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'{{Short description|Top-level domain}} {{About|the generic top-level domain .com|the file format|COM file|other uses|com (disambiguation)|and|Dot-com (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date=March 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox top level domain | name = com | background = #4500ff | image = [[File:DotCom.svg|250px|.com]] | introduced = {{start date and age|1985|1|1}} | registry = [[Verisign]] | sponsor = None | intendeduse = [[Commerce|Commercial]] entities | actualuse = Used for general purposes and is widely regarded as the standard for TLDs | restrictions = None | structure = Registrations are conducted at second level. | document = {{IETF RFC|920}}; {{IETF RFC|1591}}; [http://www.icann.org/tlds/agreements/verisign/com-index.htm ICANN registry agreement] | disputepolicy = [[UDRP]] | website=[https://www.verisign.com/domain-names/com-domain-names/ Verisign.com Registry] | dnssec = Yes | idn = Yes }} The domain '''com''' is a [[top-level domain]] (TLD) in the [[Domain Name System]] (DNS) of the [[Internet]]. Created in the first group of Internet domains at the beginning of 1985, its name is derived from the word ''commercial'',<ref>{{cite ietf |rfc=920 | title = RFC 920: Domain Requirements | page = 2 | date = October 1984 | doi = 10.17487/RFC0920 | quote = COM = Commercial, any commercial related domains meeting the second level requirements. | last1 = Postel | first1 = J. | last2 = Reynolds | first2 = J.K. | doi-access = free}}</ref> indicating its original intended purpose for subdomains registered by commercial organizations. Later, the domain opened for general purposes. The domain was originally administered by the [[United States Department of Defense]], but is today operated by [[Verisign]], and remains under ultimate jurisdiction of U.S. law.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Pott | first1=Trevor | last2=Thomson | first2=Iain | title=US shuts down Canadian gambling site with Verisign's help | website=The Register | date=2012-03-01 | url=https://www.theregister.com/2012/03/01/bodog_shut_via_verisign/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Les ".com" peuvent être saisis par les autorités américaines|url=http://www.pcworld.fr/internet/actualites,us-noms-domaine,525651,1.htm|publisher=PC World magazine|access-date=28 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227022135/http://www.pcworld.fr/internet/actualites%2Cus-noms-domaine%2C525651%2C1.htm|archive-date=2013-02-27|url-status=dead |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Kaelin | first=Lee | title=No need for SOPA, VeriSign seizes bodog.com for US authorities | website=TechSpot | date=2012-03-01 | url=https://www.techspot.com/news/47634-no-need-for-sopa-verisign-seizes-bodogcom-for-us-authorities.html }}</ref> The ''.com'' domain is also more commonly used than the more specific ''[[.us]]'' by American businesses and enterprises.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-17 |title=The Most Popular Domain Extensions {{!}} Top 10 TLDs |url=https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/domains/domain-extensions/most-popular-domain-extensions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510164252/https://www.ionos.co.uk/digitalguide/domains/domain-extensions/most-popular-domain-extensions/ |archive-date=2023-05-10 |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=[[Ionos]]}}</ref> Verisign registrations in the .com domain are processed via [[Domain name registrar|registrars]] accredited by [[ICANN]]. The registry accepts [[internationalized domain name]]s. The domain was one of the original TLDs of the Internet when the Domain Name System was implemented in January 1985, the others being [[.edu|edu]], [[.gov|gov]], [[.mil|mil]], [[.net|net]], [[.org|org]], and [[.int|int]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.icann.org/en/tlds/|title=ICANN {{pipe}} Archives {{pipe}} Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)}}</ref> It has grown into the largest top-level domain,<ref name="vreport">{{cite web | title=Domain Name Industry Brief (DNIB) | website=Verisign | date=2022-12-31 | url=https://www.verisign.com/en_US/domain-names/dnib/index.xhtml | access-date=2023-03-23}}</ref> and has lent its name to the [[dot-com bubble]], the era of the late 1990s during which excessive speculation in Internet-related concepts and companies led to rapid growth in the use and adoption of the [[Internet]]. By 2001 it led to a [[stock market bubble]] and crash of company valuations and stock pricing. ==History== The domain ''com'' was one of the first set of top-level domains when the Domain Name System was first implemented for the Internet on January 1, 1985.