Big Tech Battles for Control of .api and .agi Domains
AI-generated image · US National Wire
ICANN reveals 1,615 applications for new generic top-level domains, sparking a corporate scramble for the internet's naming architecture.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has unveiled the applicants for a new round of generic top-level domains (GTLDs), as first reported by The Register. This marks only the second time the organization has accepted such applications since 2012. According to The Register, ICANN received 1,615 applications, which are now undergoing a viability confirmation process.
Among the applicants, Big Tech firms are aggressively pursuing strings that would allow them to control key industry terminology. The Register reports that Google, acting through its subsidiary Charleston Road Registry, is one of eight entities competing for the .api domain. Similarly, seven applicants are vying for .agi, a string likely referring to artificial general intelligence. OpenAI is one of the entities seeking .agi, as well as .chatgpt and .mcp—the latter of which is likely an acronym for the open source Model Context Protocol. Google and three other entities have also bid for .mcp.
Other major players are targeting product-specific or brand-centric domains. The Register notes that Microsoft is seeking .copilot and .msft, while Anthropic has applied for .claude and its own company name. Meta is the sole applicant for .wearables, though it faces one other competitor for .superintelligence. Meta and Google are also among 13 entities attempting to claim .agent.
Further applications include Salesforce, which wants .force, .slack, .tableau, and its own name. An entity identified as Fomalhaut Exploration has applied for .intel. Other contested strings include .brand (nine applicants), .hub (ten applicants), .official (seven applicants), and .drone (three applicants). Two entities have applied for .mars.
Geographically, the majority of applicants are based in North America (864), followed by Europe (506), Asia Pacific (218), Africa (16), and Latin America and the Caribbean (11), per The Register.
ICANN will utilize a "community priority evaluation" to resolve conflicts when multiple parties seek the same GTLD. If this process fails to identify a preferred home for the string, the rights will be decided via auction. ICANN has set November 17 as "String Confirmation Day" for final decisions, with the new domains expected to be available for registration next year.