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ARTICLE · 30 SEPTEMBER 2009

Proposed Introductions On New Generic Top Level Domains Could Significantly Affect Trademark Owners

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”) has announced plans to create an indefinite number of new generic top-level domains (“gTLDs”) and will accept the first applications for such new gTLDs as early as the first quarter of 2010.

United StatesIntellectual Property

Article by Robert . M. O'Connell, Jr. and Mark S. Puzzella with assistance from Eugene H. Ho

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN") has announced plans to create an indefinite number of new generic top-level domains ("gTLDs") and will accept the first applications for such new gTLDs as early as the first quarter of 2010. Currently, users are limited to 21 gTLDs, including .com, .org, .net and .info. But pending final approval of the implementation plan, ICANN will remove this restriction and allow eligible parties to apply for virtually any self-selected gTLD, including trademark-specific domains like .coke or .google, generic terms such as .sport and .bank, geographic terms such as .paris, as well as virtually anything else. The proposed changes will also permit the registration of gTLDs featuring non-Roman characters.

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