September 1st marked the first day when the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) permitted the release of .fi top-level domain names that do not have to include a company name or registered trademark.
The response was immediate and overwhelming. FICORA reported that companies registered some 17,000 new .fi domains in the first day alone. This was not much less than they had anticipated for the entire period to the end of this year. Six thousand were registered online in the first half-hour, while those who had patiently lined up outside FICORA's door had a much more painful experience, as there was only one person on the customer service desk.
What prompted the stampede in part was the belief that certain names might have a considerable commercial value. There was much advance discussion, for instance, of which firm or association might pick up such web addresses as kauppa.fi (shop/trade), lainaa.fi (loans), or even viina.fi (booze).
