When creating a new website, businesses devote plenty of thought
to choosing a domain name that suits both the company name and the brand
image they are trying to project. Ideally the website address should
match the company name, a specific product, or some other term that fits
with the company image. Often the domain name will play an integral
part in the actual design of the site too, further emphasizing the
importance of a good address.
gTLDs - The blessing
For years experts have been warning about a shortage of suitable domain names built around the current 22 top level domains. Businesses looking to start a new website have had problems finding available addresses ending in.com,.net,.org and similar. To address this problem, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) who are responsible for coordinating domain name registrations across the world, have implemented a new system that should make millions of new website addresses available.
Enter the new "global top level domains" (gTLD). As well as the 22 traditional top level domains, businesses will soon have a virtually endless choice of new top level domains to choose from including.shop,.search and even.guru. But these new gTLDs also present a problem to established brands and website owners.
gTLDs - The curse
However, for every new good gTLD registration, there is also the opportunity for scammers to try and hijack well-established brand names. Consider this example:
Mr Smith the plumber has successfully operated a website advertising his services at smiththeplumber.co.uk for many years. But when the new gTLDs go live, someone else registers the smiththe.plumber website address before he does. If the other registrant sets up a website at the new address, Mr Smith's own site could start to lose traffic as visitors end up at the wrong site by accident. Worse still, the owner of smiththe.plumber could try and use Smith's brand as a cover to defraud people, or set up a site criticising Mr Smith.
gTLDS - The cost
Businesses often to buy additional domain names they have no intention of using just to prevent situations like this happening. But the release of literally thousands of new domain names, the cost of taking these brand-protection measures will increase exponentially. The new gTLDs are being released in tranches, but there are already 21 available. If Smith the plumber tried to register all 21 variants of his existing domain name, it would cost him £525 ($873) per year - a sum that will only increase as more gTLDs become available.
Not just a theoretical problem
Early results suggest that domain speculators have already begun collecting up hundreds of addresses that appear to be closely related to established brands. In the United Kingdom, around 80% of addresses using the new.web format have been registered by third parties who hold no rights to the brand names being copied. Among the high profile businesses affected are Burberry, HSBC bank and John Lewis.
Businesses are being urged to register their trademarks as soon as possible with the Trademark Clearinghouse to try and prevent issues of cybersquatting further down the line. The Trademark Clearinghouse is operated by ICANN and is designed to reduce incidences of cybersquatting. Future gTLD registrations will be checked against Clearinghouse records to ensure that trademarks are not being infringed before being approved. In this way it is hoped that disputes over gTLD domain names can be resolved quickly and easily without costly court cases.
For any business concerned about cybersquatting, it is imperative that they register with the ICANN Trademark Clearinghouse as soon as possible. There is a fee attached to registration, but the cost is much more bearable for smaller businesses than trying to register every upcoming gTLD variant of their brand.
gTLDs - The blessing
For years experts have been warning about a shortage of suitable domain names built around the current 22 top level domains. Businesses looking to start a new website have had problems finding available addresses ending in.com,.net,.org and similar. To address this problem, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) who are responsible for coordinating domain name registrations across the world, have implemented a new system that should make millions of new website addresses available.
Enter the new "global top level domains" (gTLD). As well as the 22 traditional top level domains, businesses will soon have a virtually endless choice of new top level domains to choose from including.shop,.search and even.guru. But these new gTLDs also present a problem to established brands and website owners.
gTLDs - The curse
However, for every new good gTLD registration, there is also the opportunity for scammers to try and hijack well-established brand names. Consider this example:
Mr Smith the plumber has successfully operated a website advertising his services at smiththeplumber.co.uk for many years. But when the new gTLDs go live, someone else registers the smiththe.plumber website address before he does. If the other registrant sets up a website at the new address, Mr Smith's own site could start to lose traffic as visitors end up at the wrong site by accident. Worse still, the owner of smiththe.plumber could try and use Smith's brand as a cover to defraud people, or set up a site criticising Mr Smith.
gTLDS - The cost
Businesses often to buy additional domain names they have no intention of using just to prevent situations like this happening. But the release of literally thousands of new domain names, the cost of taking these brand-protection measures will increase exponentially. The new gTLDs are being released in tranches, but there are already 21 available. If Smith the plumber tried to register all 21 variants of his existing domain name, it would cost him £525 ($873) per year - a sum that will only increase as more gTLDs become available.
Not just a theoretical problem
Early results suggest that domain speculators have already begun collecting up hundreds of addresses that appear to be closely related to established brands. In the United Kingdom, around 80% of addresses using the new.web format have been registered by third parties who hold no rights to the brand names being copied. Among the high profile businesses affected are Burberry, HSBC bank and John Lewis.
Businesses are being urged to register their trademarks as soon as possible with the Trademark Clearinghouse to try and prevent issues of cybersquatting further down the line. The Trademark Clearinghouse is operated by ICANN and is designed to reduce incidences of cybersquatting. Future gTLD registrations will be checked against Clearinghouse records to ensure that trademarks are not being infringed before being approved. In this way it is hoped that disputes over gTLD domain names can be resolved quickly and easily without costly court cases.
For any business concerned about cybersquatting, it is imperative that they register with the ICANN Trademark Clearinghouse as soon as possible. There is a fee attached to registration, but the cost is much more bearable for smaller businesses than trying to register every upcoming gTLD variant of their brand.
Article by Ben Lloyd.
Trading as Tech Write, Ben Lloyd is a freelance technical copywriting specialist creating web content and marketing collateral for some of the world's largest brands.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Lloyd
Trading as Tech Write, Ben Lloyd is a freelance technical copywriting specialist creating web content and marketing collateral for some of the world's largest brands.
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