New.Net Launches dotMOVIE - For Free

According to this article at ZDNet, new.net has launched the dotMOVIE extension into their root system. In an interesting departure, domain names under these extensions will be registered for free by new.net for each new movie that comes out - and the URL pointed to the equivalent address in the dotCOM space.

I'm not sure what to make of this move, but it doesn't striike me as being all that brave as a tactical move in their battle against ICANN. Nor does it strike me as being a particularly effective marketing move. First, simply pointing 'ironmonkey.movie" to "ironmonkey.com" serves only to continue to foster consumer perception that dotCOM is king. Not to mention that this redirection will only work if the end-user can see the new.net namespace in the first place. Secondly, free is free is free. Hundreds, if not thousands, of dotCOMpanies have proven over the last year that providing services for free doesn't build the sustainable revenue model that investors are looking for...

Time will, of course, tell.