Currently, there is no top-level domain (TLD) registered as .DISCOVER. Top-level domains are the suffixes at the end of web addresses and are known to be either generic (gTLDs), country code (ccTLDs), or infrastructure top-level domain. Examples include .com, .org, .uk, .gov, etc.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the controlling authority over the Internet’s domain name system (DNS). They’re responsible for approving new generic TLDs through their New gTLD Program (https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/). As per the data available on their website, .discover isn’t present in the list of the hundreds of new gTLDs that have been approved or are in the process of being approved.
It could be that a business such as Discover Financial Services, known for the Discover Card, could apply for a .discover TLD in the future for branding or security reasons. For instance, .google, .amazon, .apple, etc., have been validated and are currently in use. Other financial corporations have also done this, such as .barclays and .citi. But as of now, there is no .discover TLD in existence.
Discover Financial Services as an organization does own various domain names such as discover.com, discovercard.com, etc., under common gTLDs.
An advanced search for “.discover” on the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Brand Database (https://www.wipo.int/branddb/en/) also doesn’t show any registered trademarks related to this specific brand in relation to domain services. This confirms that currently no entity owns a right to claim .discover as a TLD.
If a .discover TLD is ever created, like other new gTLDs would be used for building websites, emails, or other web services. For instance, a web address could be “www.help.discover” or “www.banking.discover” to create branded, specific, and customer-friendly web resources.
In closing, the .discover top-level domain currently does not exist, whether in generic, country-specific, or infrastructure TLD categories. Any future registration would potentially be for brand reinforcement and contextual usage for the claiming entity. If such an application is filed, it would go through ICANN’s New gTLD Programme, conforming to their set policies and review.
Sources:
- Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/)
- World Intellectual Property Organization (https://www.wipo.int/branddb/en/)
