.ag is the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

country code Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science ...

top-level domain A top-level domain (TLD) is one of the domains at the highest level in the hierarchical Domain Name System The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system for computers, services, and other resources in the ...

(

ccTLD A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It ...

) for Antigua and Barbuda.

Second and third level registrations

Registrations can be made at the second level directly beneath .ag, or at the third level beneath: * .com.ag or .co.ag (intended for commercial entities) * .org.ag (intended for organisations, especially nonprofits) * .net.ag (intended for network operators/providers) * .nom.ag (intended for individuals) There are no restrictions on who can register.

Domain hacks

In addition to its original intended use as a country code, the .ag domain has been marketed for use for agriculture-related sites, and for sites referencing the atomic symbol for

silver Silver is a chemical element A chemical element is a species of atoms that have a given number of protons in their nuclei, including the pure substance consisting only of that species. Unlike chemical compounds, chemical elements ...

, ''Ag''. It also has a potential use for other

domain hack A domain hack is a domain name A domain name is a string that identifies a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control within the Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer netwo ...

s for English words that end in -ag. The Heritage Foundation uses .ag for

URL shortening URL shortening is a technique on the World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet The Internet ...

(herit.ag).

".ag" used to mean "''Aktiengesellschaft''"

Aktiengesellschaft, abbreviated AG, is a German term that refers to a

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objecti ...

that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership A partnership is an arrangement where parties ...

s, and may be traded on a

stock market A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman ...

. The term is used in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political ent ...

, and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel, St. Gall ...

, but not

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are t ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

Legal status of .ag in Germany

A German court (''5. Zivilsenat des Oberlandesgerichtes Hamburg'') ruled in July 2004 that a ''.ag'' domain may only be registered by an '' Aktiengesellschaft'', and then only by an AG that has the same name as the domain. For example, a company with shareholders in Germany having the name X AG may not register as y.ag. http://www.internet4jurists.at/domain/e_deutsch.htm

Use in Greenland

Sermitsiaq uses the TLD.

References

External links

List of .AG Registrars

Communications in Antigua and Barbuda Country code top-level domains Computer-related introductions in 1991 {{compu-domain-stub sv:Toppdomän#A