Verisign

Verisign told investors this week that its total cost to acquire the .web top-level domain reached $171.4 million, according to Domain Name Wire and a company SEC filing it cited. The disclosure lands just before Verisign’s planned mid-December sunrise and a limited registration period that could determine whether the long-delayed asset earns back its cost.

Verisign reported record third-quarter .com and .net registration activity and said it plans to open a .web trademark sunrise in mid-December, according to Domain Name Wire. The update matters because it pairs stronger demand in the legacy namespace with a concrete launch timetable for a long-delayed new gTLD that could affect defensive registrations and buyer budgets in early 2027.

Verisign plans to discontinue third-level .name registrations and second-level email forwarding on February 15, 2027, according to CircleID, after ICANN approved the change through two Registry Services Evaluation Process requests earlier this year. The move affects long-held personal web and email addresses and raises account-migration and impersonation concerns for registrants and brand owners.