Google has won the rights to operate the .Moto new gTLD beating United TLD Holdings which is now Rightside.co (NAME) in what we can only assume was a private contention auction.

The new domain extension .Moto was scheduled to go to a ICANN Last Resort Auction later this month.

Google of course owns Motorola and applied for .Moto to use as a closed extension as a .Brand application more than a generic.

Here is what Google had to say about .Moto in its application to ICANN:

“Charleston Road Registry intends to operate the proposed gTLD as a closed registry with Google as the sole registrar and Motorola Mobility and its affiliates as the sole registrants.

The goal of the proposed gTLD is to allow Motorola Mobility to manage the domain name space for its offerings.

The proposed gTLD will provide Motorola Mobility with the ability to customize its domain and website names for its offerings to signal to the general population of Internet users that its .moto websites are indeed managed by Motorola Mobility.

The specialization goal of the proposed gTLD is to extend the Motorola Mobility brand and reputation to each dedicated domain space. This specialization provides a mechanism by which Motorola Mobility can easily link its products and services. This will allow Motorola Mobility to actively manage its brand presence as well as the introduction and phase out of spaces for new or retiring services.

This specialization makes it clear to Internet users that the proposed gTLD is the authoritative and designated space where they can find Motorola Mobility-related information, goods and services offered solely by Motorola Mobility, accessible via differentiated and streamlined web addresses.””

If your wondering why United/Rightside applied for .Moto here is how they saw the extension in their application:

The term “moto” is a generic and broadly used word that holds particular affinity for people and organizations interested and engaged in the world of motorcycles and other motor-equipped vehicles. Global in scope, today a passionate and engaged group of hundreds of millions of consumers and tens of thousands of organizations identify with this word. ”

“The mission and purpose of the .moto TLD is to establish an easily recognized and accessible namespace for this large and dynamic international group.”