Accepting Applications


Approved


.jobs
.travel


.mobi


Preliminarily Approved


Under Consideration


.post
.cat
.tel
.xxx


.asia
.mail

To reflect the increasing complexity and ever-greater customization of Internet Web sites, ICANN (Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers) has approved the designation of three new generic Top Level Domain Names (TLDs)- mobi, .travel, and .jobs.- and is reviewing six more TLDs.

Applications for domain names in the .jobs and .travel TLDs are now being accepted. ICANN has approved the .mobi TLD, and details regarding the beginning of registration will soon be available. In addition, ICANN has also preliminarily approved the launch of four more TLDs -.post, .cat, .tel, and .xxx- and has entered into commercial and technical negotiations with the sponsors of these TLDs. Finally, ICANN is reviewing the applications for .asia and .mail TLDs.

.mobi

For the majority of potential registrants, the .mobi TLD will be the most interesting of the new TLDs. The .mobi TLD will allow a company to have a companion website to its .com website that is specifically designed for easy access by mobile devices. The .mobi ICANN application was cosponsored by Ericsson, GSM Association, HP, Microsoft Corporation, Nokia, Orange, Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd., Sun Microsystems, TIM, 3, T-Mobile International, and Vodafone. These companies formed a joint venture company, mTLD Top Level Domain, Ltd., to manage the .mobi TLD. The 90 day sunrise registration period is expected to begin in the first half of 2006.

According to the sponsors website, located at www.mtldinfo.com, .mobi will indicate Internet services that are committed to employ best common practices for optimized mobile usage to providing users with a simple, predictable, high-quality experience when they are accessing Internet-based content and using advanced services through a mobile device. It will provide a recognizable TLD that indicates that the associated website will be easy and convenient to use if accessed with a mobile device. After the launch of the .mobi TLD, most .com websites may eventually have companion .mobi websites, with the .mobi websites formatted for optimal accessibility by a portable device, such as a BlackBerry device or a cellular phone.

The specifics regarding registration and standards for the TLD have not been announced. However, there will be a 90-day sunrise period during which registrations will only be available to a company or organization that either (a) wishes to register a domain name corresponding to a registered trademark to which it has rights in the .mobi TLD for use, or (b) wishes to reserve its registered trademark to prevent registration by others, but does not wish to use the domain name. Trademark owners who register on the basis listed in (b) will be able to convert the domain name to a usable domain name in the future. Registration in the sunrise period will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and the prospective registrant will be required to prove it has a registered trademark. During the sunrise period, the domain name requested must correspond exactly to the textual elements of the registered trademark (with the exception that spaces or punctuation which appear in the registered trademark and can be represented by hyphens or eliminated).

With the mobile Internet industry expected to continue its recent boom, we recommend that when the .mobi TLD sunrise period opens for registration, you register your companys key trademarks and .com domain names in the .mobi TLD. After the sunrise period, we recommend defensively registering common misspellings and variations of your marks to prevent them from being registered by third parties. Whether there will be registration restrictions after the sunrise period expires is still uncertain. Trademark owners should submit applications during the sunrise period to protect their trademarks.

.jobs

If you consistently have numerous job postings, you may want to consider registering a .jobs domain name. Applications are being accepted now. Domain names will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis for organizations whose rights in the domain name can be validated.

The .jobs TLD is intended to promote employers recruitment activities. The .jobs ICANN application was sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The .jobs TLD is expected to make exploring career options simpler for the end user. Companies can register companyname.jobs to allow job searchers to go directly to the companys career information, thereby reducing home page congestion and confusion. The TLD is being operated by Employ Media of Cleveland, Ohio with SHRM acting as the formal policy administrator.

