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 "excerpt": ".me is the country-code top-level domain of Montenegro, delegated by IANA in 2007 and managed by the private .ME Registry, which markets it worldwide for personal branding.",
 "snippet": ".me is the country-code top-level domain of Montenegro, delegated by IANA in 2007 and managed by the private .ME Registry, which markets it worldwide for personal branding.",
 "node": "technology.computing.networks.internet-governance.ip-governance-and-critical-resources",
 "markdown": "# .me\n\n**.me** is the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) assigned to [Montenegro](https://www.edgepedia.org/montenegro), which its registry has marketed worldwide as a personal-branding extension because the string reads as the English word \"me\". It is owned by the country of Montenegro and managed by .ME Registry, also known as domain.me, a private company that signed an agreement with the Montenegrin Government in 2007.<sup>[1](https://domain.me/faq/)</sup>\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Type and manager | ccTLD of Montenegro; owned by the country, operated by .ME Registry (domain.me) under a 2007 government agreement<sup>[1](https://domain.me/faq/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db)</sup> |\n| Delegation | IANA delegated the .ME top-level domain to the Government of Montenegro on 11 September 2007<sup>[3](https://46-8.dc.icann.org/domains/root/db/me.html)</sup> |\n| Opening dates | Became active on 24 September 2007; second-level registration opened to the world on 17 July 2008<sup>[4](https://seo.domains/seo-resources/domain-extensions/me-domain/)</sup> |\n| Eligibility | Second-level registration is unrestricted; third-level names under .net.me and .org.me are only available to individuals and entities of Montenegro<sup>[5](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/cctld/me/index)</sup> |\n| Name rules | Letters, numbers, and dashes only; 1 to 63 characters; no leading or trailing dash<sup>[5](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/cctld/me/index)</sup> |\n| Scale | About 9.6 million .me domains tracked by the DomainsProject statistics project<sup>[6](https://domainsproject.org/stats/tld/me)</sup> |\n| Premium market, H1 2025 | 34 premium registrations, €222,500 in revenue, average price €6,500 per domain<sup>[7](https://domain.me/h1-2025-me-premium-domain-report/)</sup> |\n\n## Origin and delegation\n\nMontenegro became an independent country in 2006 after the dissolution of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. In September 2006 the [ISO 3166](https://www.edgepedia.org/iso-3166) maintenance agency issued new two-letter codes, assigning \"RS\" to Serbia and \"ME\" to Montenegro, and Montenegro gained the corresponding internet domain extension .me.<sup>[1](https://domain.me/faq/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://forum.icann.org/lists/drd-analysis-report/pdfMHNJ8JmjMA.pdf)</sup> In December 2006, Serbian and Montenegrin domain name administrators agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding covering the transition from the former .yu domain to .rs and .me, and shortly afterward the Government of Montenegro submitted a delegation request to IANA.<sup>[8](https://forum.icann.org/lists/drd-analysis-report/pdfMHNJ8JmjMA.pdf)</sup>\n\nIANA delegated the .ME top-level domain to the Government of Montenegro on 11 September 2007.<sup>[3](https://46-8.dc.icann.org/domains/root/db/me.html)</sup> The IANA report on the delegation describes the plan for establishing the registry, including technical implementation, staff, and financial resources, and notes that the government was assisted with expertise and software by CZ.NIC, the operator of the Czech Republic's country-code domain.<sup>[9](https://46-8.dc.icann.org/reports/2007/me-report-11sep2007.html)</sup> The domain became active on 24 September 2007, and second-level registration opened to the general public on 17 July 2008.<sup>[4](https://seo.domains/seo-resources/domain-extensions/me-domain/)</sup>\n\n**Operation.** Although the domain is owned by Montenegro, day-to-day management rests with .ME Registry, a private company that won a request for proposal published by the Montenegrin government in 2007 and has operated the ccTLD since.<sup>[1](https://domain.me/faq/)</sup> ICANN and Montenegro formalized their relationship with an Exchange of Letters dated 13 May 2013.<sup>[10](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/cctlds/cctlds-en)</sup> The Montenegrin government continues to publish information on the status of the national domain's management.<sup>[11](https://www.gov.me/en/documents/f93811aa-c7e1-4137-9792-da5c8df2444e)</sup>\n\n## Registration rules\n\nRegistration of .me domain names at the second level is unrestricted, so anyone anywhere can register one.<sup>[5](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/cctld/me/index)</sup> Third-level names under .net.me and .org.me are reserved for individuals and entities of Montenegro.<sup>[5](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/cctld/me/index)</sup> Names may contain only letters, numbers, or dashes, may not begin or end with a dash, and may run from one to 63 characters.<sup>[5](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/cctld/me/index)</sup>\n\nBecause .me is a country code, disputes are handled under the ccTLD dispute framework: a [World Intellectual Property Organization](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-intellectual-property-organization) panel decision noted that the .me ccTLD operates as the sole country code for Montenegro, comparable to .fr for France or .de for Germany, and that Montenegrin government institutions, universities, and public bodies use .me for their official websites.