.ly is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Libya.
Registration
A .ly registration is the process of registering top-level country-code domain name for Libya. The registration is sponsored by the General Post and Telecommunication Company. The .ly domain extension, introduced in 1988, is administrated by the registry LYNIC. This domain is mainly for the use of the general public of Libya.
The nic.ly team appoints recognized registrars to offer .ly domain names, and these registrars perform all the domain registration tasks on behalf of the nic.ly Libya Telecom & Technology (ltt.ly) is one of the pioneers that offer .ly domain extension to companies and organizations. Sub domains are also allowed for .ly domain name at the second level and third level beneath various second levels.
According to the registration site, "any .LY domain names may be registered, except domains containing obscene and indecent names/phrases, including words of a sexual nature; furthermore, domain names may not contain words/phrases or abbreviations insulting religion or politics, or be related to gambling and lottery industry or be contrary to Libyan law or Islamic morality."
The GPTC registers domain names on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants may apply for domains with a registration fee of $75 for each domain. Before registration, the domain name, company name, trademark registration and other legal documents must be provided. In addition, the .ly domain names being registered should not violate any rules set forth by the registrar. Domain names may be registered for a minimum of two years.
Applicants may register domains online or through official registrars list. After completing the registration process, an email will be sent to the applicant's billing contact address. The .ly domain name will become active within 12â€"24 hours of that email notification.
Second-level domains
The second-level domains which are open to third-level registrations are:
- .com.ly: Commercial services
- .net.ly: Internet-related services
- .gov.ly: Government and ministries
- .plc.ly: State-owned companies
- .edu.ly: Educational and training institutions
- .sch.ly: Schools
- .med.ly: Health-related services
- .org.ly: Non-profit organizations
- .id.ly: Individuals.
Strings shorter than four symbols long are to be registered only through Libya Telecom and Technology to guarantee that registrants have local presence.
History
IANA delegated registration authority for .ly to Khalil Elwiheishi at the Alshaeen for Information Technology in April 1997.
During the weekend of 20 August 2011 at the start of the 2011 Battle of Tripoli, the main nic.ly registration site appears to have been defaced by hackers on the side of the National Liberation Army, though other sites such as bit.ly remained unaffected.
Domain hacks
Many Libyan domains were reserved for English words that end with the suffix "ly", such as name.ly, musical.ly and sincere.ly â€" so-called domain hacks. As the annual fee for .ly domains remains high ($75 a year), many domain names remain available on the domain prime market, and some popular ones can be bought on the domain secondary market â€" the result of the domain name speculation.
Many popular URL shortening services are registered in the .ly domain: brief.ly, adf.ly, bit.ly (former default for Twitter), ow.ly (default for HootSuite), and 3.ly.
In October 2010, the domain of "sex-positive" URL shortening service vb.ly, which had been registered in 2009 by Violet Blue and Ben Metcalfe, was seized by the Libyan web authorities for not being compliant with the law of Libya. A Libya Telecom spokesman stated to Blue: "Pornography and adult material aren't allowed under Libyan Law.... Therefore, we removed the domain." This is the only known domain seized by nic.ly. It was seized only after several failed attempts to contact the registrant.
References
External links
- .ly International Registration Online
- .ly Online Domain Registration
- .ly Local Registration
- Authorized .ly Reseller
- Authorized .ly Resellers
- IANA .ly whois information
Domain registers
- NicLy
- RegisterLy (English)
- EuropeID
