Name Initiative Turns to Crowd Funding — .HIV Domain

A charity top level domain wants you to be charitable to get it off the ground.

A group hoping to launch the .HIV top level domain name is turning to crowdfunding to raise the six figures required to apply for the domain.

The idea is that firms can use a .hiv domain in addition to .com to generate money for HIV/AIDS research. The group’s site states that money will be earned with each click to a .hiv web site, although it’s unclear if the owner of the second level domain is the one that ends up making the donation.

The group is raising money through crowdfunding platform indiegogo.com. So far it’s $100 toward its $150,000 goal. Although raising the money is feasible (probably through a larger grant, though), they need to aim for much more than $150,000 to make this work.

If you donate $150 you’ll get a coupon for a free .hiv domain assuming it becomes reality.