.ag is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Antigua and Barbuda.

.ag
Introduced3 September 1991
TLD typeCountry code top-level domain
StatusActive
RegistryNicAg
SponsorNone
Intended useEntities connected with  Antigua and Barbuda
Actual useSees some use, most of which is unrelated to Antigua and Barbuda; used largely by companies in German-speaking countries where AG has a special meaning in company names, though its use in Germany is restricted by court order
Registration restrictionsNone
StructureNames can be registered directly at the second level; third-level registrations are also available under some second-level labels
DocumentsRegistration terms and conditions
Dispute policiesUDRP
DNSSECYes
Registry websiteNic.ag

Second and third level registrations

edit

Registrations can be made at the second level directly beneath .ag, or at the third level beneath:

  • .com.ag or .co.ag (intended for commercial entities)
  • .org.ag (intended for organisations, especially nonprofits)
  • .net.ag (intended for network operators/providers)
  • .nom.ag (intended for individuals)

There are no restrictions on who can register.

Domain hacks

edit

In addition to its original intended use as a country code, the .ag domain has been marketed for use for agriculture-related sites, and for sites referencing the atomic symbol for silver, Ag. It also has a potential use for other domain hacks for English words that end in -ag. The Heritage Foundation uses .ag for URL shortening (herit.ag).[1]

".ag" used to mean "Aktiengesellschaft"

edit

Aktiengesellschaft, abbreviated AG, is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but not Liechtenstein or Luxembourg.

edit

A German court (5. Zivilsenat des Oberlandesgerichtes Hamburg) ruled in July 2004 that a .ag domain may only be registered by an Aktiengesellschaft, and then only by an AG that has the same name as the domain. For example, a company with shareholders in Germany having the name X AG may not register as y.ag.[2][3]

Use in Greenland

edit

Sermitsiaq uses the TLD.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "The Domain of Antigua & Barbuda". Dynadot.
  2. ^ (in German) http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/49249
  3. ^ (in German) http://www.internet4jurists.at/domain/e_deutsch.htm
edit