ICANN dot brand suffix deadline looms

There is less than a month to go before the deadline for expressions of interest to be registered with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). They must be in by 29 March, 2012, and the application window itself closes on 12 April.

A survey of 200 businesses with 3,000 - 10,000 employees, conducted by Vanson Bourne for Afilias, found that while most (82%) were aware of the dot brand suffix opportunity just 47% were aware of the deadline. A further 17% said missing the deadline would be "regrettable".

The wait for the next round of ICANN applications could be years away, but 44% said they were not aware of this timescale between the current round and the next.

"Brands that decide not to apply in this application round risk an indeterminate period of disadvantage against competitors who apply for their dot Brand domain," said Afilias CMO Roland LaPlante.

"A dot Brand TLD offers companies more control over their online presence than ever before. A dot Brand also opens new possibilities for customer engagement and increased online security."

Tags: brand marketing, domain names, ICANN, online marketing, online security