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CCCA_V3No1_Dept-Technology-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No2_Dept-CourtLeg-V1.qxd 1/21/09 2:45 PM Page 14 In-House Technology Master of Your Domain A new domain name regime means new marketing strategies for businesses. But beware of buyer’s remorse. he internet will soon be expand- domain names like .cars or .mcdonalds. But before getting in on the first wave Ting its domain name space — a “This will have a significant impact on of new gTLD applications, there are some move that will open up new branding the internet. It will change the way users important things for a company to con- opportunities for businesses and no search, as they will begin to search for sider. Gardère recommends a meeting doubt keep in-house counsel busy. gTLDs,” says Gardère. between the legal, marketing and IT Most web addresses have a suffix. Some The first 45-day round of gTLD appli- departments to see whether it is feasible are country coded (.ca in Canada, for cations will begin in May or June 2009, for the company to go down this path. example). Others are generic — we’re and if all goes well, more rounds can be For one, when a gTLD is approved, the all familiar with .net, .com, and .org. expected. A draft Applicant Guidebook is new gTLD holder will be required to These suffixes are known as the enter into a registry agreement top level domain name — “the with ICANN that regulates string of letters or numbers that how the new registry operates. follow the dot,” says Sébastien By some estimates, the cost In any event, the gTLD holder Gardère, a lawyer and trade- “ will have to show it has the mark agent with Ogilvy of owning a gTLD might run financial and organizational Renault.“Everything before the anywhere between half a million means to adequately monitor dot is the secondary domain.” registrations. For example, a Currently, only 21 generic and a million dollars. registry that has created the top-level domains (gTLD) are ” new gTLD .cars may have to allowed. But last June, the consider requests from big Internet Corporation for Assigned automakers applying for a sec- Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non- available at www.icann.org/en/topics/ ondary domain name. Some might think profit regulator of the internet, an- new-gtlds/draft-rfp-24oct08-en.pdf, and of that as a big responsibility. nounced it would allow private entities to the final version will soon be published. The application will be costly — select more brand-specific gTLDs. Before Those who wish to apply should read around $185,000.And there will likely be GETTY IMAGES long internet users will be coming across it carefully. other substantial costs incurred by setting 14 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SPRING 2009