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/com.html|title= .com Domain Delegation Data|website=IANA |access-date=2020-02-01}}</ref> The domain was administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, but the department contracted the domain maintenance to [[SRI International]]. SRI created DDN-NIC, also known as SRI-NIC, or simply ''the NIC'' ([[Network Information Center]]),<ref>{{cite ietf |first1=Dana D. |last1=Sitzler |first2=Patricia G. |last2=Smith |first3=April N. |last3=Marine |title=Building a Network Information Services Infrastructure |rfc=1302 |fyi=12 |page=3 |date=February 1992 }}</ref> then accessible online with the domain name nic.ddn.mil. Beginning October 1, 1991, an operations contract was awarded to Government Systems Inc. (GSI), which sub-contracted it to [[Network Solutions]] Inc. (NSI).<ref>{{cite newsgroup |author = [email protected] |title = SRI-NIC services moving |url = http://mx1.merit.edu/mail.archives/mjts/1991-09/msg00009.html |date = 1991-09-25 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719235142/http://mx1.merit.edu/mail.archives/mjts/1991-09/msg00009.html |archive-date = 2011-07-19 |url-status = dead |newsgroup = ddn.mgt-bulletin }}</ref> On January 1, 1993, the [[National Science Foundation]] assumed responsibility of maintenance, as com was primarily being used for non-defense interests. The NSF contracted operation to [[Network Solutions]] (NSI). In 1995, the NSF authorized NSI to begin charging registrants an annual fee for the first time since the domain's inception. Initially, the fee was US$50 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=50|start_year=1995|fmt=eq}}) per year, with US$35 going to NSI, and US$15 going to a government fund. New registrations had to pay for the first two years, making the new-domain registration fee US$100. In 1997, the [[United States Department of Commerce]] assumed authority over these first seven generic TLDs. It is currently operated by Verisign, which had acquired Network Solutions. Verisign later spun off Network Solutions' non-registry functions into a separate company that continues as a registrar. In the [[English language]], the domain is often spelled with a leading period and commonly pronounced as ''dot-com'', and has entered common parlance this way. Although com domains were initially intended to designate commercial entities,<ref>{{cite ietf|author=Jon Postel |author-link=Jon Postel |title=RFC 1591 Domain Name System Structure and Delegation |rfc=1591 |page=2 |date=March 1994 |doi=10.17487/RFC1591 }}</ref> the domain has had no restrictions for eligible registrants since the mid-1990s. With the commercialization and popularization of the Internet, the domain was opened to the public and quickly became the most common top-level domain for [[website]]s, [[email]], and networking. Many [[companies]] that flourished in the period from 1997 to 2001—the time known as the "[[dot-com bubble]]"—incorporated the label ''com'' into company names; these became known as dot-coms or [[Dot-com company|dot-com companies]]. The introduction of domain [[.biz|''biz'']] in 2001, which was aimed at companies that failed to register a suitable com-domain name, intended to make customers realize that they had arrived at a legitimate business website, although it did not achieve widespread use.<ref> {{cite web|title=Introducing .COM, .ORG, .NET, .BIZ, & .COMDomains|date=November 17, 2020|url=https://www.namecheap.com/blog/difference-between-com-net-org-co-biz-dp/}}</ref> Although companies anywhere in the world can register ''com'' domains, many countries have a second-level domain with a similar purpose under their country code top-level domain ([[ccTLD]]), such as Australia (com.au), China (com.cn), Greece (com.gr), Israel (co.il), India (co.in), Indonesia (co.id), Japan (co.jp), Mexico (com.mx), Nepal (.com.np), South Korea (co.kr), Sri Lanka (com.lk), United Kingdom (co.uk), and Vietnam (.com.vn). Many non-commercial sites and networks use com names to benefit from the perceived recognizability of a com domain. However, the registration statistics show varying popularity over the years.<ref name="vreport" /> In December 2011, Verisign reported that approximately 100 million com domains were registered.<ref name="201112_Monthly_Transaction_Report">{{cite web |title=.com Monthly Transaction Report |date=December 2011 | website=icann.org | url=http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registries/reports/com/com-transactions-dec11-en.csv | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520152958/http://www.icann.org/en/resources/registries/reports/com/com-transactions-dec11-en.csv | archive-date=2013-05-20 | url-status=dead |format=CSV}}</ref> According to the Domain Name Industry Brief published in March 2020, which publishes every quarter, com domain registration totaled 145.4<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.verisign.com/assets/domain-name-report-Q42019.pdf |journal=The Domain Name Industry Brief |publisher=[[Verisign]] |date=March 2020 |volume=17 |issue=1 |title=Executive Summary |page=2}}</ref> million. As of March 2009, Verisign reported that 926 accredited registrars serve the domain.