Do .tel
Starting on 3 December, trade marks owners will get first look-in on obtaining the new .tel top level domains that publish contact data directly in the DNS, not on html based websites. So brand owners should probably ensure that they are first in to register each corresponding .tel address. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has sanctioned a new top level domain name called .tel that has been set aside purely to integrate contact information directly into the heart of the internet - the world’s first global e-directory.
A .tel domain name will enable the creation of an interactive and live communications hub to take control over how and where others communicate with peeps and businesses. .tel users will be able to publish all contact details including phone, mobile, fax, email addresses, as well as store web links, geo-location data and keywords describing a business.
.tel has already been termed the “the Google of online address books” and over 100 ICANN-accredited registrars have signed on to sell the .tel domain names.
How .tel works
The technology publishes contact data: phone numbers, SIP addresses and so on directly in the DNS, rather than on html-based websites. This uses the Internet addressing system in a quite original way. According to the communications director at Telnic, Justin Hayward: “what we do is a fundamentally different use of DNS”. To date new top level domains such as .com or .edu have been mapped to IP addresses for web sites or other servers. However, .tel is not associated with a specific website which contains all the contact information that businesses wish to publish. All contact information can therefore be updated without having to maintain a website since the .tel information is not tied to the Web.
The value of a .tel domain lies with the ability to host contact information directly in a DNS that is universally accessible. This can be contrasted to the typical use of the DNS for other top level domains (TLDs), in which the DNS only provides mapping between domain names and IP addresses.
For those interested in testing out the functionality of the .tel domain visit the Telnic website HERE.
Why register a .tel domain?
There are a myriad of reasons and benefits to register a .tel domain name. In short, it offers simple access to contact information that may be easily maintained.
.tel will be usable by a wide variety of devices and applications. In addition to resources, code, toolkits and .tel management console, Telnic have also released beta versions of applications on the site that can be used on Blackberry® hand-held devices and iphones. These applications integrate with the address book and allow them to dynamically update information stored in a .tel domain.
Now look HERE for a full brief on the advantages of registering for .tel domain.
Relevance for Trade Mark Owners
Since a .tel domain is not a website, customers viewing contact information may not be sure that they are viewing the correct information. As such, trade marks owners will want to ensure that they are first in to register each corresponding .tel address.
A regulatory framework has been put in place to enable trade marks owners to protect their valuable names. However, a registered trade mark is required to register a .tel domain during the (so called) ‘sunrise’ period which commences on 3 December 2008 and goes for 3 months. The ‘sunrise’ period allows trade mark owners to have the first right to register a .tel domain name to ensure that their names are protected before the public free for all which commences on 3 February 2009.
Trade marks must have been applied for prior to 30 May 2008 and registered prior to the date the ‘sunrise’ application is submitted. Applications may be based on both word and figurative (device) marks that consist exclusively or predominantly of words. Sunrise registrations will carry a three-year term.
Disputes regarding .tel domain names will be subject to the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).
For a comprehensive guide to how the .tel sunrise period will operate including a detailed discussion of ‘eligible trade marks’, click HERE.
