Artsy moves from the domain name Art.sy to Artsy.net while Syria conflict escalates

Artsy first registered the art.sy domain in 2009, and chose the name Art.sy because it is the shortest spellable English language domain that begins with the word “art.” In April of 2011, they renewed the contract for another two years, extending the registration through the end of 2013. Subsequently, as the conflict in Syria escalated, they realized it might not be possible to renew the domain again due to U.S. sanctions. Artsy also did not want a domain that could be construed in any way as supporting the Syrian government. As such, they purchased the artsy.net domain in 2012 in preparation for a transition later in 2013.