Definition: New.net

(New.net, Inc., Sherman Oaks, CA) An organization that used to offer top-level domains (TLDs) such as .shop, .inc, .family, .travel, .law, .sport and .tech. The New.net domains were simulated. Behind the scenes, the new.net domain was appended to the name; for example, abc.shop became abc.shop.new.net.

To use the New.net domain, ISPs were required to add software to their servers, and if users were not customers of that ISP, they had to download a NewDotNet browser plug-in for Internet Explorer. New.net generated considerable controversy. The NewDotNet plug-in, which was difficult to remove, generated unwanted popups and also directed users to sponsored sites whenever they mistyped a URL.