Google Loses Domain Name

[netPH]

Google Loses Domain Name In Azerbaijan (Google.az)

Last year Google started the "Google Azerbaijan Project", Google was translated into Azerbaijani and www.google.az was used for all local Azerbaijani users.
How it works is when a searcher from Azerbaijani goes to www.google.com, it determines user's location (by IP address) and redirects to www.google.az, which opens Google in Azerbaijani language
Starting this morning, google.az does not respond. A query of WhoIs.az shows that the domain doesn't exist.

According to xeber.net,the company dealing with .az domain names (Network Technologies) usually deletes it if domain owner doesn't pay the domain's support fees for the current year, which caused the domain to be dropped and its DNS records cleared. Support fee for .az domains is about 30 $ a year.

Whatever caused this problem; the fact is that no user from Azerbaijan can use the Google's Azerbaijan services. Although, they can still utilize Google search by going to http://www.google.com/search

SOURCE: http://www.bakutoday.net/view.php?d=9807

 

[Anthony]

Wow, interesting news, netPH.

My question is whether there were many Azerbaijani Google users in the first place. Maybe Google decided there weren't enough users from that country...

 

[netPH]

yes..probably Anthony
...but it's only $30/year to reg a .az .. not a big deal vs lawsuits/disputes...

 

[Banned User]

=/ where would you even register a .az could not find anything about registering one on google

 

[Wesley]

Interesting... Now, why would Google BOTHER doing that? Wouldn't they spend more time setting it up than people who used it? I mean, they have around 7.8 million people, and 49% are below the poverty line... How many people there have even heard of Google? lol