ICANN produces gTLD application list, ordered by raffle
updated 02:54 pm EST, Wed December 19, 2012
Amazon second in priority, Apple in position 948
ICANN has released a list of applications for generic top-level domains (gTLDs), along with their position in a raffle. The randomly-drawn list sets the order for ICANN to evaluate and process the applications for domain suffixes, with the first gTLD to be issued expected to be the word "catholic" in Chinese, as requested by the Catholic Church.
The draw, held at the Hilton Hotel at Los Angeles Airport, saw all 1930 applicants pay $100 for a raffle ticket for each submission they made, a charge on top of the $185,00 charge for the initial application fee. The results, appearing on ICANN's website, shows that none of the first 100 names drawn were in the English language, with some being applied for by major Western companies. The Japanese word for "store", second in the priority list, has been applied for by Amazon, while Wal-Mart, Samsung, VeriSign, and Google's "Charleston Road Registry" appear lower down the list. The Register noted that Apple received priority number 948 for .apple, which will most likely be decided upon in early 2014.
The first gTLDs could go live on the Internet in early 2013, though applications can still be objected to. In late November ICANN revealed a list of 250 objections received from various world governments, under competition and moral grounds.
