As the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers meets in Australia this week, it faces growing opposition over its plans for top level domain names

Under a proposed deal with VeriSign, the company that now manages the .com, .net and .org domains after buying Network Solutions last year, all .org owners face losing their domain after December 2002 unless they can prove they are a non-profit organisation.

The plan, which entails VeriSign retaining control of the .net domain until 2006 and most controversially of .com until 2007, has many critics, who say that taking .org away from individuals and companies will be unworkable and have massive financial consequences.

NEWS:
Icann defers Verisign decision
Tue, 13 Mar Icann bows to public pressure and agrees to a (short) period of public consultation before ruling on the future of the top level domains

Icann told its registry options 'suck'
Tue, 13 Mar VeriSign chief executive defends himself against criticism of the proposed plans for the top level domain names, saying Icann came up with the idea

Registrars attack domain name plans
Mon, 12 Mar Internet registrars have sent a draft letter to ICANN saying that its planned overhaul of the domain name system will have no tangible benefit for the Internet community

ICANN to focus on Internet community needs
Mon, 12 Mar ICANN will defend its controversial plans for the .com, .net and .org domain names in the face of increasing concern from industry

ICANN's plan for .org branded 'unworkable'
Fri, 9 Mar Plans to return the .org domain name to non-profit groups will have massive financial consequences, warns industry

Startup bypasses domain name authority
Tue, 6 Mar 2001 New Internet naming system bypasses ICANN system to sell domains such as .mp3, .kids and .travel

ICANN: New domains running late
Mon, 5 Mar The registration of new Web addresses that was to begin worldwide this summer could be delayed by several months or more

VeriSign to lose control of .org
Thu, 1 Mar A non-profit organisation will take control of .org in 2002, but VeriSign retains lucrative .com and .net

US congress probes ICANN
Fri, 2 Feb The US Congress investigates the procedure used by the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers to select seven additional generic top-level domain names (gTLDs)

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