Here's a history of dot cc
http://www.web.cc/advertisements/newmldomains.html
a piece of it...
..."...DotCC's system registers names in more than 28 languages and character sets. This compares favorably with experimental "testbed" registries offered by competitors and with systems that require additional software or alternative-root servers. Adoption of functioning multi-language systems by many competitors has been delayed by a difficult process of setting and implementing standards. ..."
