The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a U.S.-appointed company that decides which new top level domains (TLD) can be added to the web, announced recently that 1,700 new TLDs would be up for auction this year. (To learn the difference between URLs and TLDs, read the brief primer on URL shorteners on our sister site, Subscription Site Insider.)ICANN’s announcement means that large corporations like Amazon can own .book. While there is an obvious need for new TLDs, the application alone costs $185,000, which means that independent publishers are unlikely to acquire TLDs of their own. Of course, few of us own the TLDs we currently use (.com, .org), but this virtual land grab for domains also means that conglomerates like Amazon or Apple can dictate the terms of use for anyone seeking a .book or .app URL. So far, 1,900 applications have been filed for the TLDs on auction, 76 by Amazon alone.There is one silver lining, particularly for local newspapers. The Boston Globe is looking to acquire .boston, which would allow it to “own” local websites. This might be a savvy way for local newspaper to provide a localized service on the globalized Web, and make up for the decline in classified advertising over the years. But they better be ready for the technology and staffing required to provide reliable domain hosting!