Microsoft notified ICANN that it abandons its application filed earlier for the new top-level domain .live. Before Microsoft planned to use the domain as a close-registration space to promote its own brands - Windows Live, Xbox Live and Office Live (the corporation also owns live.com domain). Experts believe that Microsoft’s change of plans was caused by relatively low development of “live” brands: at the moment from aforementioned brands only Xbox Live is actively used.
Thus, there are only two companies now that want the domain - Google and Donuts. Unlike Microsoft, both of them plan to make the domain open to registration. Domain’s fate will most likely be decided in an auction.