<sup>[12](https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/pdf/2025/dme2025-0015.pdf)</sup>\n\n## Personal branding and the premium market\n\nThe registry repositioned the string around the English word \"me\", and the extension has become popular with people who want to claim their pronoun for personal branding. Websites ending in .me are often used for personal websites, portfolios, blogs, and online resumes, because \"me\" personalizes an online presence.<sup>[13](https://apnews.com/article/2a6044ed4082e866ccf675e79a57e6f4)</sup> The string also lends itself to call-to-action domains such as join.me-style names, a use the registry itself promotes.<sup>[7](https://domain.me/h1-2025-me-premium-domain-report/)</sup>\n\n**Premium sales.** The registry designates certain short or keyword names as premium domains, which carry a high registration cost but renew at the regular price. In the first half of 2025, 34 premium .me domains were registered, up from 16 in the first half of 2024, generating €222,500 in revenue excluding the registrar's margin, typically between 15% and 25%. The average price was €6,500 per domain, and 10 of the registrations were one- or two-character domains.<sup>[7](https://domain.me/h1-2025-me-premium-domain-report/)</sup> GoDaddy was the most active registrar with 7 domains, followed by [Cloudflare](https://www.edgepedia.org/cloudflare) with 5 and Gandi and Gname with 3 each; buyers came chiefly from the United States, with 18 domains.<sup>[7](https://domain.me/h1-2025-me-premium-domain-report/)</sup> Notable registrations included bite.me, taken by [Interscope Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/interscope-records) for the album \"Bite Me\" by the singer and actress [Reneé Rapp](https://www.edgepedia.org/renee-rapp), along with claim.me, opt.me, truck.me, partners.me, and seed.me, several of which were already developed into working services.<sup>[7](https://domain.me/h1-2025-me-premium-domain-report/)</sup>\n\n## SEO and perception\n\nFor search purposes, .me is a country code that behaves much like a generic extension in practice. A review of sourced facts on the extension concludes that .me reads cleanly as personal and carries no technical or security disadvantage against .com, and that the perceived gap narrows where the use matches the extension, as with a personal brand or portfolio.<sup>[4](https://seo.domains/seo-resources/domain-extensions/me-domain/)</sup>\n\nThe broader market context still favors .com. Wix's 2026 study of domain registration trends found that people prefer a .com when their brand name is available, even as extensions like .ai, .io, and .store see rising adoption.<sup>[14](https://www.techradar.com/pro/com-is-still-the-default-wix-reports-that-domain-trends-are-shifting-but-com-remains-king)</sup> Within that landscape, .me occupies the personal-branding niche, alongside other repurposed country codes such as .ly for Libya, used by the link shortener bit.ly, and .co for Colombia.<sup>[13](https://apnews.com/article/2a6044ed4082e866ccf675e79a57e6f4)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [FAQ, Domain.ME](https://domain.me/faq/)\n2. [Root Zone Database, IANA](https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db)\n3. [.me Domain Delegation Data, IANA](https://46-8.dc.icann.org/domains/root/db/me.html)\n4. [Register me domain name: cost, SEO and .me value, SEO.Domains](https://seo.domains/seo-resources/domain-extensions/me-domain/)\n5. [ME - Montenegro, WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center ccTLD pages](https://www.wipo.int/en/web/amc/domain-name-disputes/cctld/me/index)\n6. [.me Domain Statistics, DomainsProject](https://domainsproject.org/stats/tld/me)\n7. [H1 2025 .ME Premium Domain Report, Domain.ME](https://domain.me/h1-2025-me-premium-domain-report/)\n8. [ICANN forum document on the .yu to .rs and .me transition](https://forum.icann.org/lists/drd-analysis-report/pdfMHNJ8JmjMA.pdf)\n9. [IANA Report on the Delegation of the .ME Top-Level Domain (11 September 2007)](https://46-8.dc.icann.org/reports/2007/me-report-11sep2007.html)\n10. [ccTLD Agreements, ICANN](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/cctlds/cctlds-en)\n11. [Informacija o statusu upravljanja nacionalnim internet domenom „.me“, Government of Montenegro](https://www.gov.me/en/documents/f93811aa-c7e1-4137-9792-da5c8df2444e)\n12. [WIPO Domain Name Dispute Case No. DME2025-0015](https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/pdf/2025/dme2025-0015.pdf)\n13. [Countries that have cashed in on their top-level domain names, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/2a6044ed4082e866ccf675e79a57e6f4)\n14. ['.com is still the default': Wix reports that domain trends are shifting, but .com remains king, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/pro/com-is-still-the-default-wix-reports-that-domain-trends-are-shifting-but-com-remains-king)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Computing and digital systems › Networks and security › Security governance and internet policy › Internet governance › IP address and critical internet resource governance*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "speakable": ".me is the country-code top-level domain of Montenegro, delegated by IANA in 2007 and managed by the private.ME Registry, which markets it worldwide for personal branding."
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