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Google Applies For Dot-LOL Domain

Posted by timothy on from the binary-code-of-ells-and-zeroes dept.

judgecorp writes "Google has applied for the .lol domain in ICANN's sale of generic top level domains (gTLDs). Google also asked for .google, .docs, and .youtube at a cost of $185,000 each, in the round of applications which has finally closed. A glitch in the application system may have leaked some of the applicants' data to other applicants."

17 of 125 comments (clear)

  1. the problem is by tian2992 · · Score: 5, Funny

    cats.lol does not have the same ring to it sadly...

    1. Re:the problem is by mattiaza · · Score: 5, Informative

      .cat is the regional TLD for Catalonia. Unfortunately, lol.cat is already taken.

  2. 185k Quid, not dollars by AlabamaMike · · Score: 4, Informative

    Thus making it a bit more expensive (although not to Google!)

    --
    Pimpin' all the Karma Hoes!
  3. I hope they don't get it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm one of those people who is sorry to see the erosion of the TLD. It's bad enough that individuals are shut out of the process by the rules and absurd fees. But under the new rules Google has zero right to it. I hope they don't get it.

    1. Re:I hope they don't get it by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Honestly, the TLD system has been broken for a long time. There should probably never have been TLDs without country codes, for one thing. And enforcement on TLDs that were supposed to be reserved for specific purposes was always lousy -- I remember seeing clearly commercial sites with .net TLDs popping up in the mid-90's.

      --
      The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
    2. Re:I hope they don't get it by Ihmhi · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It'll just turn out to be a massive waste of money.

      Hell, you can even take your average user and have them look at a website... almost no one takes .biz, .info, .us seriously. .com, .net, and .org is where it's at.

      --
      Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
  4. Great... by Dexter+Herbivore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This just goes to show how flawed this system is. When a for profit corporation can "own" a non-trademark general use term as a TLD, it's a clear sign that the system is open to abuse.

    1. Re:Great... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      If lol was used historically on usenet, and Google owns Usenet, then couldn't Google claim ownership of it? Interestingly, AOL tried to trademarke LOL in 2003 but never filed a use statement...

      Google doesn't own Usenet, they bought Deja News (a Usenet provider). No one can own Usenet, any more than one can own the Internet. It's a decentralized service, and functions almost exactly like the Internet in general, with peers sharing posts between eachother... That's why I can subscribe to a giganews account and my posts still show up in Google's usenet service.

  5. So who has applied for by rossdee · · Score: 4, Funny

    .WTF and .OMG

    1. Re:So who has applied for by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Funny

      .FAIL

      ICANN has reserved that one for personal use.

  6. Re:.docs? by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 4, Funny

    Microsoft should be perfectly happy with their ownership of .crash, .virus, and .bsod.

    --
    The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  7. Redundant by Hentes · · Score: 4, Funny

    Changing their address to google.google is a bit redundant.

    1. Re:Redundant by icebraining · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why not just "google"? Like "uz": http://uz/

      --
      Dilbert RSS feed
    2. Re:Redundant by houghi · · Score: 4, Informative

      Or just gooogle. Once you own the TLD, you do not have to use domains. You just use the TLD.

      Just like they now use google.com and www.google.com

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  8. I think someone should apply for .sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Could be a best-selling TLD

  9. Goodbye, useful metadata by Narrowband · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder at what point gTLDs are going to make it harder to recognize a URL when it comes up in text. Right now, I expect it's not too hard to write code that identifies a URL as a URL and sets up a link. But when my website name can be AUTOEXEC.BAT, things might get a bit different.

  10. Re:Too bad they didn't apply for .cheezburger.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ICANN.has.cheezburger

    FTFY