<ref name="201112_Monthly_Transaction_Report" /> On November 29, 2012, the U.S. Department of Commerce approved the renewal of the com Registry Agreement between Verisign, Inc., and [[ICANN]]. Through this agreement, Verisign managed the com registry until November 30, 2018.<ref>{{cite press release | title=Department of Commerce Approves Verisign-ICANN .com Registry Renewal Agreement | website=ntia.doc.gov | date=2012-11-30 | url=http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2012/department-commerce-approves-verisign-icann-com-registry-renewal-agreement | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203050559/http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2012/department-commerce-approves-verisign-icann-com-registry-renewal-agreement | archive-date=2012-12-03 | url-status=dead}}</ref> ==List of oldest second-level domains== The following are the 100 oldest still-existing registered ''com'' domains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iwhois.com/oldest/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014053612/http://www.iwhois.com/oldest/ |archive-date=2013-10-14 |title=100 oldest .com domains |publisher=iWhois.com |access-date=2012-03-10}}</ref> {{see also|List of the oldest currently registered Internet domain names}} <!-- NOTE: Please link the domain names with their _original_ owner (NOT current owner), as the domain names were mentioned in historical context. In order to find the original owner of a given domain name, instead of accessing the domain directly (with "www." prefix, but this only returns CURRENT web site – besides, WWW was invented in 90s, and became popular in mid-90s, long after these domain names had been created) or using WHOIS (which only returns the CURRENT owner), we recommend searching in the old (90s) newsgroups archive (e.g., in groups.google.com) to find the original owner (because newsgroups were very popular by the time these domains were created). Thanks. --> {| class="wikitable" style="float:left" |- ! Rank || Creation date || Domain name |- | 1 || March 15, 1985 || [[Symbolics|symbolics.com]] |- | 2 || April 24, 1985 || [[BBN Technologies|BBN.com]] |- | 3 || May 24, 1985 || [[Thinking Machines Corporation|think.com]] |- | 4 || July 11, 1985 || [[Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation|MCC.com]] |- | 5 || September 30, 1985 || [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC.com]] |- | 6 || November 7, 1985 || [[Northrop Corporation|northrop.com]] |- | 7 || January 9, 1986 || [[Xerox|xerox.com]] |- | 8 || January 17, 1986 || [[SRI International|SRI.com]] |- | 9 || March 3, 1986 || [[Hewlett-Packard|HP.com]] |- | 10 || March 5, 1986 || [[Bellcore|bellcore.com]] |- | 11 || March 19, 1986 || [[IBM|IBM.com]] |- | 11 || March 19, 1986 || [[Sun Microsystems|sun.com]] |- | 13 || March 25, 1986 || [[Intel|intel.com]] |- | 13 || March 25, 1986 || [[Texas Instruments|TI.com]] |- | 15 || April 25, 1986 || [[AT&T|ATT.com]] |- | 16 || May 8, 1986 || [[General Motors Research Laboratories|GMR.com]] |- | 16 || May 8, 1986 || [[Tektronix|tek.com]] |- | 18 || July 10, 1986 || [[FMC Corporation|FMC.com]] |- | 18 || July 10, 1986 || [[Ungermann-Bass|UB.com]] |- | 20 || August 5, 1986 || [[Bell Atlantic|bell-atl.com]] |- | 20 || August 5, 1986 || [[General Electric|GE.com]] |- | 20 || August 5, 1986 || grebyn.com |- | 20 || August 5, 1986 || [[Interactive Systems Corporation|ISC.com]] |- | 20 || August 5, 1986 || [[National Semiconductor|NSC.com]] |- <!-- stargate.com is not linked, as it appears to have changed hands, and it's unclear who the original owners were --> | 20 || August 5, 1986 || stargate.com |-. August 5, 1986 || [[National Semiconductor|NSC.com]] | 26 || September 2, 1986 || [[Boeing|boeing.com]] |- | 27 || September 18, 1986 || [[Interrupt Technology Corporation|ITCorp.com]] |- | 28 || September 29, 1986 || [[Siemens|siemens.com]] |- | 29 || October 18, 1986 || [[Pyramid Technology|pyramid.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[Alpha Communications Development Corporation|alphaDC.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[BDM Corporation|BDM.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[Fluke Corporation|fluke.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[Intermetrics|inmet.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[Kesmai|kesmai.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[Mentor Graphics|mentor.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[NEC Corporation|NEC.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[Raytheon|ray.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[Rosemount Inc.|rosemount.com]] |- | 30 || October 27, 1986 || [[Vortex Technology|vortex.com]] |- | 40 || November 5, 1986 || [[Alcoa|alcoa.com]] |- | 40 || November 5, 1986 || [[General Telephone and Electronics|GTE.com]] |- | 42 || November 17, 1986 || [[Adobe Systems|adobe.com]] |- | 42 || November 17, 1986 || [[Advanced Micro Devices|AMD.com]] |- | 42 || November 17, 1986 || [[DA Systems, Inc.