When most people think of domain extensions, they immediately think of domain registrars. If they want to register a new .COM domain they don’t think about what registry actually owns the extension; They think about which registrar they are going to visit in order to purchase it. Domain registries are important because they’re the oil that keeps the engine running. Without domain name registries you wouldn’t even have your favorite extensions like COM, NET, ORG, DE, ES..etc. What people often forget is that ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) runs the whole show when it comes to the domain industry. They set all of the rules and standards which both registries and accredited registrar must follow. So, what happens if a domain name is stolen and you need to contact someone ASAP? Obviously you won’t be able to contact ICANN about the situation. Instead, you’ll need to contact your registrar so they can potentially lock the domain and prevent it from being transferred elsewhere. If the domain is transferred elsewhere then it might require you to contact the actual registry for the extension. Otherwise, if for any reason some legal action needs to be taken in order for you to reclaim your stolen domain, you will probably want some contact information for the registry to serve them with papers.
There are literally hundreds of domain extensions out there which obviously means there are going to be hundreds of registries. Some companies own just one extension while others own dozens. In this post I am going to highlight important registry information for some of the largest and most popular domain extension. There is a full list of this information available to the public on the ICANN website.
Who Is ICANN?
ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is the multi-stakeholder group and nonprofit organization that is responsible for both the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces and numerical spaces of the Internet. Their job is ensure the network is stable and secure. ICANN sets rules and regulations for the domain name space and handles other things, such as disputes under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). ICANN was initially created in 1998 and was incorporated in the state of California that same year. The office was initially headquartered in Marina del Rey in the same building as the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI). Since then, their offices have moved and are now located within the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Format: Domain Extension – Extension Launch Date – WhoIs Directory – Contact Name – Contact Telephone
Popular TLD Registries
.com – 1985 – http://www.verisign.com/en_us/whois/index.xhtml – VeriSign, Inc. – +01 703 948 3200
.info – 2001 – http://whois.afilias.net/ – Afilias Limited – +35318541100
.net – 1985 – http://www.verisign.com/en_us/whois/index.xhtml – VeriSign, Inc. – +01 703 948 3200
.org – 1985 – http://whois.pir.org/ – Public Interest Registry – +01 703 889 5778
New gTLD Registries
.abc – 2015 – https://whois.nic.abc/ – Disney Enterprises, Inc. – +01 818 560 1000
.academy – 2013 – https://whois.donuts.co/ – Binky Moon, LLC c/o Donuts Inc. – +01 424 254 8537
.adult – 2014 – https://whois.nic.adult/ – ICM Registry – +01 877 809 3182
.aero – 2002 – https://information.aero/whois/ – SITA – +41 22 747 60 00
.beer – 2014 – https://whois.nic.beer/ – Minds + Machines Group Limited – +01 877 734 4783
.bid – 2013 – https://whois.nic.bid/ – dot Bid Limited – +448455644650
.domains – 2013 – https://whois.donuts.co/ – Binky Moon, LLC c/o Donuts Inc. – +01 424 254 8537
.life – 2014 – https://whois.donuts.co/ – Binky Moon, LLC c/o Donuts Inc. – +01 424 254 8537
ccTLD Registries
.asia – 2007 – http://whois.nic.asia/ – DotAsia Organisation – +852 2244 7900
.berlin – 2013 – https://whois.nic.berlin/ – dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG – +49 30 49782355
.dubai – 2015 – https://whois.nic.dubai/ – Mr. Matar AlHumairi Dubai Smart Government – +971 4 353 3334
.london – 2013 – https://whois.nic.london/ – Dot London Domains Limited – 020 7234 5800
.miami – 2013 – https://whois.nic.miami/ – Minds + Machines Group Limited – +01 877 734 4783
