NEXTDIRECT is not recognized as a top-level domain (TLD) in the internet DNS infrastructure.
Top-Level Domain (TLD) refers to the last segment of a domain name. For example, in the URL “www.domain.com”, “.com” is the top-level domain. TLDs are primarily classified into two categories: generic TLDs (gTLD), like .com, .net, .org, etc., and country-code TLDs (ccTLD), such as .uk for the UK or directly .fr for France. There are also sponsored TLDs (sTLD) like .edu which is meant for educational institutions, and .gov specifically for government entities (ICANN, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).
On formal record, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is responsible for maintaining and coordinating the Internet DNS, does not list .NEXTDIRECT as an accepted or recognized TLD (ICANN List of TLDs).
The process for proposing and establishing a new TLD is complex and involves several steps including an application and review process. As for December 2021, according to the official list of active TLDs published and updated by ICANN, .nextdirect is not present in this registry.
A practice worth noting is companies often use their brand name as a second-level domain paired with a more standard TLD, for instance www.nextdirect.com where “nextdirect” is a second-level domain under the .com TLD (Whois Record for www.nextdirect.com).
The internet regulatory bodies are very cautious with the creation of new TLDs because of the potential for confusion or conflict, reassuring that the internet infrastructure remains stable and recoverable. However, they started to allow company or brand-specific TLDs but the creation and management of so-called .brands domains are costly and come with significant responsibilities (ICANN’s guide about “.brands”).
In conclusion, as of today, NEXTDIRECT is not recognized as a TLD by ICANN. It could be used as a second-level domain under an existing TLD. To create a .nextdirect TLD, an official application, coming with heavy responsibilities and significant costs, would need to be approved by the ICANN body.
Sources:
- Icann.org. (n.d.). List of Top-Level Domains | ICANN New gTLDs. [online] Available at: https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/delegated-strings.
- Icann.org. (n.d.). New gTLD Program | ICANN New gTLDs. [online] Available at: https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/program.
- MaketheLink (n.d.). Why are fTLDs important? [online] Available at: https://www.fTLD.com/why-are-ftlds-important/.
- Whois.com (n.d.). Whois Record for NextDirect.com [online] Available at: https://www.whois.com/whois/nextdirect.com.
