Web Addresses Enter New.Era

網域革命／.apple來囉 品牌名可放網域末尾

〔編譯魏國金／綜合新加坡二十日外電報導〕全球網域名稱管理機構二十日通過允許任何企業、組織只要出具合法證明並繳交高額申請費用，就得以自訂網域名稱，以取代現行的.com、.net或.org等通用頂級域名（gTLDs）。

取代.com、.net

「網際網路網域名稱與位址管理機構」（ＩＣＡＮＮ）二十日在新加坡召開的會議上，以十三票贊成、一票反對、兩票棄權，壓倒性的通過這項爭議多時的議案。「墨爾本資訊科技數位品牌服務公司」執行長納拉克斯指出︰「這是二十六年前『.com』創立後網域名稱最大的變革。」

ＩＣＡＮＮ 主席與執行長貝克斯壯說︰「今天我們締造歷史，這是新世紀開端，網路位址系統已門戶大開。」據此，企業或任何組織在登記網址時，將不受限於現行的通用頂級 域名，也不受制於歐美文字使用的拉丁字母，其他文字，比如中文、俄文等，也都可以使用。目前只有啟用二十二個通用頂級域名，以及兩百五十個國家層級的網域 名，比如.tw、.uk、.cn。

申請.canon 日電子大廠佳能要搶頭香

貝克斯壯表示，申請作業於明年一月十二日開放，九十天後截止。申請費用方面，申請者除須提出名稱合法使用的證明，同時需繳交十八萬五千美元（台幣近五百三十六萬元）費用

產 業觀察人士指出，國際大廠可能是爭取自有網域名稱的先鋒，屆時以.apple、.toyota、.coke等結尾的網站，可能紛紛出籠，甚 至.nyc、.london、.food等以城市或特色為結尾的網站也可能出現。日本電子產品大廠佳能（Canon）已表示將搶頭香，計畫申 請.canon的網域名。

ＩＣＡＮＮ將打擊為獲利轉賣網域名的行為，避免重蹈網路時代初期的問題。同時該機構也不考慮開放個人或獨資企業申請。

ＩＣＡＮＮ官員指出，在核准網域名稱時，將考慮宗教與社會敏感性，比如販售二次世界大戰紀念物品的商店或許希望使用.nazi的網域名，這在某些國家可能無法放行。

By SAM HOLMES And CHRISTOPHER RHOADS

The dot-com era is over. Welcome to the dot-anything age.

On Monday, the organization that regulates the world's Internet domain names—yes, there is central coordination—approved changes that could allow anyone to register any name they like in almost any language as a Web address.

The new rules affect what the industry calls top-level domain names, the familiar dot-coms and dot-nets that end every Web address. Now, instead of having to use one of those existing forms, users will be able to end their addresses with the name of their company, such as dot-Ford, or their city, like dot-Berlin.

Now, your domain name could possibly be just about .anything. WSJ's Jen Valentino-DeVries explains why on digits.

If successful, the change could alleviate a shortage of dot-com Web addresses and produce hundreds of millions of dollars in business for the companies whose business is managing the Internet's vast registries, as well as those selling the names, called registrars. Companies could gain new tools for highlighting their identities and networking with suppliers and distributors.

The shift, however, could also cause anxiety and disputes among governments, companies and other entities in safeguarding their brands and identities in cyberspace. Those seeking religious or political names, for example, could lead to sensitive situations.

For companies, even those that are happy with dot-com and aren't interested in adopting a new domain-name suffix will have to monitor the process to head off any potential trademark or brand-name infringement from other applicants, Internet experts said.

"Instead of having a dot-com that doesn't really mean anything, you will have an extension that means something," said Antony Van Couvering, the head of Minds + Machines LLC, a Santa Monica, Calif., company that advises clients on domain names.

The idea behind the change—which likely will need another 18 months before any of the new names become active—was to create more choice on the Internet and potentially spur innovation, according to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, the nonprofit Internet coordinating body that approved the measure.

For companies, having a Web-address suffix reflecting their own name could benefit branding as well as online security.

Online sales of counterfeit goods are on the rise, with fake domain names duping customers into thinking they are getting a good price on the real deal. Fraud is a problem, too.

To combat that activity, companies could register their brands as domain names—dot-brand—then offer authorized distributors of their products access to that domain, said Elisa Cooper, director of product marketing at MarkMonitor, a firm that helps businesses protect their brands online.

Those distributors would appear on the Web as distributor1.brand and distributor2.brand. Eventually, consumers could learn that only sites using the dot-brand domain carry authentic products.

Shiv Singh, head of digital for PepsiCo Beverages-America, says the change creates interesting opportunities for building his brand. But he worries about the cost and wonders whether the new addresses will be adopted by consumers, noting that alternatives like dot-biz failed to find an audience. If it does catch on, companies like Pepsi may feel pressure to follow suit.

"I see this as nice to have, but it's not something we're going to get cracking on tomorrow morning," Mr. Singh said. "I am keen to see how other brands adopt it, because this will only succeed if it has critical mass adoption among companies."

Many companies opposed the change, however, citing the hassles it would create. Major companies typically register their name in multiple countries under country-code domain names such as dot-uk for Great Britain, as well as under multiple top-level domain names such as dot-com and dot-net.

The new rules create infinite options, compounding the registration issues. "Trademark owners and their lawyers are watching this closely to ensure their rights," said Jeff Brown, a spokesman for videogame publisher Electronic Arts Inc. "For us, the domains seem expensive and offer negligible value."

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Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Peter Dengate Thrush, standing, chairman of Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers, at an Icann meeting in Singapore on Monday with Rod Beckstrom, the organization's president and chief executive.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303936704576396963900727284.html#ixzz1PtCjGwhU