DotWhatYouWant Is Here - The Implications Of New Generic Top-Level Domains

21/02/2012

By Duncan Jones, Trainee Solicitor, and Simon Bennett, partner, Technology And Digital Group at Fox Williams

On 12 January 2012, the window for applying for a new generic top-level domain name (gTLD) opened. The new system of gTLDs offers any interested the party the chance to register almost any name as a gTLD such as .law, .store or .google.

This offers brand owners a number of opportunities, including:

- Reinforcing a brand's reputation.

- Increasing the visibility of a brand online.

- Creating a trusted space on the web for a brand.

It would be possible to register ‘.brand’, which could then be...

...used to form a number of domain names based on the particular good or service being offered, for example, ‘www.laptops.brand’, ‘www.tablets.brand’, ‘www.software.brand’, and so on.

This would prevent the need to register domain names under various country codes and should reduce the risk of typo squatting.

However, before you rush to complete your application forms, there are some points to consider.

It is not cheap. The application will cost US$185,000, which includes a US$5,000 deposit. There is also the possibility of further fees depending on the nature and complexity of the application. It is thought that maintaining a gTLD would cost approximately US$25,000 per year.

An owner of a gTLD would be required to operate a domain name registry, which would involve being responsible for all the domain names using the gTLD. It would have to operate a dispute resolution policy, similar to the UDRP that currently applies to .com domain name disputes. An obvious cost to consider would be the need to employ skilled technical operators.

The application has deliberately been designed to be onerous, posing no fewer than 50 specific questions. An applicant would need to prove that it has a legitimate claim to run a particular... continued on page two >

 

 

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