The Name Game: IC Naming’s TDL Change & Other Updates

What is IC Naming?

IC Naming is an early project that has been in development since late 2021. It was the first decentralized domain name service in the ICP ecosystem and the first to offer the .icp TLD (top-level domain). IC Naming has handled an impressive number of domain registrations, exceeding 5000 on the day of their mainnet launch alone. They have continued to provide an easy-to-use service for registrants.

IC Naming hopes to establish itself not simply as a top-tier domain name service provider but as a pioneer and innovator within the Internet Computer community. Its mission focuses on fairness and decentralization, with an emphasis on maintaining a positive culture within the larger ecosystem. Per their Medium:

The team could provide their users with a unique, better, and more seamless experience. They are not just offering you a domain but a service that goes beyond your imagination. As a team, ICNaming is constantly advancing and trying to bring their users better experiences

The team has recently hit some unexpected hurdles, such as being overlooked by DFINITY in favor of ICNS (an alternate naming service) in a forum post and the market confusion that resulted from the rise of ICNS, which also offers the .icp TDL. However, IC Naming has devised inventive workarounds to these issues, concentrating on figuring out how to best serve their current and future customers. One of IC Naming’s goals is to become a multi-chain compatible platform and eventually serve as the gateway to Web3, something only possible thanks to the technological superiority of the Internet Computer blockchain.

“.ic” Naming

Although a difficult decision, IC Naming has decided to move away from the .icp TDL and offer the .ic TDL instead. According to the team, the choice was made so their users could receive “a better unique experience” rather than simply being a way to avoid competition. The change is currently under development but should be released very soon.

Those who already registered with a .icp TDL through IC Naming are in no danger of losing their domains, they will remain valid until the renewal date—however, registrants should be aware that their .icp domains will not be eligible for renewal through IC Naming. As a free service to accommodate for this abrupt change, IC Naming will be airdropping corresponding .ic names to anyone who previously purchased a .icp domain from them. For example, if you previously registered “myname.icp” for a year, you will receive a “myname.ic” valid for a year. After the year is up, you will not be able to re-register “myname.icp” through IC Naming, though renewal of the .ic domain will be possible.

Please note that there will be exceptions to the .ic domain airdrop. Domains associated with well-known public projects will be reserved to “improve the possibility of future cooperation,” and those holding these retroactively reserved domains will be airdropped credits for ten domains (with specific character lengths) instead:

If you didn’t receive the airdrop of ‘.ic’ name <…> We will offer you 10 times the number of ‘.ic’ names that you didn’t get from the airdrop and the rewarding quota is going to be one chars shorter.

For example, if you didn’t receive the airdrop of a 7-chars ICP name, you will get ten 6-digit ‘.ic’ names as a reward.

Upcoming Updates

Compatibility changes: Although IC Naming will no longer support Internet Identity as a wallet, there will be a page where users can transfer the domains in their II wallet to other wallets, such as Plug, Stoic, AstroX Me, etc.

Additionally, “the new name service will be compatible with H5 and PC and <…> will also support name transactions and quota transactions”. Read more on IC Naming’s Medium.

Name market: Users will be able to buy, sell, and browse domain names through IC Naming’s marketplace, which is launching soon. IC Naming hopes to be “the first name service that offers users a complete and systemic experience from buying, selling, trading, and storing.”

Blind Box: This is a unique method that IC Naming will be implementing to reiterate their core belief in “fairness” and also adds an element of gamification. Rather than charging more money for short names, IC Naming will be selling blind boxes for $3 each, each box containing some governance tokens and a credit for a domain name (from 3-7 characters). You can learn more about this creative solution here.

DAO: The IC Naming team wants to encourage community and decentralization, which is why they plan to properly implement governance tokens as a part of their service. Important decisions will be left up to the DAO, and token holders will be able to vote on pertinent proposals.

More changes and updates are planned for the future so be sure to keep up with IC Naming by following them on their socials!

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Sponsored Content : Dfinity Community does not necessarily endorse any content or product on this page. While we aim to provide you with information regarding important projects and developments in the Internet Computer ecosystem, readers should do their own research and carry full responsibility for their decisions, and this article should not be considered as investment advice. Please note that every effort is made by DC to vet projects we promote