RSS.PRO on its way to becoming just another TLD
By Michael Hatamoto | Published May 30, 2008, 6:00 PM
Realizing there are more professional vocations in the world than just medicine, the law, and two others, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is easing its earlier restrictions on the .PRO top-level domain.
The .PRO domain, which is maintained by RegistryPro, was launched in 2004 for exclusive use by certain industry professionals: accounting, law, medicine, and engineering. Up to now, qualified professionals seeking a domain name ending in .PRO also had to live in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, or Germany. Now, the lifting of those restrictions by ICANN will open .PRO to such far-fetched possibilities as attorneys in Japan or engineers in Australia.
Users will simply have to fill out an online registration form with the company's name, their profession and a qualifying license number, before awaiting approval. Anybody who has credentials "from a certifying governmental authority anywhere in the world" will be able to apply for and receive a .PRO domain name.
The new rules will also make it easier for users to register for a second-level domain (doctormcaskill.pro), which is when a certain domain profession is not identified in the URL. Previously, it was required that an individual have at least one third-level (doctormcaskill.med.pro) .pro name, or at least have attempted to register for a third-level domain name.
Both new registrants and previous .PRO users will have to self-certify their credentials, and agree that the domain name will be used solely by them for professional uses only. Each .PRO domain name holder will have to offer evidence once per year to prove she's using the registration in a proper manner. The new rules are scheduled to go into effect July 14.
PRO? TLD? BFD...
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pr0n?
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GOVERMENTSANCTIONEDCHINESEMEDIAPIRATE.PRO
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Sure they wouldn't allow .XXX for porn so it could make it easier for parents to stop their kids watchin internet porn but everything else gets an TLD. What morons.
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I agree................with this statement from Hellcat_M
"Sure they wouldn't allow .XXX for porn so it could make it easier for parents to stop their kids watchin internet porn but everything else gets an TLD. What morons."
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Agreed.
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Religious groups didn't want it; they said that it would only encourage more and more porn sites and legitimize the porn industry by officially supporting it, and since religious groups more or less run the country there you go. What they actually want is for all porn to be outlawed and anyone who makes or supports it to be stoned to death. :P
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Heh...
How short-sighted. Do you honestly think they'd give up their marketing methods, operations or existing Domains when offered a XXX TLD?
Of course not. They'd just add it to the dozens they already own and it would just add another filter to be added to parental control software.
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Another worthless TLD.
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