Nokia’s takeover by Microsoft could have unintended consequences for the company’s gTLD program. As previously reported, Microsoft is expected to close a deal on April 25, under which it will acquire Nokia for $7.2 billion. Despite earlier statements that no rebranding of Nokia had been planned, reports appeared yesterday that following the signing of the deal, the brand Nokia would cease to exist and would be renamed Microsoft Mobile.
If this information is confirmed, the fate of Nokia’s application for the .nokia gTLD will become uncertain. As reported by the ICANN website, the contract for this domain is currently being negotiated. Experts believe that if the rebranding does take place eventually, the application will most likely be withdrawn. This would not be unprecedented. In 2009, a major US insurance company, American International Group (AIG), applied for the .chartis domain for its planned Chartis Inc. subsidiary. In 2013, however, the company withdrew its application, as its plans had changed.
