New Top Level Domains Keep Brands on Their Toes

As if last year’s launch of the dot-xxx top-level domain wasn’t enough to keep brands on their toes, defending against malicious and trademark-violating domain buys, the launch of hundreds of new top-level domains is now only two months away, and with that launch, another pricey set of domain buys for major brands.  The ICANN has set up a clearing house to allow trademark holders to preemptively purchase quantities of new domains. Set to launch are extensions like dop-app, dot-music, dot-sucks, dot-world, dot-docs, and potentially some brand-specific ones like dot-cocacola or dot-youtube, heralding in a new age of web organization and more immersive online branding experiences.  The dot-com age won’t go away immediately, as custom top level domains are prohibitively expensive, but for some high-end brands, they may be just the ticket to stand out once again on the web.