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Make your trademarked .company stand out with .today's new gTLDS

by  David Dwyer on  04/04/2014

Use gTLDs to demonstrate your creativity while protecting your brand

The release of highly desirable gTLDs I mentioned in my last blog continues apace this week, as .repair, .builders, .camp and .training went live, ready to be snapped up by individuals and business owners keen to embrace the possibilities they offer. 
 
These suffixes, and the many hundreds still to come, will change the Internet forever. With the new location, occupation, lifestyle or industry-specific gLTDs, you’ll be able to personalise your business or personal web address to a degree never before possible. If you’re based in Glasgow, why settle for .com when you can have .scot? Why choose ReliableBuilders.com when you can make an impression with Reliable.Builders?
 
The new arrangements also allow holders of registered trademarks to adopt their business name as their new gTLD. As you’d expect, Apple has applied for .Apple, and Microsoft for .Xbox and .Windows – but  Google beats them all by applying for over 100! (http://www.examiner.com/article/google-applies-for-over-100-gtlds-while-apple-applies-for-only-one)   
 
Why are they doing this? To protect their brands. And if you hold a registered trademark, you should do the same.
 
As part of the process of issuing new gTLDs, owners of registered trademarks are invited to register them with the new Trademark Clearinghouse. The TMCH is a repository of all trademarks, whether registered nationally or regionally, validated by a court or protected by a statue or treaty.  Companies responsible for issuing gTLDs access the TMCH database to verify ownership and help prevent ‘cybersquatting’ – registering well-known company names as domain names to sell back to the legitimate owners at a profit.
 
Companies registering new gTLDs also offer a ‘Sunrise’ service to holders of trademarks registered with the TMCH. That means that trademark holders will be able to register a domain name that’s identical to their own registered trademark before anyone else can nab it. This system is designed to protect anyone but Starbucks, say, from registering Starbucks.coffee when the .coffee gTLD becomes available. That’s because 30 days after a new gTLD (like .coffee) is released, it becomes open to the general public to register what they like. If two or more parties apply for the same name – or someone attempts to register a trademarked name they’re not entitled to – the TMCH lets both parties know there’s a problem. 
 
If you have a registered trademark, and you haven’t already done so, we recommend you register it with the TMCH (http://www.trademark-clearinghouse.com) to protect your hard-earned brand online. Inspire can also register your trademark on your behalf.
 
When that’s done, contact us to learn more about the wide range of gTLDs available now, and in the months ahead.  We’ll help you chose one that’s best for your business, complete the registration or note your interest, and set up your new URL when its ready. And then you’ll be all .systems go.
 
David Dwyer is Managing Director of Inspire Web Development. He has years of experience in a range of web and IT roles plus seven years in sales and marketing in a blue-chip FMCG company. David’s academic and professional qualifications include a BA (Hons) in Business Economics (Personnel & Ergonomics) from the University of Paisley, an MSc in Information Technology (Systems) from Heriot-Watt University and PRINCE2 Practitioner-level certification. He is also an active member of the British Computer Society, Entrepreneurial Exchange and Business for Scotland.
 
Follow Inspire on Twitter @inspireltd and @developersos
 
 
Cyber Essentials, Developer SOS, DNS, Domain Names, Domain Transfer, Generic Top Level Domains, gTLD's, Inspire Web Development, Outsourced Web Development, The Evolving Web, Website Management, Website Support
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