Dot-London squeaks under ICANN deadline

[Joly MacFie]

At least in NYC we a) got Neustar to cough up the application fee + the
$25k p.a. 2) there are a few "high-quality, trusted registry" provisions
involved...

j

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/12/dot_london_squeaks_in_under_icann_deadline/

London's official PR agency has filed its application with ICANN to get its
hands on a new .london top-level internet domain, just before the deadline
closes.

London & Partners today revealed that it has contracted Minds + Machines
Ltd, a local subsidiary of British Virgin Islands-based Top Level Domain
Holdings, to help apply for and run .london.


TLDH executive chairman Peter Dengate Thrush told El Reg that the contract
was awarded over the Easter weekend, following a request for proposals
process that began last December.

<snip a bunch about TLDH applying for lotsa TLDs and getting this in just
before the deadline >


"It's crazy that a city like London doesn't have its own TLD," he said. "In
years, people will look back and say: 'People actually opposed this?'."

The registry, if approved by ICANN, will run as a commercial venture, he
said. Proceeds from the sale of .london domain names are expected to fund
the international promotion of the capital.

That is believed to have put off one other bidder for the contract, .uk
registry Nominet, which is believed to have made a public-benefit proposal
similar to its .wales/.cymru bid.

"Nominet was interested in helping deliver a high-quality, trusted registry
for .london, with our services provided on a not-for-profit basis," the
company said in a statement. "However, following our response to the RFP
and resulting discussions, we subsequently made the difficult decision to
withdraw from the bid process."

Not-for-profit L&P will pay the $185,000 ICANN application fee, according
to Dengate Thrush. The actual applicant will be a new L&P-owned company
called Dot London Domains.

TLDH subsidiary Minds + Machines will provide application services and run
the back-end technical infrastructure for at least seven years if .london
is approved.

The company is not expecting any competition from other .london applicants,
and expects the ICANN evaluation process to go smoothly, Dengate Thrush
said.

Under ICANN's rules, gTLDs representing capital cities need the approval of
the local government in order to be approved, which cuts out the
competition. The .london bid already has this approval.



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