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GlossaryExtensions

Legacy TLD

A legacy TLD is a generic top-level domain that existed before ICANN's 2012 new gTLD program, such as .com, .net, .org, .info or .biz, as opposed to the more than 1,200 new gTLDs that round introduced.

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Also called legacy gTLD

Legacy TLD, explained

The group covers the original 1980s set, including .com, .net and .org, and the extensions ICANN added in its 2000 and 2004 rounds, such as .info, .biz, .mobi and .asia. Each runs under its own registry agreement, and the differences matter to holders. Verisign's .com agreement still caps the wholesale price, allowing increases of up to 7% a year in the last four years of each six-year period (plus narrow, capped cost-recovery increases in other years), while the 2019 .org agreement dropped the price cap its 2013 version contained. Rights protection differs too: the 2019 .org agreement added the Uniform Rapid Suspension system, and the .com agreement does not include it.

Legacy status says nothing about liquidity. The .com market is by far the deepest, accounting for 66% of Sedo's sales in 2025, and several older extensions see few reported resales. Judge each extension on its sales record and renewal terms, not on its age.

Example. A .info name is a legacy TLD registration, yet its resale market is far thinner than that of the same word in .com.

Go deeper How to Value and Price a Domain Name

Sources

  1. ICANN — ICANN opens application window for new generic top-level domains (Apr 30, 2026)
  2. ICANN — .com Registry Agreement (Dec 1, 2024)
  3. ICANN — .org Registry Agreement (June 30, 2019)
  4. ICANN — .org Registry Agreement (Aug 22, 2013)
  5. InterNetX and Sedo — Global Domain Report 2026 (data for 2025)

Education, not financial, legal or tax advice. Domain investing is speculative and most domain names never sell. Read the disclaimer.

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