Registration in the .jobs TLD is limited and is subject to a verification process. According to Employ Medias website, located at www.employmedia.com, a registrant must be: (1) tasked with hiring or other human resources duties on behalf of their own employer organization; (2) authorized to purchase their companyname.jobs on behalf of their employer organization;
(3) agree to abide by the .jobs Use Policies; and (4) agree to abide by the SHRM Code of Professional Conduct. Finding an employee who meets these standards should not prove difficult for any organization or company that has a human resources department or an employee serving in a human resources role.

The registrations are limited to the legal name of the employer and/or an abbreviation or name by which the employer is commonly known. Trademarks will not be allowed to be registered in the .jobs TLD except in the case where the trademark is also the name of the employer organization. Prospective registrants will be required to submit a qualification document which proves the status of the applicant as an employer, such as an Internal Revenue Service Form 941 (Employers Quarterly Federal Tax Return) in the United States.

.travel

If your company is in the travel industry, you should consider registering a .travel domain name. Pre-authentication of domain name applications is underway, with a limited launch expected on October 1.

The .travel TLD is intended to allow consumers to easily find travel information. The .travel ICANN application was sponsored by a consortium of travel industry members. The .travel TLD is restricted to verifiable participants in the travel industry. This includes travel agents, tour operators, airlines, hotels/resorts, restaurants, car rental companies, cruise lines, bus/coach operators, bed and breakfast houses, ferries, passenger rail lines, theme parks, convention and visitor’s bureaus, national tourism offices, travel guide/magazine publishers, camp facility operators, computer reservation/travel technology providers, and travel-consumer research organizations.

In order to register a .travel domain name, a prospective applicant must first be authenticated as a travel industry participant. The information supplied will be reviewed and authenticated by an applicable association, a non-industry third party, or the Registry. Authenticated applicants must also have rights to use the name applied for either through use or registration. Each applicant will be required to submit documented proof of use of the name for review by the authenticating organization. If multiple applicants for the same domain name submit proof of use of the name, the domain name will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

.post

If your company is in the postal industry, you may want to consider registering a .post domain name, once they become available. The .post TLD is intended to be a standard identifier for the postal industry that will allow members to differentiate themselves from non-postal entities currently using post in their TLDs. The .post ICANN application was sponsored by Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for postal services. Although the specific restrictions on registration have not been announced, according to UPUs website, the following entities will be eligible to register .post domain names: designated post offices (DPOs), post offices and other DPO locations, other postal operators (such as private companies), restricted unions, communities, associations, foundations and unions related to postal services, registered partners, trademarks and brand names of UPU and members, UPU-regulated services, country-regulated services, international generic functions, and national generic functions.

.cat

The .cat TLD will be reserved for the Catalan linguistic and cultural community. The .cat TLD application was sponsored by Associacio puntCAT. The specific restrictions on .cat registrations have not been announced, but according to the ICANN application, it will be limited to the use and promotion of the Catalan language and culture.

.tel

According to the sponsors application, the .tel TLD community will consist of individuals and/or businesses who wish to have a universal identity, brand or name, in the Internet-Communications space as well as providers of Internet-Communications services and related content. Internet-Communications is any form of intercommunications activity (voice, combined voice/data, or messaging) between individuals and/or businesses, which is dependent, in part or whole, on the Internet as the means of transport. This is a for-profit venture by the sponsor organization. It appears the sponsor organization envisions individuals and businesses placing contact and personal information on websites associated with .tel TLDs.

.xxx

The .xxx TLD is intended to be a voluntary top-level domain specifically for adult-oriented websites. ICANN recently determined that the application, by ICM Registry, Inc. (ICM), met the criteria established for applications. Accordingly, ICM will move forward with technical and commercial contract negotiations.

Conclusion

To most businesses, the new TLD of most significance will be the .mobi TLD. As more and more consumers purchase mobile devices to access the Internet, businesses will need to make their web sites mobile-friendly. But the other new TLDs may be appropriate for your particular business as well. If you are interested in registering domain names in any of the new TLDs discussed, please let us know, and we will keep you apprised of the application requirements, launch dates, restrictions, and fees as they are announced.