Elements for a successful gTLD: Lessons from the .cat experience for new community gTLDs

'Cat', the generic top level domain (gTLD) designed to fulfil the needs of the worldwide Catalan speaking community on the Internet, has been praised as a success in the Internet domain name sector after seven years of operation. So much so that some long established TLDs have started to develop a similar community approach and use language as a market segmentation tool to engage new registrants. It has been also an inspiration for new geographical and community based gTLD applications. This paper discusses what led to .cat's success, including its governance arrangements, and how some new gTLDs that will soon be delegated by ICANN could benefit from its business strategy.