New generic Top Level Domains have gained the attention of The
Financial Times that looks at .ECO and how those who originally had the
idea saw their business disappear from under their eyes. And also looks
at Canon who are one of the very few multinational companies to announce
they will apply for their own gTLD.
The .ECO brainchild of Trevor Bowden and Jacob Malthouse, two young
Canadian entrepreneurs, were at the ICANN meeting in Mexico when they
first heard of another .ECO initiative. But their competition had the
backing of Al Gore, former US vice-president and environmental
campaigner.
However after initially seeing their dream pass before their eyes, they
"looked at their model and saw there was some space for our approach. A
lot of people had said to us they liked our process and openness."
The article also looks at brands applying for gTLDs and focuses on
Canon's announcement to apply for .CANON and the benefits to companies
in doing so.
"The top-level .canon domain would serve as a constant indication that
the information being presented is from the genuine Canon brand," says
the company. It says that not only would this simplify its web approach
but would also enable it to maximise the multimedia marketing potential
of the brand.
The report also quotes Nick Wood who recently launched Valideus, a
London-based consultancy, to help brand owners through the Icann
application process. Wood told the FT that a company owning their own
domain could, for example, help brand owners prevent cybersquatters
using their name for bogus websites and could be used as a marketing
tool.
The FT also notes it could also give companies the freedom to choose the
jurisdiction under which their web activities fall. Citing the case of
in 2008 where a Kentucky court ordered the forfeiture of 141 gambling
websites that it said were in violation of state laws, a case brought by
the state of Kentucky and that is still unresolved.
"If your business is based on .com, which is run by a US company, it
can't hold off forever against US court orders. For gambling, drinks or
tobacco companies, running your own registry from the jurisdiction of
your choosing might be a pretty good idea," Wood also told the FT.
To read this report in The Financial Times in full, see:
www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a4da0d2e-798b-11df-85be-00144feabdc0.html
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