over .xxx and any number of applications for domains that contain expletives and other potentially offensive content, ICANN Vice President Paul Levins said.