Protecting your brand with strategies to address new generic top level domain names
John H. ReesCallister Nebeker & McCullough
© 2014, John H. Rees
Business succession and branding
What is the connection?
Value of brand
Coca Cola trademark $80.64 billion
Microsoft trademark $65.17 billion
Prepare for sale or transition
How to develop powerful brands
Exposure
Consistency (high quality)
Control and protection
Websites are an important way to build a brand
Who is not on the internet
But also a way to lose control and diminish value of a brand
Domain names control access to websites
They are addresses to content
Not unlike a street address—they provide direction and location
Second level domain name
Part of the domain name to the left of the dot (.)
Examples:cnmlaw.comutah.govccfa.orgdelta.comamazon.com
Generic top level domain names
Part of a domain name to the right of the dot (.)
Examples:.com.net.info.biz
Typically second level domain names are brands or some variation of brands
Examples
tannerco for Tannerubcutah for Utah Business Consultantscnmlaw for Callister Nebeker & McCullough
Until recently, matching a brand with a top level domain name was limited
tannerco.comtannerco.nettannerco.biztannerco.info
Possible country codes, such as .eu for European Union
Two results of limited number of top level domain names
1. Controlling internet traffic using a brand was fairly limited
2. Defensively, the number of possible misuse of a brand was limited
What are new generic top level domain names (ngTLDs)
Huge expansion of domain names to the right of the dot(.)
Pandora’s box is open for business
1930 applications for ngTLDs
428 ngTLDs have launched
1205 ngTLDs proceeding through the program
This is the first of potentially many rounds
Stats as of October 24, 2014
Examples of ngTLD that have launched
• .business• .direct• .credit• .forsale• .restaurant• .network• .lawyer
• .dentist• .market• .degree• .band• .xyz• .pizza
Geometric growth of ngTLDs
1.Ability to control internet traffic using brand is no longer limited
2. Defense strategies are much more challenging
What is happening to your brand, and how is it being used online
What are the risks to your brand
Cybersquatting, including typosquatting
Pharming, spoofing, counterfeiting, and other fraudulent activity
Loss of goodwill, including tarnishment
What’s a brand owner to do
Inventory your brands, including federal trademark registration
Classify them by value and importance to the business
Develop a strategy for managing brands given the launch of the ngTLDs
Protecting your brand with strategies to address new generic
top level domain names
John H. ReesCallister Nebeker & McCullough
© 2014, John H. Rees