http://www.circleid.com/posts/internet_impact_tld_application/ Massive Internet Impact Possible Due to Relaxed TLD Application Process Jul 31, 2007 10:36 AM PST By CircleID Reporter Kieren McCarthy’s latest column at Guardian Unlimited discusses the massive impact—and controversies—that the new top-level domain (TLD) names will bring about. The rules for the creation of TLDs are being relaxed starting next year. From the article: “From 2008, anyone wanting their own piece of the internet is welcome to apply for it. It won’t be cheap (there will an application fee of around $100,000) and it won’t be simple (you have to prove you are capable of running a complex piece of the net’s infrastructure)—but it could mean a change in the way the online world works.” Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! may all own their own TLD one day - ‘news.google’, ‘finance.yahoo’ or ‘games.msn’ - possibilities are endless. Read Full Story at Guardian Unlimited http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/jul/31/comment.internet