.PRO on its way to becoming just another TLD

Realizing there are more professional vocations in the world than just medicine, the law, and two others, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is easing its earlier restrictions on the .PRO top-level domain.

The .PRO domain, which is maintained by RegistryPro, was launched in 2004 for exclusive use by certain industry professionals: accounting, law, medicine, and engineering. Up to now, qualified professionals seeking a domain name ending in .PRO also had to live in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, or Germany. Now, the lifting of those restrictions by ICANN will open .PRO to such far-fetched possibilities as attorneys in Japan or engineers in Australia.

Users will simply have to fill out an online registration form with the company's name, their profession and a qualifying license number, before awaiting approval. Anybody who has credentials "from a certifying governmental authority anywhere in the world" will be able to apply for and receive a .PRO domain name.

The new rules will also make it easier for users to register for a second-level domain (doctormcaskill.pro), which is when a certain domain profession is not identified in the URL. Previously, it was required that an individual have at least one third-level (doctormcaskill.med.pro) .pro name, or at least have attempted to register for a third-level domain name.

Both new registrants and previous .PRO users will have to self-certify their credentials, and agree that the domain name will be used solely by them for professional uses only. Each .PRO domain name holder will have to offer evidence once per year to prove she's using the registration in a proper manner. The new rules are scheduled to go into effect July 14.