Brand TLD

Brand gTLD is an innovative top level domain name (TLD) program introduced by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers under its January 2012 New gTLD Expansion Program. The Brand gTLD provides opportunity for corporations with multiple brands, products or services to use their corporate name as their website address instead of using the traditional .com or .net domain space. For example, Apple Inc, may use www.iPhone.apple instead of www.iPhone.com. In an interview, ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom explained that the .brand domain is just like a logo change and a new marketing strategy for companies.

Benefits of Brand gTLD

The New gTLD site enumerated the benefits of operating a Brand gTLD registry which include:

• Enable companies can create shorter and easy to remember internet address.
• It will intensify brand awareness among consumers and it enables them to easy access to information regarding the company's products and services.
• Allows companies to control their web presence by creating second level domains for their products and services.
• Increased security against trademark abuses .
• New opportunities for website marketing campaigns and strategies that results to increasing company revenues.

According to DotBrand Solutions CEO Ben Crawford, the real benefit of owning a .brand gTLD is "owning the entire inventory of the second level domains and being able to do whatever you want with it.” In addition, he said that business will be able to improve their domain names and its security.

Companies Offering Brand gTLD Services

• Afilias
• AusRegistry in Partnership with Brights Consulting
• DotBrand Solutions
• GMO Registry
• Neustar in Partnership with UrbanBrain
• Minds + Machines
• Verisign

Reactions Regarding Brand gTLD

Companies and organizations have varying reactions regarding the brand gTLD. According to domain analysts, companies that will apply for a Brand TLD will fall under one of these groups:

1. Companies or organization with specific plans and ideas on how to use .brand TLD to increase their profit.
2. Companies or organizations that are registering for defensive purposes and believe that the current TLD protection is insufficient.
3. Companies or organization that do not want to be left behind and miss the opportunity offered by the brand TLD although they are still puzzled on how to operate their own TLD registry.

Deloitte, Canon, Hitachi, Motorola and Unicef expressed their enthusiasm to apply for their own .brand TLD to enhance their SEO strategy and security against cyber attacks. Canon emphasized that the program provides the company with the opportunity to "increase the convenience and effectiveness of its online communications."

On the other hand, Gary Elliot, Chairman of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) said companies like Procter and Gamble and HP are not interested to apply for a .brand TLD because the cost is confusing and expensive. He estimated that companies will spend as much as $1.5 million to operate their own TLD registry.

Since the approval of the ICANN new gTLD program, ANA and the Coalition for Responsible Domain Oversight(CRIDO) actively opposed its implementation particularly the brand TLD. The group argue that the program is costly, harmful to brand owners and consumers.

The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) through its' Josh Bourne represents a group of brand owners and trademark owners said, "One of the biggest responses we have heard from brands is that they feel as if their backs are up against a wall.The fact that ICANN has only offered one opportunity to apply for new gTLDs has created a sense of chaos among brands, who feel as though ICANN is forcing them into making a 'now or never' decision that could impact both them and their consumers. Knowing that they will have the opportunity to apply again after having the chance to see if new gTLDs become valuable will go a long way toward relieving that anxiety."

=Demand for Brand gTLD

Based on the survey conducted by World Trademark Review magazine nearly 50 percent of companies that are conscious about their trademarks responded that they are open to the idea of applying for their brand gTLD. The result of the survey corresponds to an earlier estimate of ICANN that the number of applicants will range between 100 to 200.