The second RIF.Innopolis Russian Internet Forum opened in the Republic of Tatarstan on June 9. This large annual forum on the development of the Internet industry and technology is focused on building the new digital economy. The participants will discuss proposals on promoting the domestic IT-industry: legislative initiatives and tax preferences, assistance for the export of domestic IT-solutions and technology, import substitution in the IT sphere, education and personnel, and incentives for the growth of the new economy.
Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Andrey Vorobyev told forum participants about the development of the infrastructure of Russian top-level domains over the past three years. He described in detail the ICANN New gTLD program that allowed Russia to acquire seven new gTLDs. Vorobyev said that over a thousand new domains have been registered in the world today. According to ICANN reports, the program’s second stage will be launched in 2019. “Russia will still have to revise the positioning of new domains. The experience of introducing the new domain .TATAR requires particular attention. I believe its potential has not yet been fully revealed because this domain is perceived today as exclusively cultural and linguistic, which impedes its development. Meanwhile, this domain may be much more in demand in Tatarstan as a geographical domain,” Vorobyev said during his discussion of the development of new gTLDs in Russia at the forum.
He also spoke about the Coordination Center’s educational projects – the contests “Positive Content” and “Dot-Journalism,” the first Russian competition of student papers IP&IT Law, which is being held in cooperation with the Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL), training sessions and seminars for law-enforcement officials and judges, and the game “Study the Internet and Run It!”
The Volga Federal District ranks third among Russian regions in the number of registered domains among Russian national domain extensions. In all, 74,500 .Ru domains and a bit over 14,000 .RF domains are registered in Tatarstan. They are run by almost 40,000 individuals and companies. The growth rate of new registrations is one of the highest in Russia.
