DotGreen Is No More

Kevin reported on this last night.

As you can see from the reactions to his post a lot of people are surprised, shocked and even quite upset that the DotGreen application has been withdrawn. It’s not the only application for the string, which is why it was withdrawn, but to many people in the ICANN space it was the applicant everyone associated with the string.

The unfortunate reality of the new TLD process is that money speaks more loudly than anything else.

Applicants with deep pockets can beat off applicants with good intentions.

Personally I was shocked to hear the news that they’d thrown in the towel, but faced with the competition they’re facing it’s understandable.

Here’s the full statement they released last night:

It is with great regret that we share the news that DotGreen Community, Inc. has withdrawn it’s application for .green from the new Top-Level Domain (TLD) program by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Six years ago, I had a vision for a new .green TLD that would serve the world, and boost environmentalism online, while contributing a new income stream to dedicated non-profit channels. Since then, we’ve been further inspired by the Green Community as we shared our vision globally. We have seen the successful launch of ICANN’s new gTLD program, collaborated to grow a company specifically to apply for .green, created a non-profit public charity, and enjoyed interacting in the diverse Internet and ICANN communities.

Competition for .green surfaced at ICANN’s big reveal on June 6, 2012, when existing Internet registry operators positioned themselves as managers for .green. Since then, DotGreen, supporters, and the global green community exercised all options within the framework of the new gTLD applicant guidebook and we would like to express our sincerest gratitude that the Green Community has had this conversation around a new TLD. The outpouring of public support included posting online comments and writing letters to both ICANN and the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) during every stage of the program, contributing to the multi-stakeholder process. We are very proud of that!

Despite these efforts, it is not possible for us to move forward at this time without an auction scenario that would award .green to the highest bidder.

We believe an auction is counterproductive to the collaborative nature of the green movement. Awarding .green management to the highest bidder, disregarding community support, collaborative partnerships, and business practices subverts the meaning and interests of the green movement, the Internet user public, and the ICANN multi-stakeholder model. This auction procedure undermines DotGreen’s long history in the green community, and it negates the authenticity of DotGreen’s application. A single string applicant such as DotGreen may also find financial and timeline requirements more challenging compared to portfolio application peers.

We are very glad we have introduced the .green TLD to the world, and remain hopeful that the .green TLD will benefit the environmental sustainability community, and would like to see .green become a vital part of the Internet ecosystem.

It has been an honor to participate in the international Internet community for the past several years. I am truly grateful for the supportive professionals, contracted partners, and friends we have met through the process. I’m so appreciative to all who have joined us for People & Planet events before ICANN meetings, learning right alongside DotGreen about local green initiatives to take back home to our own communities. DotGreen will keep on serving the world through the nonprofit foundation, but will unlikely continue our role in the ICANN community through positions in DNS Women, ALAC, and the NTAG.

We are excited about the DotGreen Foundation, and look forward to focusing on ongoing projects. Please visit us at our website www.dotgreenfoundation.org. It is our hope that the public will continue to stand with us to allow progress for the DotGreen Foundation vision to support programs and projects aimed at sustainability, which serve our planetary home. It is our full intent to remain strong advocates for green business, green technology, environmental stewardship, and green ideas.

Sincerely,

Annalisa Roger, Founder
DotGreen Community, Inc.

 

It’s a real shame, as they were the only applicant for the extension that had clear plans to use the extension to further the “green” movement.

They had a good team of people working with them, so hopefully they’ll be snapped up quickly – assuming they still want to stay in the space.