Nominet has recently released 2831 previously reserved domain nmaes .The release of the sort domain names reaised £3m for Nominet Trust,following three phases of registration .
You can read the press release after the jump :"Nominet, the not-for-profit organisation which runs the .uk Internet infrastructure, today announces that the net proceeds of its release of 2831 'short domains' totals £3m following three phases of registration. Rights holders were given priority during two rights-holder 'sunrise' phases prior to general release. Prior to the sunrise phases, Nominet contacted over 20,000 rights holders as part of an extensive outreach and consultation to ensure that all stakeholders were aware of the plans to make the short domains available and could have a say in the design of the release process.
Where domains were not applied for by rights holders, any member of the public was able to apply, with multiple applications being decided by auction. The net proceeds have been donated to Nominet Trust for the support of projects that contribute to a safe and accessible Internet for the improvement of lives and communities around the UK.
The average .co.uk reserved domain sold for close to £5,000 at auction, but many rights holders including British Airways (ba.co.uk), Virgin Enterprises (v.co.uk), the Financial Times (ft.co.uk) secured their domains in the sunrise process.
The vast majority of the short domains have now been registered and the registrant information is accessible via the WHOIS tool on Nominet’s website.
"We’ve been grateful for the participation of the Internet community in making this process a success," comments Nick Wenban-Smith, Senior Legal Counsel for Nominet. "We were determined that the release of these domains was as fair, transparent and orderly as possible. The revenue raised for Nominet Trust was at the top end of our expectations."
"The internet is a powerful tool for social good. The funds will be invested in charities and social enterprises that use the internet to support vulnerable people, improve health and well-being, encourage entrepreneurship, and promote education and literacy," says Annika Small, Director of Nominet Trust.
With the additional funds from the release of short domains, Nominet’s total contribution to the Nominet Trust in its financial year ending 1st October 2011 will be £7m. "