Defensive domain registrations may become a need for many businesses

Securing an online address can be hard enough for most businesses. With the huge number of cyber squatters trying to capitalize on unclaimed or related brand domains becoming more and more prevalent each year, businesses need to worry about more than whether they have the right .com. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) warned that the introduction of more top-level domains like .shop or .beauty would possibly do more harm than good for the web. Already, we have 22 top level domains in place, and managing trademarks and brand identity online can be a headache.

The ANA warned the US Department of Commerce (DOC) that a  "Do Not Sell registry" is needed. The ANA fears that the introduction of new top-level domains would flood the Internet and lead to uncontrollable cybersquatting and fraud. The DOC and the US Patent and Trademark Office hosting a meeting to discuss needed protections at the second level for all new top-level domain names. Dan Jaffe, ANA Group Executive Vice President stated:

"The Internet community is on the verge of a [TLD] tsunami which will create a huge wave of risk for both businesses and consumers."

In addition to the Do Not Sell registry, the ANA is pushing for a tough Rights Protection Mechanism to make protections for intellectual property and brands more comprehensive globally.  The ANA will be pushing for greater protections to be implemented within the ICANN Board meeting next month.