Intel and Metlife, two large companies, have notified ICANN about their decisions to cancel their dot-brand domain names. Intel is a global leader in manufacturing computers and microprocessors. At the first phase of the new generic top-level domain program, the company filed applications with ICANN for the .INTEL and .POWERBOOK dot-brand names. The second application was subsequently withdrawn, but .INTEL proceeded to delegation. According to Domain Name Wire, software.intel, ark.intel and jobs.intel were registered in the domain zone. However, the domains just forwarded to pages on Intel.com, and the company obviously considered the further use of its own dot-brand name impractical.
Metlife (short for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Inc.), is a leading international insurance and pension holding with an annual turnover of more than $60 billion. Unlike Intel, the company did not make any attempt to use its domain .METLIFE. Taking into account .INTEL and .METLIFE, the number of terminated dot-brand domain names has reached 78 today.
