The way people navigate the Internet is set to change as of 2009 now that ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has given the go-ahead in Paris to relax the strict rules guiding TLDs (Top Level domain names). TLDs are more commonly referred to by their suffix, such as a .com or .uk.

This decision means that companies will be able to turn their brands into web addresses and individuals can conceivably use their names as a domain name e.g John@Smithsons. Some believe there could be at least 5,000 new Top Level Domains, while others have reportedly said there could be billions of domains generated.

Peter Dengate Thrush, a member of ICANN, said the decision was of “historic importance”. The new system should come in next year, but ICANN admits there will be plenty of problems, and it may have to arbitrate between different organisations seeking the same name. 

Company spokesperson, Debra Hastings-Henry at Global Gold Network has been assessing the impact of this decision to “relax the existing modus operandi of the domain registration industry. 

“It has been clear for some time that the Internet domain name structure needs to change and evolve. In particular, it does need to accommodate the non-english speaking parts of world, not least because they are going to be some of the fastest growing economies in the next decade.  We think ICANNs decision to vote in favour of opening up Top Level domains (TLDs) is directionally correct. The implications for Marketers and Trademark owners will however be both wide-ranging and profound, and some serious thought needs to be given to how branded players can effectively protect their brands and maintain the competitive advantage they derive from their branded propositions from the likes of cybersquatters and speculators.”

She went on to say that “Online Marketing is another area that has experienced remarkable growth in recent years as companies have turned to SEO and PPC for example to improve their visibility and rankings on the search engines. There will be many questions relating to how new domains may affect such processes. What is clear is that there are now new opportunities and challenges ahead and branded operators will have to think before they leap to ensure they adopt the most cost-effective offensive possible”.

Global Gold’s Brand Protect service is already assessing this and will be giving regular updates on this situation. Global Gold is a UK based domain registration boutique with over 8500 customers and a customer-focused product and service offer. The company also provides domain consultancy and web hosting to SME business.