What is .msd?
Brand TLDs operate under Specification 13 of ICANN's registry agreement. It lets a trademark owner keep every second-level name for itself, so you won't find .msd names for sale at any registrar.
ICANN's records put the delegation of .msd on July 23, 2016. Like most of the newer endings, it was applied for in the 2012 New gTLD Program round and its registry agreement was signed on July 23, 2015.
MSD Registry Holdings, Inc. also runs one other TLD, including .merckmsd.
Under the hood, the root zone points to 6 name servers for .msd, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .msd haven't been tampered with on the way. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.msd).
Same registry, other endings
1 other TLD shares this operator.
.msd FAQ
What country is .msd?
None. .msd is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .msd domain extension?
MSD Registry Holdings, Inc. operates .msd as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .msd created?
.msd was delegated to the DNS root zone on July 23, 2016.
Is .msd a valid domain?
Yes. .msd is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2016, so .msd addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .msd domain?
No. .msd is a brand TLD under ICANN Specification 13, so names are reserved for MSD Registry Holdings, Inc.
Is .msd DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .msd.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed January 24, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
