開放頂級域名互聯網更將海闊天空
The regulatory body that oversees Internet domain names has agreed to end restrictions on suffixes for site names, a change that will dramatically increase the number of possible site names while opening up new branding opportunities for companies, cities and others.
主管互聯網域名分配的機構同意終止對網址名稱的限制，這項改變將大幅度地增加可能的網站名稱數量，同時也爲公司、城市和其他單位開啓行銷商標的新機會。
Currently, Internet site owners are limited to a handful of suffixes, such as , or .
互聯網的網站網主原來只限定用幾個固定的域名，像是 "點com"、"點org"、"點gov"。
But starting in January registrants will be able to invent their own suffixes.
但是，從明年一月開始，網站註冊者將能用自己起的域名。
Major companies are expected to create suffixes with their own names. Japanese electronics giant, Canon, has already said it plans to apply for rights to use domain names ending with dot-canon. The German capital city, Berlin, has reportedly expressed interest in a in suffix. Other suffixes could help organize the Internet by language, geography or industry.
一般預料，大公司會用自己的公司行號創造域名。日本電子產品巨頭佳能公司說，它計劃申請以 "點canon" 作結尾的域名。據報導，德國首都柏林也對 "點berlin" 作結尾的域名錶達了興趣。其他域名能以語言、地理或行業來協助互聯網的分類。
The change was overwhelmingly approved Monday in Singapore in a vote of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN.
互聯網域名與號碼分配機構(ICANN)星期一在新加坡進行投票，壓倒性批准了這項改變。
The Los Angeles-based non-profit organization is expected to begin taking applications for the new names on January 12.
這個總部設在洛杉磯的非營利組織，預定在明年1月12日開始接受新域名的申請。
Brad White, ICANN's director of global media affairs, says opening the Internet address system will have far-reaching social and commercial impact.
布萊德.懷特是互聯網域名與號碼分配機構的全球媒體事務主任，他說，開放網址系統將會對社會和商業產生深遠的影響。
"It will afford a possibility for innovation, creativity, branding, marketing. We can't fully predict the impact that this change will have, but we know it will have tremendous impact, in much the same way that nobody could predict social media. Nobody could predict the popularity of Skype. No one could predict the popularity of Facebook or Twitter. What we have done is removed a barrier to innovation," says White.
懷特說：“它將爲革新、創造、建立品牌、行銷產生更多的可能性，我們無法完全預測這個改變造成的衝擊，但我們知道它將會有巨大的影響，如同當初沒人預測得到社交媒體的影響，沒人預測得到 Skype 的受歡迎程度，也沒人預料到 Facebook (臉譜) 或 Twitter (推特) 的受歡迎程度。我們做的就是給革新除去障礙。”
There are currently 22 generic top-level domains, also known as gTLDs. , and are a few examples. There are also about 250 country-level domains like for Britain or for China.
目前有22個通用的頂級域名(gTLD)，例如 "點com"、"點org"、"點info" 這一些，同時還有250個國家級的域名，像是英國的 "點uk"，中國的 "點cn"。Several hundred new gTLDs are expected to come into existence under the new system.
在新系統下，預計有幾百個新的通用頂級域名。
In addition to the interest of big corporate brands, organizations such as cities or other communities are expected to apply. However, with an initial price tag of $185,000 for each application, none but the richest individuals can be expected to seek their own personal domains.
除了大型企業有興趣，例如城市或其他社區等組織應該也會提出申請。然而，18萬5千美元的申請費，應該只有最有錢的人才會申請個人域名。
Still, the move is an opportunity for commercial brands to gain more control over their on-line presence and send visitors more directly to parts of their websites.
這項發展給主要品牌更能掌控網上曝光率，將訪客更直接帶到它們的網站上。
Brad White, of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names, says the new suffixes will have other benefits.
互聯網域名與號碼分配機構的布萊德.懷特說，新域名還有其他好處。
"One of the biggest changes that this will mean to the Internet is an expansion of the use of non-Latin characters. So, people who speak Cyrillic, or Arabic or Chinese can now use their own generic top-level domains at the end of an Internet address. It will vastly, we believe, increase the number of Internet users," he says.
懷特說：“對互聯網其中一個最大的改變是，擴大使用非拉丁語系的字。所以，說斯拉夫語系、阿拉伯語、漢語的人，現在可以在網址最末端使用他們自己的通用頂級域名。我們相信，它會巨幅增加互聯網用戶人數。”
The new domain system will also change how ICANN works. Until now, it has overseen names and performed some other tasks, but has had little involvement in the Internet's thornier issues.
新域名同時也將改變互聯網域名與號碼分配機構的運作。直到現在，互聯網域名與號碼分配機構主要在監管名稱、和其他一些任務，很少插手互聯網比較棘手的問題。
With the new changes, ICANN will have a role in policing how gTLDs are operated, bought and sold.
但隨着新的改變，互聯網域名與號碼分配機構將管理一般頂級域名的運作、購買和銷售。
