The mission of .CENTRAL is to provide an accessible namespace for individuals, businesses, organizations, communities, projects, and other entities that identify with or wish to be associated with the term “central.” The purpose of .CENTRAL is to enable registrants to establish distinctive online identities through domain names that reflect the concept represented by the applied-for string. To achieve this purpose, ENDPOINT DOMAINS, INC. will make .CENTRAL available for registration through accredited registrars and other appropriate distribution channels; maintain secure, stable, and reliable registry infrastructure; implement registration and operational policies that support the availability, security, and integrity of the namespace; and provide ongoing administration of the gTLD to enable registrants to register and use domain names within the namespace. The purpose of .CENTRAL is sustainable over time because “central” is a broadly recognized term with enduring relevance across commercial, geographic, cultural, technological, organizational, and community contexts. It may be used by organizations and projects seeking to communicate the idea of a center, hub, main destination, coordinating point, core resource, or focal point for information, services, activity, or community. Its broad and flexible meaning allows the namespace to remain relevant as methods of communication, technology, and online activity evolve.
1. Mission and purpose. This gTLD will be operated as an open, unrestricted generic top-level domain. Its purpose is to expand naming choice in the DNS by making this term available at the top level for any lawful use chosen by the registrant. Registrations will be available to all registrants on a first-come, first-served basis through ICANN-accredited registrars, subject only to the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. The applicant will not operate this gTLD on an exclusive basis.
2. Intended registrants and users. Intended registrants are individuals, businesses, and other organizations worldwide seeking a short, meaningful domain name. There are no eligibility or name selection restrictions beyond those required by the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. Intended users are internet users worldwide who access domain names registered in this gTLD.
3. Related activities. The applicant is an established registry operator under contract with ICANN for 35 gTLDs, including .xyz. It has in place a qualified Registry Service Provider, distribution agreements with ICANN-accredited registrars across multiple regions, and all required rights protection mechanisms and DNS abuse mitigation practices. For this gTLD the applicant will onboard the TLD to its existing registry platform, conduct a Sunrise Period and Trademark Claims Period, launch General Availability through its registrar channel, and maintain ongoing registrar enablement, abuse monitoring, and compliance reporting.
4. Sustainability. Operation is funded by recurring registration and renewal revenue and does not depend on any single registrant, sector, or campaign. This gTLD will run on the applicant's existing shared registry infrastructure, so incremental operating cost is low and no minimum registration volume is required for viability. The applicant has operated gTLDs continuously since 2014.