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First non-brand gTLD to go dark
Kevin Murphy,
November 14, 2018, 17:30:04 (UTC),
Domain Registries
The number of new gTLDs to voluntarily terminate their ICANN contracts has hit 45, with the first non-brand calling it quits.
It’s a geo-gTLD, .doha, which was meant to represent the Qatari capital of Doha.
There were no registered domains. Despite being delegated in March 2015, it never launched.
The registry was the country’s Communications Regulatory Authority, which also runs local ccTLD .qa.
No reason was given for the request — registries are allowed to terminate their contracts for any reason, with notice.
The registry’s web site hasn’t been updated in some time, so perhaps resources are an issue.
Given Doha is a protected geographic term, it’s unlikely to return in future unless the government changes its mind in future application rounds.
Dot-brand gTLDs to go the same way since I last reported the number include .blanco, .spiegel, .bond, .epost, .active and .zippo.
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