There has been a lot of buzz about the decision of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to launch new gTLDs (Generic Top Level Domains) later this year. The usual gTLDs which currently amounts to about 2 dozen) like .com, .net, .org etc will take a new shape with the launch of new generic Top Level Domains where it will be easier for private firms and companies to register Domain names which will pertain to anything ranging from their company’s brand name to communities, generic terms, geographical regions etc. For e.g. with the new gTLDs, one can register domain names like .watches, .market , .brand , .city, .eco etc. Definitely the idea of new gTLDs is innovative and can give companies and businesses all over the world an edge in terms of revenues and security. Considerable number of pre- registrations also started in this regard. In the backdrop of this gTLDs buzz , it seems like IDN’s have taken a backseat, but it is certainly not the reality. Russia being the first country where last year in November,the IDN’s were launched and eventually translated country specific domain names like .ru into local scripts. The statistics states that Russia alone had 800,000 registrations for the new domain.Other countries to join the bandwagon are China and the Middle East.
It is evident that the new gTLDs and IDN’s have great promises for the future of 2 billion internet users worldwide but this innovation has arrived with a great deal of responsibility on the shoulders. The current E -Commerce market is ever-growing year by year. It will be noteworthy to understand the fact that there are many downsides attached to the IDN’s and gTLDs. For instance with the launch of new gTLDs, it will be utmost important for the brand owners to protect their brand marks, trademarks or service- marks of the registered goods and services against future infringements. The companies have to be genuinely active to watch any Cybersquatting events over the world wide web. Although it is important to mention here that to overcome such a downside of gTLD, ICANN has formulated Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT). IRT recently published a draft for the implementation of an IP Clearinghouse. The IP clearing house will support services like : Watch services for any infringement of trademarks, Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URP) for domain names that infringe IP rights and many other scanning services. On the other hand, the Downside attached to the IDN’s is also pertaining to the Cybersquatting events and infringements. It will be a cumbersome affair to detect websites in foreign scripts. Eventually such issues have to be analyzed by the UDRP and URS systems. Hence, it is very obvious that the new regimes and innovations in the domain names are undoubtedly welcoming by the internet users worldwide, but as an old adage says “With great power comes great responsibility”, it certainly comes with a great deal of duty and self awareness.
(Image courtesy link)
