Domain name shake-up

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will be deciding on a proposal that could see a huge increase in potential internet domain names. Icann is the primary regulator of the internet’s domain name system.

Currently, strict rules govern the registration of top-level domain (TLD) names such as .com and the individual country extensions (.com.sg; .com.my, etc). This Thursday, Icann will be voting to relax these rules to allow any string of characters to be used as a TLD.

This would allow thousands of new top-level domains to be created. Companies could then turn their brands into truly international domain names. This branding opportunity won’t come cheap, though – it is expected to cost at least “several thousand” dollars to register such a domain name.

Another issue could be conflicting claims to a name. Large companies would likely have the resources to secure names based on their intellectual property. Smaller companies may well face an uphill battle trying to secure their more localized brand names if conflicting claims do arise. In any case, it will be all the more important to officially register your various brand names and trademarks with the relevant national authorities.

Refer to the Icann website for the final draft report on this proposed TLD policy.