.ryukyu
| Status: | Delegated |
| country: | Japan, International |
| Registry Provider: | GMO Registry |
| Type: | Generic |
| Priority #: | 1259 |
.ryukyu is a proposed new gTLD being applied for in ICANN's new gTLD program. Two entities, BusinessRalliart and GMO Registry announced intentions to apply for the string, and both entities also declared intentions to apply for .okinawa.[1][2] Furthermore, both companies are included in a list of 4 Japanese companies that have received approval from the Government of Osaka to apply and run .osaka.[3]
In the end, BusinessRalliart was the only applicant for .ryukyu and .okinawa. The proposed application succeeded and was delegated to the Root Zone on 03 April 2014.[4]
Business Railliart has announced that investors in its bid for .ryukyu and .okinawa include a well-known Okinawan and Japanese rental car service and a restaurant chain.[5]
The Ryukyu Islands are a string of islands located in Southwestern Japan, the largest of the islands is Okinawa.[6]
The name was applied for as a GeoTLD, which includes obtaining the respective government support, but ICANN deemed that the term in question does not in fact refer to a geographic area as defined by its standards. The ruling was made by the Geographic Names Panel, and has no necessarily overt, negative repercussions for the application.[7]
Application Details
The following is excerpted from the applicant's response to question #18:
"In modern Japanese context, Ryukyu generally refers to the Okinawa Prefecture. It is also known in Japanese as Ryukyu Islands, Nansei Islands, and Ryukyu Arc. Okinawa Prefecture has historic links, in terms of administrative extent, to the Ryukyu Kingdom, Ryukyu-han, and government of Ryukyu Islands. Ryukyu is surrounded by the clean oceans and nature, and has a subtropical climate, with its own unique history, traditions, languages, and cultures. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations offering recreational and marine activities in Japan.
[Mission and Purpose] The mission and purpose of .ryukyu are as follows:
- To establish an online presence for Okinawa;
- To provide a better, easy, secure, and meaningful name space for communication; and
- To contribute to the development of Okinawa.
The Applicant strongly believes that it is important to extend the global reach and mindshare of .ryukyu domain names in order to achieve the stated mission and purpose. Therefore, second level domain names under the TLD are open for registration to everyone. The Applicant will strive to maintain industry leading service levels, innovate and deliver a superior user experience associated with the TLD, bringing benefits to Okinawa, registrants, and Internet users."[8]
Contract Signed
On 09 January 2014 BusinessRalliart received a Registry Agreement signed by ICANN for .ryukyu after passing all the required processes needed to become a Registry Operator for the string.[9]
Delegation and Availability
.ryukyu was delegated to the Root Zone of the DNS on 03 April, 2014, completing the successful application for the string.[4]
References
- ↑ Japan Gets Two new geo TLD projects, DomainIncite.com
- ↑ News Article, GMO.jp
- ↑ Four Companies Given Ok for Osaka, DomainIncite.com
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Delegated Strings, ICANN.org Retrieved 15 April 2014
- ↑ Japans First GeoTLD Announcement Ryukyu Okina, UrbanBrain.Posterous.com
- ↑ Ryukyu Islands, en.Wikipedia.org
- ↑ Told You So, Four New gTLDs Given Geographic Surprise Others Given a Pass, DomainIncite.com Published and Retrieved 7 Mar 2013
- ↑ Application Download, gTLDresult.ICANN.org Retrieved 27 Feb 2013
- ↑ Registry Agreements, ICANN.org Retrieved 22 Jan 2014