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Top Level Design LLC
Company typePrivate
FoundedFlorida,U.S. (2012(2012))
Founders
Headquarters
U.S.
Products.design,.gay,.ink and.wikidomains
Websitetoplevel.design

Top Level Designis a company in the United States, and thedomain name registryfor thegeneric top-level domains.wiki,.ink, and.gay.Ray Kingserves as itschief executive officer.[1]

History

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Top Level Design was founded in 2012 by Portland entrepreneurRay Kingafter he stepped down as chief executive officer ofAboutUs,a company he founded in 2006.[2][3]King partnered with his brother-in-law and investor Peter Brual, who served as an advisor to AboutUs.[2][4]Top Level Design was created to become adomain name registryfor multiplegeneric top-level domains.[3][5]In 2012, domain industry websites reported that the company had applied for ten generic top-level domains:.art,.blog,.design,.gay,.group,.ink,.llc,.photography,.style and.wiki.[2][6]King later revealed that, because the company began as a family project, the generic top-level domains applied to by Top Level Design reflect both personal and business interests.[4]Industry sources also confirmed thatCentralNicwould serve as Top Level Design's backend registry provider andIron Mountain Incorporatedwould provide escrow services.[2]The company's applications were further confirmed byThe OregonianandPortland Business Journalin April 2013.[3][7]In an interview published byThe Oregonian,King expressed his hope that Top Level Design would "help shape [the] new era" of top-level domains, saying they were "going to change the complexion of the Internet, at least the naming complexion of the Internet, quite a bit."[3]

Top Level Design is the domain name registry for.wiki,.ink and.design. It is no longer in contention for.group,[8].photography or.style, following private auctions.[9]As of November 2014, the company was still in contention for the generic top-level domains.art,.blog,.gay and.llc.[needs update][1][10]

.wiki

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Main article:.wiki

On November 7, 2013,ICANNand Top Level Design entered into a "Registry Agreement", officially allowing the company to operate as the registry for.wiki.[11]ICANN and Top Level Design entered into a "Registry Agreement" for the.ink domain on December 5, 2013.[12]Both generic top-level domains were uncontested.[9][13]Following the acquisitions, King told CMSWire, "You can generalize that neither [.wiki or.ink] will be one of the biggest [g]TLDs because strings like.art,.music and.blog all received multiple applications". However, he continued, many people "from within [the domain] industry tell me that.wiki is their dark horse for a successful [g]TLD," because ".wiki" describes the site format. "So, when I go to craftbeer.wiki, I can expect a vibrant site with passionate folks discussing all things relevant to brewing beer. This is not the case with craftbeer or craftbeer.guru, where you could be accessing a storefront, a blog, a brewery tourguide or any number of things."[13]

In January 2014,.wiki was named one of the "Top 10 gTLDs to Watch in 2014" by ClickZ for having the "potential to provide great secure, shared workspaces for companies large and small".[14]By mid-March, Top Level Design had signed agreements with more than 120domain name registrarsto retail.wiki names.[15]It was announced in May that theWikimedia Foundation,the non-profit organization which hostsWikipediaandother projects,would use "w.wiki" as aURL shortener.[16]The Foundation also endorsed Top Level Design's proposal to ICANN's Registry Services Evaluation Process to unblock 179 two-letter strings representing language codes (all two-character strings are blocked under ICANN's standard Registry Agreement).[17][18][19]wiki domain registrations were available to only trademark holders until May 5; they became available to the general public on May 26, 2014.[20][21]According to Domain Name Wire, more than 3,000.wiki domains were registered on the first day of general availability.[19]

.ink

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The.ink generic top-level domain caters to theprinting,publishingandtattooindustries, and individuals in involved withink,includingtypographersand artists.[22][23][24]It has been called a "niche name with multiple connotations".[25]King has said of the extension, which he believes will also appeal tobloggers,design studiosand writers: "Any of those companies or people that are using ink to put their message out in the work. It's signifying permanence. There is no reason not to get a name that more accurately describes your business, including of course ink makers."[26]The generic top-level domain launched on June 23, 2014. King, with assistance from two heavily tattooed models, literally "pressed the launch button" to promote.ink at the ICANN 50 conference in London.[25]In April 2015, The Domains reported that less than 50% of.ink domains were parked.[27]

.design

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Main article:.design

In September 2014, Top Level Design outbid six other applicants in a private auction for the domain.design.[1]It has since been transferred toGoDaddy Registryin April 2021.[28]

.gay

[edit]
Main article:.gay

The.gaygeneric top-level domain became available to the general public in September 2020.

