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Norid and SIDN End .BV Plans After Norwegian Government Intervention

Norid UNINETT logoPlans by the Dutch ccTLD registry, SIDN, to sell .bv domain names in the Netherlands, have ended after the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications advised that the required dispensation would not be granted.

The .bv (Bouvet Island) ccTLD has been unused since its creation in 1997. Norid has carefully considered possible ways to develop and use this resource, but the conclusion has been that there are no sustainable ways to utilise .bv for Norwegian users directly. However, the fact that the Bouvet Island is uninhabited, and that .bv thus has no local Internet community, grants the freedom to look into new and innovative ways to develop the ccTLD.

SIDN_logo_smallBV is short for “Besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid” and in the Netherlands and Belgium is the most common form of a limited liability company, or in English ‘Ltd’ or ‘Inc’.

The idea was for the .bv domain to operate as a platform for sharing validated business data. Enterprises and consumers would be able to visit the platform before buying from or doing business with an unfamiliar company.

“SIDN runs one of the world’s largest top-level domains. They are highly recognized internationally for their professional operations. A collaboration would have given the opportunity for valuable exchange of that knowledge and experience”, commented Norid’s General Manager, Hilde Thunem. The idea of a platform for validated business data will now be developed within the .nl domain instead. “Successful implementation of .bv would have had added value for the internet community, both in the Netherlands and in Norway,” said Roelof Meijer, SIDN’s CEO. “Our intention is to press ahead with the concept devised for .bv, but it will now be marketed under the .nl banner.”

From Norid’s point of view they were disappointed saying in a statement:
“We comply with the decision made by the ministry, and have withdrawn the application for dispensation,” said Norid’s General Manager, Hilde Thunem.

“From Norid’s perspective, we regret that we don’t get the opportunity to use this domain resource. SIDN runs one of the world’s largest top-level domains, and they are highly recognised internationally for their professional operations. A collaboration would have given the opportunity for valuable exchange of knowledge and experience that would have benefitted the Norwegian community.”