|DAS.com]] |- | 42 || November 17, 1986 || [[Data I/O Corporation|data-IO.com]] |- | 42 || November 17, 1986 || [[Octopus Enterprises|octopus.com]] |- | 42 || November 17, 1986 || [[Portal Communications Company|portal.com]] |- | 42 || November 17, 1986 || [[Teltone Corporation|teltone.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[3Com Corporation|3Com.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Amdahl Corporation|amdahl.com]] |} {| class="wikitable" style="float:left" |- ! Rank || Creation date || Domain name |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Concurrent Computer Corporation|CCUR.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Cognition, Inc.|CI.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Convergent Technologies (Unisys)|convergent.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Data General|DG.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Peregrine Systems|peregrine.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Quadratron Systems Inc.|quad.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[SoftQuad|SQ.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Tandy Corporation|tandy.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[CitiCorp TTI|TTI.com]] |- | 49 || December 11, 1986 || [[Unisys|unisys.com]] |- | 61 || January 19, 1987 || [[Carnegie Group Inc.|CGI.com]] |- | 61 || January 19, 1987 || [[Crash TimeSharing|CTS.com]] |- | 61 || January 19, 1987 || [[S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting|SPDCC.com]] |- | 64 || February 19, 1987 || [[Apple Inc.|apple.com]] |- | 65 || March 4, 1987 || [[Network Management Associates|NMA.com]] |- | 65 || March 4, 1987 || [[Prime Computer|prime.com]] |- | 67 || April 4, 1987 || [[Philips|philips.com]] |- | 68 || April 23, 1987 || [[Datacube Inc|datacube.com]] |- | 68 || April 23, 1987 || [[Kuck and Associates|KAI.com]] |- | 68 || April 23, 1987 || [[Texas Internet Consulting|TIC.com]] |- | 68 || April 23, 1987 || [[Vine Technology|vine.com]] |- | 72 || April 30, 1987 || [[NCR Corporation|NCR.com]] |- | 73 || May 14, 1987 || [[Cisco|cisco.com]] |- | 73 || May 14, 1987 || [[Research Development Laboratories|RDL.com]] |- | 75 || May 20, 1987 || [[Schlumberger|SLB.com]] |- | 76 || May 27, 1987 || [[ParcPlace Systems|parcplace.com]] |- | 76 || May 27, 1987 || [[United Technologies Corporation|UTC.com]] |- | 78 || June 26, 1987 || [[Interactive Development Environments|IDE.com]] |- | 79 || July 9, 1987 || [[TRW Inc|TRW.com]] |- | 80 || July 13, 1987 || [[Unipress Software|unipress.com]] |- | 81 || July 27, 1987 || [[DuPont|dupont.com]] |- | 81 || July 27, 1987 || [[Lockheed Corporation|lockheed.com]] |- | 83 || July 28, 1987 || rosetta.com |- | 84 || August 18, 1987 || [[John Gilmore (activist)|toad.com]] |- | 85 || August 31, 1987 || [[Quicksilver Engineering|quick.com]] |- | 86 || September 3, 1987 || [[AlliedSignal|allied.com]] |- | 86 || September 3, 1987 || [[Digital Sound Corporation|DSC.com]] |- | 86 || September 3, 1987 || [[Santa Cruz Operation|SCO.com]] |- | 89 || September 22, 1987 || [[Genentech|gene.com]] |- | 89 || September 22, 1987 || [[KC Computer Sciences|KCCS.com]] |- | 89 || September 22, 1987 || [[Spectragraphics Corporation|spectra.com]] |- | 89 || September 22, 1987 || [[W.L. Kennedy Jr. & Associates|WLK.com]] |- | 93 || September 30, 1987 || [[Mentat (company)|mentat.com]] |- | 94 || October 14, 1987 || [[Wyse Technology|WYSE.com]] |- | 95 || November 2, 1987 || [[Caine, Farber & Gordon|CFG.com]] |- | 96 || November 9, 1987 || marble.com |- | 97 || November 16, 1987 || [[Cayman Systems|cayman.com]] |- | 97 || November 16, 1987 || entity.com |- | 99 || November 24, 1987 || [[Kendall Square Research|KSR.com]] |- | 100 || November 30, 1987 || [[NYNEX Science & Technology|NYNEXST.com]] |} {{clear}} ==See also== * [[List of most expensive domain names]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [https://www.iana.org/root-whois/com.htm IANA .com whois information] * [http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/products-and-services/domain-name-services/find-registrar/index.xhtml List of .com accredited registrars] * [http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/products-and-services/domain-name-services/whois/index.xhtml .com WhoIS] * [https://www.icann.org/resources/agreement/com-2012-12-01-en .com Registry Agreement] at [[ICANN]] {{GTLD}} {{United States top-level domains}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Com}} [[Category:Generic top-level domains]] [[Category:Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries members]] [[Category:Domain names in the United States]] [[Category:Internet properties established in 1985]] [[Category:1985 establishments in the United States]]'