Cayman Islands beats Wales to '. cym' domain name
Wales has lost out to the Cayman Islands in a bid to secure the rights to the internet domain name ". cym".
The decision by the United Nations marked the end of a four-year battle in which Wales hoped to be awarded the web address suffix, to represent "Cymru".
To make matters worse for Welsh nationalists hoping for their own distinct domain identity, the ruling rested on the fact that the Caymans, a tiny island state with a population of just 60,000, is recognised as a state, while Wales is part of Britain.
That the Cayman Islands already has the suffix ".ky" to use in its web addresses was not enough to prevent the Caribbean state taking precedence.
Siôn Jobbins, of dotCYM, a campaign orchestrated to support Wales's bid for the domain identity, told The Independent the group would be appealing for suggestions of alternatives to ". cym".
Submissions have included ". gwalia", in tribute to the "old romantic" name for Wales, and ". wales", but Mr Jobbins admitted it would be "a bit odd" to use an Anglicised word to promote Welsh culture and language.
He said: "We would have liked to get '. cym' ... bur I would be quite happy with another name. The important thing is the bid itself isn't in jeopardy."
To date the attempt to secure a separate domain name for Wales has cost £113,000, including a £20,000 grant from the Welsh Assembly Government.
