The "money quote" in the recent news press release (see at bottom below) about the XYZ and Uniregistry new joint venture and registry operator Cars Registry Limited:
"This trio of extensions was completed recently with the acquisition of the highly coveted .Car domain extension from Google." (emphasis added)Highly coveted? Apparently .CAR was, at one time, highly coveted by Google, but no more.
Domain Mondo has commented before on Google falling out of love with ICANN's new gTLDs. See also: Google Just Killed The Last Remaining Rationale for New gTLD Domains. But this is a striking development--Google decides it does not want nor needs the new gTLD domain .CAR at the very same time that Google is making headlines worldwide on its development and plans for a self-driving Google Car--
Google's Plan to Eliminate Human Driving in 5 Years | WIRED May 18, 2015: "Google's adorable self-driving car prototype hits the road this summer, the tech giant announced last week...."
Google's new self-driving cars hit the road - May. 15, 2015 (CNN)
Google's self-driving cars hit the road this summer (USA Today)
What Does That Tell You?
Google, after investing time and money in acquiring the new gTLD .CAR, just decided to "dump" it. And if Google, as a car "developer," "manufacturer" and "seller," doesn't want the new gTLD domain name extension .CAR, why would anybody else want it, or pay good money for it?
ICANN--the domain name regulatory monopoly--a "non-profit" California corporation that is in the "business" of "selling" a/k/a "authorizing" the creation of new gTLDs and their delegation into the Internet root (for the mere sum of $185,000 plus a modest annual fee), has made the following information available to the public:
On 22 January 2015, ICANN and Charleston Road Registry Inc., entered into a Registry Agreement under which Charleston Road Registry Inc., operated the .car top-level domain [new gTLD]. Effective 21 April 2015, the Registry Agreement was assigned by Charleston Road Registry Inc. [Google] to Cars Registry Limited [XYZ and Uniregistry joint venture] which now operates the .car top-level domain.
The agreements may be read at the following links below:
Registry Agreement
DOCX | Redline
PDF | Redline
HTML | Redline
Assignment and Assumption Agreement
Charleston Road Registry Inc. to Cars Registry Limited (21 April 2015) PDF
Excerpt from the public portion of the application for new gTLD (new generic top-level domain) .CAR, originally posted: 13 June 2012, Application ID: 1-1683-8443118(a) (emphasis added):
"... Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD [.CAR].
18.a. Mission⁄Purpose of the Proposed gTLD [.CAR]
"Charleston Road Registry is an American company, wholly owned by Google, which was established to provide registry services to the Internet public... Its business objective is to manage Google’s gTLD portfolio and Google’s registry operator business. As discussed further in the responses to questions 23 and 31, Charleston Road Registry intends to outsource all critical registry functions to Google Registry Services. The mission of this gTLD, .car, is to provide a dedicated domain space in which registrants can enact second-level domains that offer content related to cars, including the sale, purchase, rental, financing, servicing, repair, insurance and⁄or management of cars, as well as automobile industry-related information, such as new product development and trends (e.g. alternative fuel sources). This mission will enhance consumer choice by providing new availability in the second-level domain space, creating new layers of organization on the Internet, and signaling the kind of content available in the domain. The proposed gTLD will provide the marketplace with direct association with the term, ʺcar.ʺ Charleston Road Registry believes that registrants will find value in associating with this gTLD, which could have a vast array of purposes for businesses, organization, or individuals seeking to associate with the term ʺcar.ʺ This assertion is supported by industry data: the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers reports over 80 million vehicles were produced worldwide in 2011 [Source: http:⁄⁄oica.net⁄category⁄production-statistics⁄), and the global automobile market is over $3 trillion (http:⁄⁄www.ibisworld.com⁄industry⁄global⁄global-car-automobile-sales.html]. In addition, US-based Cars.com reports 10 million site visitors per month [Source: http:⁄⁄www.cars.com⁄go⁄about⁄us.jsp?section=C&content=fact&aff=national]. The proposed gTLD will also provide Charleston Road Registry with the means to meet its business objectives...."
18.a. Mission⁄Purpose of the Proposed gTLD [.CAR]
"Charleston Road Registry is an American company, wholly owned by Google, which was established to provide registry services to the Internet public... Its business objective is to manage Google’s gTLD portfolio and Google’s registry operator business. As discussed further in the responses to questions 23 and 31, Charleston Road Registry intends to outsource all critical registry functions to Google Registry Services. The mission of this gTLD, .car, is to provide a dedicated domain space in which registrants can enact second-level domains that offer content related to cars, including the sale, purchase, rental, financing, servicing, repair, insurance and⁄or management of cars, as well as automobile industry-related information, such as new product development and trends (e.g. alternative fuel sources). This mission will enhance consumer choice by providing new availability in the second-level domain space, creating new layers of organization on the Internet, and signaling the kind of content available in the domain. The proposed gTLD will provide the marketplace with direct association with the term, ʺcar.ʺ Charleston Road Registry believes that registrants will find value in associating with this gTLD, which could have a vast array of purposes for businesses, organization, or individuals seeking to associate with the term ʺcar.ʺ This assertion is supported by industry data: the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers reports over 80 million vehicles were produced worldwide in 2011 [Source: http:⁄⁄oica.net⁄category⁄production-statistics⁄), and the global automobile market is over $3 trillion (http:⁄⁄www.ibisworld.com⁄industry⁄global⁄global-car-automobile-sales.html]. In addition, US-based Cars.com reports 10 million site visitors per month [Source: http:⁄⁄www.cars.com⁄go⁄about⁄us.jsp?section=C&content=fact&aff=national]. The proposed gTLD will also provide Charleston Road Registry with the means to meet its business objectives...."
Google changed its mind. Why?
For starters, see:
For starters, see:
Wonder if Google will continue to pursue .WEB? You can access and read the rest of ICANN's public file on .CAR here. Meanwhile, Daniel Negari (XYZ) and Frank Schilling (Uniregistry) have BIG plans for .CAR--
XYZ and Uniregistry Announce Joint Venture to Launch .Cars, .Car, and .Auto
Frank is on a roll--first dot SUCKS, and now dot CAR!!!
Caveat Emptor!
Follow @DomainMondo
