.LA Domain Names
LOS ANGELES is the world's first city to be awarded its own unique internet address: .LA!
What is a .LA domain?
The .LA domain is actually a ccTLD (country code top level domain) and the Internet country code for Laos. Located in Southeastern Asia, Laos is northeast of Thailand, and west of Vietnam. Laos covers 91,429 square miles, an area slightly larger than Utah. According to the July 2008 census, there are 6,677,534 people within Laos. The official language is Lao, although French, English, and various ethnic languages are spoken.
Why should I register a .LA domain name?
Although there is some use of this TLD for websites associated with Laos, it is mostly used outside this arena. CentralNic, the registry for .LA has marketed this domain for the city of Los Angeles (LA). DotLA lets you tell the world not only who you are, but WHERE you are. The domain's popularity has grown since it's launch in 1996 and continues to draw new registrations.
The .LA domain can also be used to represent Louisiana (United States state code LA) or Latin America, among others.
If you have a trademark, you need to protect it. Protecting your identity, as well as that of your business online is just as important as protecting you personal identity. By registering ccTLDs you are taking one more step toward preserving your trademark. It is much wiser to be the initial purchaser of a domain, than attempting to acquire it after someone else has.
Another great use for ccTLDs is acquiring shorter names. It is near impossible to register common words in more prevalent domains such as .NET or .COM. It is much more likely to find these types of domains available in a ccTLD. Similarly, domain hacks are much easier to find in ccTLDs. They lend themselves quite well to domains such as grano.la, umbrel.la, or mozzarel.la.
Are there any restrictions on registering a .LA domain?
There are no restrictions on the .LA ccTLD and anyone in the world is welcome to register these domain names.