Radix registry announced that since April 5th its new generic top-level domain .FUN entered general availability phase. Over 100 registrars all over the world offer to register a name in the new domain zone; the registration fee ranges from 12 to 20 dollars depending on the particular registrar, reports The Domains.
Radix is a large player on the market of new gTLDs. It operates such domain extensions like .ONLINE, .STORE, .TECH, .WEBSITE, .SPACE, .PRESS, .SITE and .HOST. The registry has high hopes for .FUN. Representatives of the company point out that the word “fun” is widely used in English language and always in a positive context. They assume that companies and people from the entertainment industry will show interest in the domain zone. Partly it’s confirmed by the results of the Sunrise phase: for example, BGK Trademark Holdings that belongs to the singer Beyoncé registered a domain name beyonce.fun, large alcohol manufacturer Brown-Forman Corporation registered jackdaniels.fun. Moreover, the fact that it’s a three-letter domain plays an important role as well; it’s traditionally viewed as a serious market advantage.
We remind that initially .FUN gTLD was delegated to Oriental Trading Company, which is a part of investor Warren Buffet’s holding. After ICANN forbid usage of closed generic domains, Oriental Trading Company lost all interest in operating a domain extension and sold its rights to Radix in October last year. The amount of the transaction hasn’t been disclosed.
