LAW OFFICES OF BENJAMIN Z. RICE

Top Level Domains outside the United States:

Why you and/or your company should considering registering more than just a handful of Domains!

    Unlike .com, .org, or .net in the U.S., which do not have a country identifier attached after the suffix, domains like xxx.co.uk, xxx.co.jp, or xxx.co.au are administered by individual countries.  In effect, these non-U.S. domains are controlled and administered by organizations that are equivalent to Network Solutions in the United States.  For example, it is popular for doctors to purchase domains from Moldova, which has the tony xxx.co.md designation that Doctors seem to cherish.   What about Tuvalu?  Tuvalu is a small South Pacific country measuring approximately only 26 KM²- not a place you would expect to be the hub of a potentially lucrative, if not important part of the internet domain name game.  Nevertheless, on April 11, 2000, it was announced that Tuvalu had signed a deal with Idealab, in which in exchange for allowing Idealab to use Tuvalu's xxx.tv domain, Tuvalu will receive $50 million a year through 2012 (or  more than three times its current annual budget).   Internet users will now soon be able to experience thrilling web sites like: BradyBunch.tv, mtv.tv, and wwf.tv.  There are also companies who sell subdomains such as xxx.au.com, or xxx.jp.com, adding even more possibilities for registration.

    Given that there are some many potential domain name possibilities out there, if your business depends on or is identified mainly by its domain names, shouldn't you give this issue serious thought.  For example, efax.com of Menlo Park might have been well served to register efax.com.uk, before a British based competitor did.  Now, after a British judge has refused to grant an injunction against efax.co.uk of Yorkshire, U.K., efax.com has to be wondering whether it has let a subscription based service steal its thunder in the U.K. as well as its domain name?   What can be done to avoid this situation?  Register as many domains in as many places as your are likely to be business in as many combinations as are possible.   There may be some areas where identical names in far flung territories may not be worth it- these are cost-benefit decisions at their base.  The Law Offices of Benjamin Z. Rice counsel Domain name owners who are seeking to protect and extend their names, or are interested in acquiring or disposing of Domain names.  Please contact us at domain@ricelaw.net if you have any questions about our domain name services or about domain name issues in general.

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Last Updated: Friday, December 08, 2000 04:47 AM -0500