The long-established domain name .goo has officially ceased operation, marking the end of an era for Japanese search portals from the 1990s.

Recently, another classic brand top-level domain has announced its departure – the .goo top-level domain has completed its voluntary termination of operation, becoming the second case of a brand domain ceasing operation recently.

.goo is no ordinary domain: it's backed by a search engine of the same name that was once active in the Japanese market—a search portal with a 1990s vibe, created by Japanese telecommunications giant NTT, and once a landmark product of the early Japanese internet ecosystem.

However, with market evolution, this veteran search tool gradually lost its competitiveness and was "permanently shut down in a short period" in November 2024. Now, even the accompanying .goo top-level domain has officially ceased operation.

The departure of established brand domains often accompanies changes in the industry ecosystem—the movements of these domains that carry the memories of an era are worth continued attention from the domain name community.