Domain Name Registrations Reach Record High

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – More domain names have now been registered than ever before, VeriSign, Inc. stated in its quarterly domain name report released today.

With a total of 64.5 million domain names currently registered and 4.6 million new sites registered during the second quarter of 2004, an increase of 2.5 percent since the first quarter, VeriSign’s report indicates that registration levels have returned to the same point that they were at in the late 1990s before the dot-com bubble burst.

According to the report, renewal rates for .com and .net names have also increased to 71 percent, and VeriSign's global Internet Registry is processing more than 14 billion domain name lookups per day, on average.

“What’s significant in looking at today’s Internet infrastructure is that not only are domain registrations themselves continuing to grow, but so are the numbers of Internet users and overall Internet usage,” said Raynor Dahlquist, acting vice president of VeriSign's Naming Services.

“The numbers of overall domain registrations coupled with the number of lookups processed each day by VeriSign’s global Registry, indicate that Internet users are setting up more websites and using those websites to perform commerce and communications on the Internet in greater frequency than ever before,” Dahlquist continued.

Emerging as one of the fastest growing segments of registered domain names are country code Top Level Domains, which now account for the second largest group of registered domains at 39 percent.

The report comes on the heels of a new lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles District Court by VeriSign against the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that VeriSign contracts with to operate the global database for .com and .net domains.

In their claim, VeriSign asserts that ICANN intentionally tried to hinder VeriSign’s business ventures.

A similar case was thrown out of federal court in August.

VeriSign’s contract to handle .net domains, which the report indicates account for 31 percent of all web page views and 32 percent or roughly $100 billion of business-to-consumer transactions every year, expires in 2005.

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Aylo/SWOP Panel Spotlights Creators' Struggle for Digital, Financial Rights

Aylo and Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP) Behind Bars presented, on Tuesday, an online panel on creators’ rights, debanking and deplatforming.

AV Bulletin: Canada, Italy, Australia Updates

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, more state age verification laws have been enacted around the United States, as well as proposed at the federal level and in other countries. This roundup provides an update on the latest news and developments on the age verification front as it impacts the adult industry.

Holly Randall Soft Launches 'Wet Ink' Magazine

Holly Randall has officially soft-launched the creator-focused publication Wet Ink Magazine.

Virginia 'Porn Tax' Bill Delayed Until 2027

A Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee on Monday voted to postpone until next year consideration of a bill that would impose a 10% tax on the gross receipts of adult websites doing business in that state.

Virginia Becomes Latest State to Weigh 'Porn Tax'

The Virginia House of Delegates is considering a bill that would impose a 10% tax on the gross receipts of adult websites doing business in that state.

Elizabeth Skylar Launches Production Banner on VRPorn.com

Elizabeth Skylar has launched her own virtual reality production banner on VRPorn.com.

CrakRevenue Introduces 'Trend Explorer' Feature for Affiliates

CrakRevenue has debuted the new Trend Explorer feature for its affiliates.

Tube Sites Submitter Adds AI Video Description Generator

Tube Sites Submitter has introduced a new AI video description generator.

Pineapple Support Releases End of Year Review for 2025

Pineapple Support has released its End of Year Review for 2025, detailing the organization's achievements, challenges, and new initiatives.

Show More