According to Domain Incite, Boots, the well-known British pharmacy chain, told ICANN it was planning to terminate its registry agreement for .boots. Having submitted an application to register the domain and having spent a lot of money, the company seemed not to use the domain in fact. This is not a unique case, however: .boots is 23rd in a list of self-terminating domains. But there is a curious twist in this case: .boots is the only generic dictionary word on this list.
The Boots Company was founded by John Boots almost 170 years ago. The word ‘boots’ is a generic dictionary word representing a class of goods (i.e. footwear). Thus, .boots could be redelegated to another registry. ICANN has the ability to redelegate dot-brands, but only if it is in the public interest to do so, which is not the case here. Thus, the 'dictionary' of new domains has lost the word, and .boots will not be redelegated.
