New .art Domain Launches with High Registration Fees, Sparking Speculation Debate

Since February 8, 2017, subscribers to the e-flux mailing list have received exclusive tokens to register the new .art top-level domain. The commercialization of the extension was assigned on June 23 to UK Creative Ideas Ltd by ICANN. Until May 9, registration is limited to institutions, galleries, and art professionals, but the only requirement is being on e-flux's mailing list, with no identity verification. The registration fee is over 280 euros, with an annual renewal around 17 euros. Art F City criticized this as economic speculation, noting the cost is 757% higher than a .photo domain. However, the high price may deter domain squatting, as after May anyone could register domains like louvre.art, potentially forcing institutions to buy them back at high costs. The article argues the fee is a necessary investment for established art operators to protect their online reputation.