It’s well known that competitors aren’t keen on Google getting hold of the .search top-level domain. However, the search giant has outlined a new plan that would make use of the string as a dotless domain — open for use by any other search company too.
In a letter to ICANN, Google outlined that it would opt to use the “search” domain in a slightly quirky new way. It would use it as a dotless domain — think http://search — which would use a redirect and a “new technical standard” to provide results from whichever search service a user designates. In other words, it wouldn’t necessarily use Google, at least if you didn’t want it to, as TechCrunch points out.
The letter also detailed similar ideas for domains like .app, .blog and .cloud, in each case the domain simply being a springboard for whatever platform or service the user chooses. The idea, presumably, is to create a single jumping off point for all users which still allows them to use the service they want — or need — to. Of course, whether that’s enough to convince competitors and ICANN that the idea is OK remains to be seen. [TechCrunch]
Picture: AP