.dao

The mission of .DAO is to provide a namespace associated with the applied-for string. The .DAO 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 .DAO is to enable registrants to establish online identities using domain names that correspond to this concept. To achieve this purpose, Acid Medal, LLC will make .DAO 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 .DAO is sustainable over time because the applied-for string has multiple commonly understood meanings and broad applicability across a wide range of contexts. As society and technology evolve, organizations and individuals will continue to establish online identities associated with the applied-for string.

The mission and purpose of the applicant in applying for the "DAO" string are to create a globally recognized and trusted Internet digital identifier namespace, serving decentralized governance, collaborative innovation, and the next-generation organizational forms of the Internet. DAO is committed to becoming the official online identity gateway for global decentralized autonomous organizations, Web3 communities, blockchain protocols, governance platforms, research institutions, developers, and various organizations adopting decentralized collaboration models. At the same time, DAO will bridge traditional Internet infrastructure with the emerging digital economy, promoting the development of openness, transparency, interoperability, security, trustworthiness, and responsible innovation. It aims to provide greater diversity in top-level domain choices for the global Internet ecosystem, support multilingual applications, and enable broad participation from different countries and regions around the world, making DAO a truly international top-level domain for global Internet users. The applicant seeks to drive innovation, diversity, and market competition in the Internet naming space, continuously creating value for registrants, partners, and the global Internet community, and building DAO into the world's most influential and trusted top-level domain exclusively for decentralized organizations, serving as critical infrastructure and a global digital identity marker for future digital governance, Web3 innovation, and the next-generation Internet ecosystem. Furthermore, in the Chinese Pinyin system, "DAO" also carries the meanings of "Taoism" (道家) and "island" (岛屿). The applicant aims to provide more diversified top-level domain solutions to meet the diverse needs put forward by various stakeholders around the world.

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. 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.