.nu
.nu is the ccTLD for the country of Niue. The TLD is currently operated by Internetstiftelsen i Sverige, the organization responsible for the management of Sweden's .se TLD.[1]
Ownership Dispute
Early History
The domain was originally delegated to the nonprofit Internet Users Society - Niue (IUS-N), organized by Bill Semich, in 1997.[2][3] Semich identified the .nu domain as a "business opportunity" and became deeply engaged with the domain name industry, finding an opportunity in .nu.[4] Semich's interest coincided with the international participation in and eventual formation of ICANN.[4] Semich was appointed to the DNSO's Names Council in 1999.[5] ICANN and IUS-N entered into an Accountability Framework regarding the maintenance and operation of the domain in 2008.[3] Semich's company WorldNames provided the technical back-end for .nu until 2013.[6]
In 2013, WorldNames transferred technical control of the domain to IIS.[7]
Litigation & Administrative Efforts at Redelegation
In December 2020, it was announced that Niue has initiated a proceeding asking ICANN to redelegate the TLD to its control.[2]
- ↑ IANA Root Database
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Business Insider AU - 'Digital colonisation': A tiny island nation just launched a major effort to win back control of its top-level internet domain, Dec. 16, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 .nu Accountability Framework (PDF)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pittsburgh Post Gazette, March 29, 2006: On a Tiny Island, Catchy Web Name Sparks a Battle
- ↑ Nunames.nu Press Release, August 4, 1999
- ↑ Domain Incite, April 22, 2011: Niue: the myth of the 'Wifi Nation'
- ↑ Nunames.nu Press Release, January 9, 2013