.tattoo

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The.tattoo generic top-level domain was originally managed byUniregistrybut was transferred to Top Level Design in May 2022.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcAllemann, Andrew (September 25, 2014)."Top Level Design wins.design contention set".Domain Name Wire.Archivedfrom the original on April 18, 2015.RetrievedOctober 2,2014.
  2. ^abcdAllemann, Andrew (June 11, 2012)."SnapNames co-founder Ray King behind registry applying for 10 top level domains".Domain Name Wire.Archivedfrom the original on September 29, 2015.RetrievedOctober 2,2014.
  3. ^abcdRogoway, Mike (April 23, 2013)."Ray King steps down as AboutUs CEO, starts new Portland venture".The Oregonian.Portland, Oregon:Advance Publications.ISSN8750-1317.Archivedfrom the original on September 29, 2015.RetrievedOctober 2,2014.
  4. ^abKing, Ray (October 18, 2013)."Guest Opinion:.Gay and the LGBTQ Community".PQ Monthly.Portland, Oregon: Brilliant Media. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.{{cite magazine}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)Note: Posted by Nick Mattos.
  5. ^Benish, Kelly (April 26, 2013)."Openings & New Hires at Amazon, AOL, WebMD, Edmunds, Swipely and more..."Street Fight.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  6. ^Murphy, Kevin (June 11, 2012)."ICANNWiki Boss applies for 10 gTLDs".DomainIncite.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  7. ^Kish, Matthew (April 23, 2013)."Ray King steps down as CEO of AboutUs".Portland Business Journal.American City Business Journals.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 2,2014.
  8. ^Berkens, Michael (July 22, 2014)."Amazon Settles a New gTLD Contention Set By Private Auction As Donuts Wins.Group".The Domains.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  9. ^abÓ Muíneacháin, Conn (July 4, 2014)."Interview with Ray King of.Ink and.Wiki (Audio)".Blacknight.Archivedfrom the original on October 16, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  10. ^Murphy, Kevin (6 November 2014)."Battles for.chat,.style,.tennis, bingo and.sas over".Domain Incite.Archivedfrom the original on 9 November 2014.RetrievedNovember 18,2014.
  11. ^".wiki Registry Agreement".ICANN.November 7, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon October 12, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  12. ^".ink Registry Agreement".ICANN. December 5, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on October 12, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  13. ^abLevine, Barry (July 10, 2014)."Google Enters Domain Market".CMSWire.Archivedfrom the original on January 13, 2018.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  14. ^Wolfe, Jennifer (7 January 2014)."Top 10 gTLDs to Watch in 2014".ClickZ.Archivedfrom the original on 14 October 2014.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  15. ^Berkens, Michael (March 11, 2014)."Apple, Weather Channel, Ericsson, Hallmark, Chanel: Brands Are Getting Their.Wiki".The Domains.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  16. ^Murphy, Kevin (May 5, 2014)."Wikipedia to get single-letter.wiki domain".DomainIncite.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  17. ^"ICANN Registry Request Service: 2 Character Domains for.wiki"(PDF).ICANN. 2014.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.[permanent dead link]
  18. ^Allemann, Andrew (April 29, 2014)."3 new domain registries ask ICANN for two character domain names".Domain Name Wire.Archivedfrom the original on October 6, 2014.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  19. ^abAllemann, Andrew (May 28, 2014)."Let's collaborate on.wiki: A look at who registered.wiki domains".Domain Name Wire.Archivedfrom the original on August 23, 2018.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  20. ^Merriam, Andrew (May 3, 2014)."Guest Post: An Insider's Guide to.Wiki Landrush".The Domains.Archivedfrom the original on December 26, 2019.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.Note: Posted by Michael Berkens.
  21. ^Haggerty, Angela (May 7, 2014)."Half of UK and US consumers feel they have 'little to no opportunity' to collaborate with brands online, YouGov study shows".The Drum.Archivedfrom the original on October 3, 2019.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  22. ^Mottram, Harry (September 12, 2014)."Putting the ink into your website".Print Monthly.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  23. ^Murphy, Kevin (December 6, 2013)."Donuts' portfolio swells as ICANN signs 31 new gTLD contracts".DomainIncite.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  24. ^"Website domain extension created for the printing industry".Digital Printer. July 21, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 3,2014.
  25. ^abAllemann, Andrew (June 24, 2014)."Pictures from the biggest domain name event ever".Domain Name Wire.Archivedfrom the original on October 12, 2014.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  26. ^"Printers get naming options to stand out online".Print Business.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2014.RetrievedOctober 6,2014.
  27. ^Berkins, Michael (April 10, 2015)."New gTLD's Registrations Top 5 Million;.Science &.Link Break 100K: We Break Down the Numbers".The Domains.Archivedfrom the original on May 22, 2015.RetrievedApril 10,2015.
  28. ^Allemann, Andrew (2021-04-07)."Breaking: GoDaddy to acquire MMX,.Club,.Design".Domain Name Wire | Domain Name News.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-06-08.Retrieved2023-04-23.
  29. ^Allemann, Andrew (2022-05-10)."Top Level Design acquires.tattoo domain name".Domain Name Wire | Domain Name News.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-04-23.Retrieved2023-04-23.

Further reading

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