View source for .la

{{short description|Internet country-code top level domain for Laos}}
{{for|the .la file extension|Libtool}}
{{Infobox top level domain
| name = .la
| image = DotLa domain logo.svg
| introduced = 14 May 1996
| type = [[Country code top-level domain]]
| status = Active
| registry = LA Names Corporation
| sponsor = Lao National Internet Committee
| intendeduse = Entities connected with Laos
| actualuse = Marketed as a domain for [[Los Angeles]]; popular in [[Latin America]] and [[Laos]]; used by [[Toki Pona]] websites; sometimes used for domain hacks.
| restrictions = None; some names are reserved as "premium names" at extra cost
| structure = Registrations are taken directly at the second level
| document = [http://www.icann.org/cctlds/la/ ICANN .la MoU]<br/>[https://www.la/policies Policies]
| disputepolicy = [[UDRP]]
| website = {{url|https://lanic.gov.la/}}
| dnssec = yes
}}

'''.la''' is the [[Internet]] [[country code top-level domain]] (ccTLD) for [[Laos]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.laopdr.gov.la/ |title=National Portal of Lao PDR |access-date=2013-07-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022074225/http://www.laopdr.gov.la/ |archive-date=2013-10-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/la.html|title = IANA — .la Domain Delegation Data}}</ref>

Although the .la domain is officially assigned to the country of Laos, subdomains have been delegated to some organizations outside Laos.

==History==
The LA Names Corporation, based in [[Guernsey]], has gained the rights to market .la registrations, and they had used the registry services of [[Afilias]] and, formerly, the registrar services of [[DreamHost]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2013}} However, DreamHost has discontinued .la registrar services {{As of|2006|May|df=|lc=y}}. LA Names and CentralNic, Ltd. completed the transfer of the .la domain name to the [[CentralNic]] system in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/los-angeles-has-its-own-domain-name-722255.htm|title=Los Angeles Has Its Own Domain Name|work=Marketwire}}</ref> Cabel Sasser of [[Panic Inc.|Panic]] created "Poopla" (xn--ls8h.la), "The World's First [[Emoji domain|Emoji Domain]]" on April 13, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=The World's First Emoji Domain|url=https://panic.com/blog/the-worlds-first-emoji-domain/|website=Panic Blog|publisher=Panic|access-date=31 August 2017}}</ref> A company based in of Hong Kong by the name of Sterling Holdings originally purchased the [[TLD]] from Laos, and marketed it towards users in Louisiana and Los Angeles.

==Popular use==

The domain is used by organizations in the state of [[Louisiana]] (whose [[List of U.S. state and territory abbreviations#Postal code|postal abbreviation]] is '''LA''') and the city of [[Los Angeles]].<ref name="investvine">{{cite web |url=http://investvine.com/laos-sells-la-domain-to-los-angeles-businesses/ |title=Laos rents '.la' Internet domain to Los Angeles businesses |first=Arno |last=Maierbrugger |work=Inside Investor |date=10 July 2013 |access-date=11 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914043412/http://investvine.com/laos-sells-la-domain-to-los-angeles-businesses/ |archive-date=2013-09-14 |url-status=live }}</ref> No official or unofficial association exists between the .la domain and any government in the United States. Technically, Louisiana and Los Angeles are assigned .la.us and .la.ca.us, respectively, under the [[.us]] locality namespace. The .la ccTLD also sees limited use for businesses in [[Latin America]], such as [[Intel]]'s site for the region.

The .la domain is also used for [[domain hack]]s in the [[French language]] and the [[Chinese language]]. ''{{linktext|là}}'' means "there" in French and in Italian, and in other [[Romance languages]]; "{{linktext|啦}}" ({{zh|p=[[:wikt:la#Mandarin|la]]}}) is a common [[modal particle|modal word]] at the end of a sentence or a phrase in [[Mandarin Chinese]] and [[Cantonese]].

[[Mozilla Foundation]]'s [[URL shortener]] uses it with the "mzl.la" domain hack.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=880974#c1|title=880974 – adding a tinyurl.com link is blocked as spam at wiki.mozilla.org|work=mozilla.org}}</ref>

[[Tesla Motors]] uses "ts.la" domain hack as a shortener and a [[URL redirection|redirect]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ts.la/|title=Tesla Motors - Premium Electric Vehicles|work=ts.la}}</ref>

[[Digikala]], an e-commerce startup in [[Iran]] and the Middle East uses the "dgka.la" domain hack as a shortener.

The [[Network information center]] of .la is oriented to pages based in Los Angeles.<ref>http://www.nic.la redirects to https://www.la/. Page https://www.la/e/about uses the slogan "The Internet Address For Los Angeles".</ref>

The [[Digital Public Library of America]] uses dp.la.

In [[Toki Pona]], the word ''la'' is used as a context marker. Therefore, many popular Toki Pona websites use the ".la" domain, such as ''sona pona'', an English wiki about Toki Pona, and ''lipu Linku'', a Toki Pona dictionary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Main Page |url=https://sona.pona.la/wiki/Main_Page |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=sona.pona.la}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=lipu Linku |url=https://linku.la/ |access-date=April 5, 2025 |website=linku.la}}</ref>

==Lao language domain==
{{Infobox top level domain
| name = .ລາວ
| sponsor = Lao National Internet Center (LANIC)
| intendeduse = Entities connected with {{LAO}} which use the [[Lao script]]
}}
In 2008 a preliminary application was made to open the [[Internationalized country code top-level domain|internationalized top level domain]] '''{{lang|lo|.ລາວ}}''' (the name of Laos in the [[Lao language]]).<ref>[http://www.vip.icann.org/en/resources/idn/fast-track/interest/gov-lao-pdr IDN ccTLD Form of Interest | Laos]</ref> In 2019 this top level domain was approved. Web sites will come at a later stage. It is intended for usage with [[domain names]] in [[Lao script]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/la.html IANA .la whois information]

{{CcTLD}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:La}}
[[Category:Communications in Laos]]
[[Category:Country code top-level domains]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1996]]

[[sv:Toppdomän#L]]