The .NU is a highly relevant internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to the island state of Niue. It is administered and marketed differently when compared to most other ccTLDs.
The .NU domain name is managed by the Internet Users Society – Niue (IUS-N) with the aim of generating revenue for the growth and development of Niue, a tiny island nation in the South Pacific. Being a small country, the .NU domain came to the limelight as its TLD nu means ‘now’ in Swedish, Danish and Dutch. Though it’s assigned to the country of Niue, the domain has been popular in Northern European countries, specifically Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
This is due to what is termed in the domain industry as “domain hacking” – a technique where users create a web address that combines the second-level domain (SLD) and ccTLD to spell a full word or phrase, for instance, the domain name “menu.nu” found use in restaurants. Many other vernacular domain names came into existence using .NU such as “nu” meaning “naked” in French.
The usage of the .NU domain resonates with the value that ccTLDs bring to internet users, providing opportunities to creatively use the domain names. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) notes that ccTLDs can possess a great commercial potential, even if it’s tied to a specific country.
However, the .NU domain has faced its fair share of controversies. The Niue Government, in 2018, began renewing their efforts to regain control of the .NU domain from the IUS-N, claiming that the revenues were not being used as promised to benefit the country’s development and accusing the IUS-N of internet “colonialism.”
Another dilemma with the .NU domain revolves around its usage in Sweden. The Swedish Internet Foundation (IIS), in a attempt to combat the purchasing of domain names by children, announced that starting from 2020, domains under .NU could only be bought by individuals above 18 years since it was the most popular ccTLD amongst Swedish youth.
The .NU domain, despite its controversies, stands as an example of how a country-specific domain can find popularity outside its origins, illuminating the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit within the world of internet domains.
Sources:
1. Mocanu, D., Baronchelli, A., Perra, N., Gonçalves, B., Zhang, Q., & Vespignani, A. (2013). The Twitter of Babel: Mapping world languages through microblogging platforms.
2. Williams, T. (2000). Internet domain names: the new global frontier.
3. Mueller, M. (2010). Networks and states: The global politics of internet governance.
4. Parlevliet, F.(2010). The Internet and its Governance: A 3-Layer Model and Analysis. Delft University of Technology.
