The domain name .net is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) used in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from network, indicating its originally intended purpose for organizations involved in networking technologies, such as Internet service providers and other infrastructure companies. However, restrictions were never enforced and the domain is a general purpose name space. It is still popular with network operators, and is often treated as an alternate to com. Net is one of the original top-level domains (the other five being .com, .edu, .gov, .mil, and .org) despite not being mentioned in RFC 920, having been created in January 1985. As of 2009, it is the fourth most popular top-level domain, after .com, .cn, and .de VeriSign, the operator of .net after acquiring Network Solutions, held an operations contract that expired on June 30, 2005. ICANN, the organization responsible for domain management, sought proposals from organizations to operate the domain upon expiration of the contract. VeriSign regained the contract bid, and secured its control over the net registry for another six years. Registrations are processed via accredited registrars and internationalized domain names are also accepted.