CIF hopeful as Google hints at exit from cloud domain race

Cloud body warns battle to prevent .cloud domain registry is still not over, despite positive signals from Google

Google has hinted that it will withdraw its application to own the ".cloud" closed registry, according to the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF), which claims that despite the positive development, its battle is far from over.

CIF and a variety of other cloud bodies have been campaigning to prevent the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – which is in charge of creating domain names such ".com" and ".co.uk" – handing a single firm the rights to the soon-to-be-established ".cloud" domain, for fear of creating an uneven playing field for cloud firms.

Since the window for objections to the proposals closed last week, CIF claims Google is intending to back out of the running to buy the ".cloud" domain along with ".app", ".blog" and ".search".

Google's chief information officer Ben Fried said the firm had noted "particular sensitivity within the internet community about certain broad terms that serve as industry descriptors".

Despite the positive step, CIF insists it is continuing its fight. CIF's chairman Andy Burton said that while Google has signalled a change of heart, it is not a foregone conclusion that it will formally withdraw its application for the closed domain.

Burton added that Amazon has "steadfastly stuck to its original position", which is disappointing.

He said: "[Amazon] maintains that it is too late to change the process now and that we should all let competition authorities police what happens in the real world [after] the launch of ‘.cloud'.

"Arguably, it will be too late if any vendor is permitted to lay claim to ‘.cloud' as a closed registry as we all know this is a nascent market that is now coming of age and the damage will likely be done.

"I wonder why trying to lay claim to ‘.cloud' so important to them unless they realise the potential of the phrase."

David Terrar, chairman of Intellect SaaS Group and chief executive at D2C, added: "There is a great deal at stake here so the fact that so many member and trade organisations have publicly condemned the proposals is positive.

"If one company does succeed in laying claim to ‘.cloud', we will likely end up with a two-tier marketplace in which all other providers