How did .nl do in 2012?

Five-millionth .nl

During the night of 29 to 30 July 2012, the .nl domain reached another major milestone. The five-millionth .nl domain name – mariongerritsen.nl – was registered. The registration received considerable media attention. For some time, .nl was the third-largest country-code domain in the world. However, following the relaxation of the Chinese registry's registration policy and the publication of the previously unknown number of free .tk domain names, .nl slipped two places down the size rankings. At the end of 2012, .nl was the world's fifth-largest country-code domain and the ninth-largest top-level domain overall.
An SIDN video about the five-millionth .nl domain name was picked up by numerous news sites.

Reasons for having a domain name

Private individuals with at least one domain name

Reduced growth

After recording its highest growth figures ever in 2011, .nl's rate of expansion slowed in 2012. Net growth in the number of domain names was 6.6 per cent: a little less than half of the 14 per cent growth recorded in 2011.

The number of new registrations actually held up well, but the number of cancellations was a lot higher. The economic circumstances certainly played a major role, as did the fact that the income from domain trading

declined, prompting companies to look more critically at their domain name portfolios.

Other country-code domains also had a disappointing 2012. Growth in .de (Germany) was down 77 per cent and .uk (United Kingdom) was down 54 per cent. Despite growing more slowly than in previous years, .nl's share of the Dutch market rose, to stand at 72.9 per cent by the end 2012.

Domain name density

.nl-registrars

Biggest country-code domains

15.283.687
14411875
10.299.989
6.368.833
5.115.652

.nl market share in the Netherlands

.eu
6.9%
.com
14.3%
.nl
72.9%

.nl domain leads the way on DNSSEC

The global DNS – the system used on the internet to translate domain names into IP addresses and vice versa – is very robust, but has certain vulnerabilities. DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) is an extension to the DNS, which enables internet users to verify that an incoming response to a DNS query is authentic and comes from the right party. The extension provides valuable protection against cache poisoning and man-in-the-middle attacks. It also facilitates the use of other techniques that make the internet more secure, such as DANE and DKIM.

SIDN has played a pioneering role in the field of DNSSEC

The .nl zone was signed with DNSSEC as early as 2010. SIDN followed that move in May 2012 by implementing DNSSEC in .nl's domain name registration system (DRS). DRS implementation made it possible for registrars to offer DNSSEC to their clients on an automated basis. So registrants can quickly and easily secure their .nl domain names with DNSSEC. SIDN is committed to promoting the acceptance, use and ongoing development of DNSSEC. The success of that strategy was demonstrated in 2012. By December there were more than 1.3 million DNSSEC-secured domain names under SIDN's control: far more than any other registry has.

Aantal met DNSSEC beveiligde .nl-domeinnamen:

DRS recognised

In September 2012, SIDN was awarded a TÜViT certificate for the domain name registration system DRS5. It was the second time that the system had been recognised – re-auditing of the DRS software being needed following expiry of the original certificate and
comprehensive redesign of the web interface. With its sustainability credentials and transparency, the system received four stars out of a possible five: a score that puts SIDN amongst the international elite.

Domain name debate
2012

SIDN seeks to involve all the .nl domain's stakeholders in important policy decisions. Everyone with an interest in the .nl domain was accordingly invited to take part in the fourth Domain Name Debate on 28 September 2012. The debate focused on whether domain names that are released after being cancelled by a previous registrant should be covered by special rules, or should continue to be made available on a first-come, first-served basis. Stakeholders were also invited to express their views on the idea of no longer showing private registrants' details in the Whois. The feedback from the Domain Name Debate will be used by SIDN in the development of future policies.

Complaints & Appeals Board

The Complaints & Appeals Board for .nl domain names (C&AB) is an independent body that .nl registrars and registrants can turn to if they are unhappy with decisions of certain types made by SIDN. The C&AB considered three appeals in 2012: one more than the previous year. In two cases, the Board dismissed the appeals; the third appeal was judged to be inadmissible.
The Dispute Resolution System for .nl Domain Names is intended to be a fast, straightforward and affordable alternative to legal action. In 2012, eighty-two disputes were referred to the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. Of those cases, thirty-two were decided, eighteen are still under consideration and the rest were closed before the resolution procedure had been
completed. In addition, an SIDN mediator was appointed to help resolve twenty-nine disputes during 2012. The above figures are similar to those seen in previous years. WIPO decisions and other domain name jurisprudence are published on www.domjur.nl, a joint initiative by SIDN and Tilburg University.

Notice and Take Down Code

The Notice and Take Down Code gives internet service providers a framework for handling reports regarding unlawful of criminal website content. In 2012, SIDN received eleven requests in connection with the code. In one case, the domain name in question was temporarily rendered unreachable. In the other cases, either not all the parties in the chain had been approached before contacting SIDN, or there was no evidence of unmistakably unlawful or criminal content, so SIDN did not take the far-reaching step of making the domain unreachable.