New web names - dot.what?

New Zealanders now have a new internet website domain to think about: dot-info.

.Info is among the first new website suffixes or "TDLs" (top-level domains) since the first eight, including .com, were introduced in 1985.

Registration opened to the general public from September 12, but they are thin on the ground down under.

Before September 11, there was a lot of interest in .info and the other new TDL, .biz. But general awareness about the new names is very low.

New Zealand does not have its own .info registrar but there are three in Australia. Registrars do not tend to sort applications by country, so it is difficult to find out how many New Zealanders have registered for a domain name.

In the past, early birds have made big money registering for a website address ahead of a major company, which would then sometimes pay up large to buy or legally challenge the address.

This time, however, the odds of "cyber-squatters" are very much reduced.

New registration rules mean that companies like Sony, Nike and Microsoft, or anyone with a trademark or service mark, got a chance to register for a .info name before the general public.

Proving you have a valid claim to the name is another requirement. The days of registering oneself as www.mcdonald.info, for instance, may not be enough to sustain a challenge from the burger chain – even if that's your surname.

Late last month, the first batch of "sunrise" and general public .info domain names were announced and registrations are now being taken on a real-time, first-come-first served basis.

New domain names are very rare. Until last year, there were only five in general use: .com, .org., .gen, .net, and .int. Of the other three, two (.gov and .edu) were restricted to governments and educational organisations, and .mil belongs to the US military.

To solve overcrowding problems, the ruling world body on internet names last year accepted another seven domain names.

.Info and .biz are the first two. But a high degree of interest is expected for the next one., .name, for which pre-registrations are being taken from next month.

Some internet enthusiasts are concerned that the 'sunrise' period on the remaining new TDLs gives trademark holders an unfair edge over others with valid claims.

Trademark holders will receive special preference for ".pro" and ".name", while the remaining three domains – ".coop," ".museum" and ".aero" – won't be available to the general public at all.