"The mission and purpose of this TLD is to expand consumer choice by providing a clear namespace associated with skilled making, trades and creative work. Registrants may include craftspeople, makers, educators, suppliers and customers.
The applied-for gTLD is sustainable because skills, handmade work and specialized production have lasting relevance. The gTLD is not dependent on a single industry, technology, or business model and can accommodate evolving uses as technology and Internet activity develop.
Applicant designated Identity Digital as the RSP. Identity Digital enjoys a reputation of excellence as a domain name industry contributor and innovator. Applicant, along with Identity Digital’s team, will support this purpose through reliable registry operations, appropriate security and abuse-mitigation measures, transparent registration policies, and compliance with applicable ICANN requirements.
We are committed to the successful expansion of the Internet, the secure operation of the DNS, and the creation of a new segment of the web that will be admired and respected. "
The mission of .CRAFT is to provide a namespace associated with the applied-for string. The .CRAFT gTLD is intended to serve a broad range of registrants and users, including individuals, businesses, organizations, communities, projects, and other entities that identify with, relate to, or wish to be associated with the concept represented by the applied-for string.
The purpose of .CRAFT is to enable registrants to establish online identities using domain names that correspond to this concept. To achieve this purpose, Hair Apparent, LLC will make .CRAFT available for registration through registrars and other appropriate distribution channels; maintain a 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 .CRAFT is sustainable over time because the applied-for string is broadly recognized and has broad applicability across a wide range of contexts. As society, technology, and methods of communication evolve, organizations and individuals will continue to establish online identities associated with the applied-for string.
We hold this truth at the center of our mission: content is valuable. When you publish online—whatever you publish—you are adding something to the world, and that contribution deserves a home you control. Owning your domain means you're not at the whims of an ever-changing algorithm; it's a claim of ownership, independence, and authenticity. Every top-level domain we operate is built on that principle: a meaningful, memorable namespace that marks your corner of the internet as unmistakably your own, in essays, images, music, videos, storefronts, and whatever comes next.
The mission of the .craft TLD is to connect artisans and craft communities sharing traditional and contemporary skills.
The .craft extension serves artisans, craftspeople, makers, craft educators, and small production studios valuing handmade goods. Registrants will use .craft domains to showcase handmade work, share techniques, build craft communities, and sell creations.
Consumer preference for handmade and artisan goods continues to grow. The .craft TLD sustains relevance because craftspeople require a namespace to showcase work, build communities, and connect with customers.
Link Freedom Group (LFG) aspires to become a best-in-class, vertically integrated domain name registration authority, see linkfreedomgroup.link. This TLD is part of a carefully curated portfolio of strings that LFG intends to pursue in ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD Program. In assembling this portfolio, LFG focused on securing meaningful, memorable, and commercially compelling strings that resonate strongly with end users and offer long-term growth potential.
Over the past four years, LFG (Nova Registry) has successfully grown its flagship TLD, .LINK, from approximately 125,000 to more than 300,000 domains under management. This growth has been driven by innovative distribution strategies, the expansion of registrar partnerships, and a granular pricing model that has enabled .LINK to remain competitively priced while avoiding the significant fee increases implemented by some other registry operators.
LFG’s experience in the domain name industry has reinforced one of the key lessons from the 2012 application round: long-term sustainability is strengthened through portfolio diversification. By spreading operational costs and mitigating revenue fluctuations across multiple TLDs, LFG is better positioned to withstand market volatility and invest in continued growth. Accordingly, LFG believes that even obtaining a subset of the TLDs for which it has applied will establish a diversified portfolio capable of supporting long-term economic stability, operational resilience, and sustainable growth.
1. Mission and Purpose of the Applied-for gTLD
.craft gives people who make things with skill and care a web address that says exactly what they do. For a potter, a furniture builder, or a small-batch brewer, the name itself communicates intention: this is handmade, considered, and made well. That clarity matters in a market where "handcrafted" and "artisan" are crowded labels; a .craft address lets a maker stake a clear, recognizable presence and turn a workshop name into something memorable online.
The namespace is built for the independent maker economy. A ceramicist can register studioname.craft to anchor a portfolio and shop. A craft brewery can use it to separate its maker identity from generic commercial naming. Teachers and workshops can use short, descriptive addresses to enroll students and showcase technique. Marketplaces and guilds can use it to gather makers under a shared, meaningful banner that signals quality of making rather than mass production.
What sets .craft apart from broader creative or commerce extensions is its focus on the act and result of skilled making. It is narrower and more honest than generic options, and it speaks directly to audiences who value provenance, technique, and the hand behind the product
Intended Registrants: Independent makers and artisans (woodworkers, ceramicists, jewelers, leatherworkers, textile artists), small craft studios and workshops, craft breweries and distilleries, specialty food producers, and craft-focused retailers, guilds, and marketplaces.
Related Activities Supporting the Purpose:
• Awareness-building among maker communities, craft fairs, and guild networks.
• Registrar distribution through channels that reach small studios and independent sellers.
• Registrant education explaining how a descriptive web address can clarify what a maker offers.
• Community outreach with craft associations, cooperatives, and workshop educators.
• Responsible registry operations supporting reliable, predictable namespace availability.
2. Sustainability of the Purpose Over Time
In a marketplace saturated with uniform, machine-produced goods, work that shows the mark of human skill commands distinct attention and worth. Buyers seek out provenance and the story of how something was made, and they reward makers who can demonstrate genuine technique.
.craft helps independent makers and small studios create a clear and memorable online presence for the handmade, skilled work they produce, making it easier for buyers to discover, understand, and trust what they offer. The name signals quality of making before a visitor even arrives, turning a workshop or studio name into a recognizable mark of skill. It gives the maker economy a naming home that broader creative and commerce extensions cannot match for honesty or focus.
Craft also resists obsolescence because it is identified by intent and method rather than by any particular tool or material. New disciplines continually claim the label, from small-batch food and beverage to digital and contemporary maker movements, while traditional trades retain it.