.ag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Introduced | 1991 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | NicAg |
| Sponsoring organization | None |
| Intended use | Entities connected with Antigua and Barbuda |
| Actual use | Used largely by companies in German-speaking countries where AG has a special meaning in company names, though use in Germany is restricted by court order |
| Registration restrictions | None |
| Structure | Names can be registered directly at the second level; third-level registrations are also available under some second-level labels |
| Documents | Registration terms and conditions |
| Dispute policies | UDRP |
| Web site | Nic.ag |
.ag is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Antigua and Barbuda.
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[edit] Second and third level registrations
Registrations can be made at the second level directly beneath .ag, or at the third level beneath .com.ag, .org.ag, .net.ag, .co.ag, or .nom.ag. There are no restrictions on who can register.
[edit] Legal status in Germany
In Germany the Domain .ag has a second meaning: AG, Aktiengesellschaft in the sense of a corporation with stockholders like www.bmw.ag. A German court (5. Zivilsenat des Oberlandesgerichtes Hamburg) ruled in July 2004 in second instance that a .ag domain may only be registered by an Aktiengesellschaft and more precisely by an AG that has the same name as the domain. That means even if you own a company with shareholders in Germany with the name SAP AG, you may not register software.ag. [1] [2]
[edit] Other meanings
In addition to its original intended use as a country code, and the secondary meaning as a type of company in German-speaking countries, the .ag domain has been marketed for use for agriculture-related sites, and for sites referencing the atomic symbol for silver, Ag. It is also has a potential use for other domain hacks for English words that end in -ag.
