.Fun which was scheduled to go to an ICANN Last Resort Auction later this month has been resolved with Oriental Trading Company, Inc who owns the domain Oriental.com prevailing in a private auction beating Google and the company that owns and operates .Buzz
.Fun will be the only new gTLD that Oriental Trading Company, Inc. will operate. The company applied for .Party but did not prevail (Famous Four Media won)
According to its application, the Oriental Trading Company, Inc. (OTC) plans to operate .Fun as a closed registry.
Here is how OTC described the .Fun new gTLD in its application
“”The new .fun gTLD will operate as a restricted registry, in which the Oriental Trading Company, Inc. (OTC) can create and control domain spaces that promote its brand identity and authenticity within the trusted .fun domain space. In this regard, .fun will be used by OTC to provide targeted services, content and products relevant to its consumers in a way that promote trust, quality, convenience and utility. The .fun gTLD will provide an authoritative Internet space for OTC, its affiliates and partners where OTC can develop an unlimited number of domain names dedicated and relevant to “fun” and to provide Internet users with content, services and products they need, while being assured of brand authenticity. OTC is the largest direct retailer of value-priced party supplies, arts and crafts, toys, novelties and a leading provider of school supplies and affordable home décor and giftware. OTC was established in the US in 1932 with its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. In the 1970’s OTC quickly expanded by using catalogs and direct marketing to target consumers, schools, non-profit organization, retailers and businesses. As the Internet grew in popularity in the late 1990’s OTC further explored new ways to reach its growing customer base on the Internet. In 2011, OTC had over 30 million customers on file, over 250 million catalogs mailed annually, operated three Internet websites and now has over 40,000 different products on offer. OTC also received the ‘Omaha 25’ Award for Corporate Citizenship and the ‘National Communitas Award’ for Corporate Social Responsibility. OTC has been active as a supplier of party items for every type of party for over 80 years and has a strong reputation in the US and Canada with its easy online order system. The Orientaltrading.com website ranks among the Top 20 retail sites for online customer satisfaction. Currently customers outside of Canada and the US can only place orders via the call center. OTC seeks to further enhance its reputation worldwide while maintaining its lowest price guarantee and aims for customers in other countries to be able to place orders online. Given the restricted nature of the .fun gTLD, the projected number of registration is likely to be limited. It is anticipated that a more limited number of around 75 domain names will be registered in the first year. However, over the next few years, the number of registrations is likely to increase to up to 300 domain names as OTC develops and implements new services and marketing campaigns. As the new .fun gTLD expands and evolves, OTC may consider offering the use of second level domain names to its authorized resellers at a later stage (upon meeting all required criteria as set out in the registration policy and entering into appropriate agreements with OTC).
