.ag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Introduced | 1991 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | NicAg |
| Sponsor | None |
| Intended use | Entities connected with Antigua and Barbuda |
| Actual use | Used largely by companies in German-speaking countries where AG has a special meaning in company names, though use in Germany is restricted by court order |
| Registration restrictions | None |
| Structure | Names can be registered directly at the second level; third-level registrations are also available under some second-level labels |
| Documents | Registration terms and conditions |
| Dispute policies | UDRP |
| Website | Nic.ag |
.ag is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Antigua and Barbuda.
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[edit] Second and third level registrations
Registrations can be made at the second level directly beneath .ag, or at the third level beneath .com.ag, .org.ag, .net.ag, .co.ag, or .nom.ag. There are no restrictions on who can register.
[edit] Legal status in Germany
In Germany the Domain .ag has a secondary meaning: AG, Aktiengesellschaft in the sense of a corporation with stockholders like www.bmw.ag. A German court (5. Zivilsenat des Oberlandesgerichtes Hamburg) ruled in July 2004 in second instance that a .ag domain may only be registered by an Aktiengesellschaft and more precisely by an AG that has the same name as the domain. That means even if you own a company with shareholders in Germany with the name SAP AG, you may not register example.ag. [1] [2]
[edit] Other meanings
Austria Germany
What is the full phrase for 'GmbH', and what do the words in this acronym mean in English? In Germany, there are two types of companies: publicly traded and privately held.
The acronym 'GmbH', which is written after the name of the company, designates a company as private in Germany. The letters stand for Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung which, translated literally, means a 'company with limited liability'. GmbH companies are incorporated and, as such, are legal entities unto themselves. These companies must have a minimum of two partners and may be, but do not have to be, owned by a public company.
German companies that are publicly traded are designated as such by the letters 'AG' after the company name. 'AG' is an abbreviation for the German word Aktiengesellschaft, which literally translates to 'corporation' in English.
The laws of a country determine which types of companies are legally recognized within the country's borders. One of the most commonly used acronyms is 'PLC', which is used throughout the United Kingdom to indicate a Public Limited Company, or a company that is publicly traded with owners having limited liability. Throughout the world, 'S.A.' is used to indicate a privately held company, though its meaning varies depending on the country in which the company is registered. The words translate broadly as 'anonymous society' in English.
More information on company extensions can be found at http://www.corporateinformation.com/defext.asp.
In addition to its original intended use as a country code, and the secondary meaning as a type of company in German-speaking countries, the .ag domain has been marketed for use for agriculture-related sites, and for sites referencing the atomic symbol for silver, Ag. It also has a potential use for other domain hacks for English words that end in -ag.
