According to public records from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization responsible for managing domain names, there is no top-level domain (TLD) specifically registered as .HOMEDEPOT.
Top-level domains refer to the last segment of a domain name, or the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol. They categorize domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System of the Internet. There are over 1,500 TLDs available as of July 2018, according to ICANN. Examples include .com, .org, .net, .gov, .edu, and .mil, as well as country-specific TLDs such as .us, .uk, .de, .fr, and many others.
Besides these traditional and country-specific TLDs, in the past decade, ICANN has introduced hundreds of new generic TLDs (gTLDs). These may be more specific to a particular industry, type of organization, or brand (known as “dotBrand”). For example, Google owns .google, and Barclays Bank owns .barclays.
While it’s possible for a company such as Home Depot to apply for a “dotBrand” TLD like .homedepot, as of today, ICANN’s TLD registry shows no record of such a domain. This could be due to several reasons: the process might be ongoing, the company might have chosen not to pursue a dotBrand TLD or the company might have applied and been denied.
It’s important to note that registering a dotBrand TLD is not a simple process. This usually involves submitting a proposal to ICANN, justifying the need for the new TLD, demonstrating that the company has the capability to run a domain registry, and paying a substantial fee, which according to Verisign, can range from $185,000 to over $2 million. Given these factors, many companies choose to not apply for a dotBrand and stick with their .com or other generic domain.
Meanwhile, Home Depot operates its website under the domain name www.homedepot.com. This aligns with the common practice among many other global multinational firms that tend to use a .com domain. This TLD is widely recognized worldwide and tends to be the default choice for many internet users.
For more information about domain naming conventions, one may refer to ICANN (https://www.icann.org/) or Verisign (https://www.verisign.com/en\_US/domain-names/index.xhtml). These are recognized sources on internet protocols and domain name systems.
In conclusion, while there is currently no .homedepot TLD, home depot could potentially have its own TLD if it chooses to apply for and is subsequently granted one by ICANN. Until such time, www.homedepot.com remains the company’s official website domain.
Sources:
1. ICANN. (2021). Home. https://www.icann.org/
2. Verisign. (2021). Domain Names. https://www.verisign.com/en\_US/domain-names/index.xhtml
3. WHOIS. (2021). HomeDepot WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools. http://whois.domaintools.com/homedepot.com
