Trademark owners get only one chance to get it right to block their trademark in the new .xxx domain.  So, pre-validation is essential.  EnCirca attributes its success through the use of the Trademark Fact Check analysis service.

Trademark Fact Check automatically screens sunrise applications for over 20 different criteria required by the .xxx registry.  Its scope is global with real-time searching of 65 national and regional trademark databases.

In previous sunrise periods, it was reported that up to 50 percent of applications were rejected as a result of errors. So far for the .xxx sunrise, the registry is reporting a rate of 20 percent.

In comparison to these results, EnCirca’s success using Trademark Fact Check is notable:

-100% of the sunrise applications that passed the Trademark Fact Check analysis have been approved by the .xxx validation agent.

-Trademark Fact Check has covered 99% of the trademark jurisdictions submitted by trademark owners

-Over 90% of sunrise applications have come from just 20 jurisdictions.

Trademark owners need to act quickly before sunrise ends on October 28.  Pre-validation of their applications should be one of the criteria used in selecting their registrar.

To register your trademark, visit www.encirca.com.

It’s just one of the trademark practices from the dot-com era that is tripping up trademark owners for the .xxx sunrise period.

Many trademarks include a “.com”.  However, during the .XXX Sunrise, trademark owners cannot drop letters to obtain a domain.  So, a trademark such as “example.com” is eligible for “examplecom.xxx” but not for “example.xxx”.

This policy goes against many other standards. For instance, the trademark industry, including the dispute policy, federal courts and the USPTO, long ago decided that for a trademark that included an extension, the extension was immaterial.

But under the rules for the .XXX sunrise, a trademark like “tm.com” is not eligible for “tm.xxx”.  It would be eligible only for “tmcom.xxx”.  Simply dropping the “.com” is not allowed.

However, there is solution for trademark owners.  They can file an amendment 7 with the USPTO to have the “.com” removed from their trademark.  There is still time to do this before the .xxx sunrise period ends.

The change will also benefit trademark owners in the up-coming ICANN trademark clearinghouse as well.

We worked with Thomson Compumark to develop a special product to help allow those not involved in the adult entertainment industry opt-out of participation in the .XXX domain.

The Sunrise B period is specifically for those outside of the adult entertainment industry interested in blocking and protecting their trademarks from being registered by others. It is very important for brand owners to act during the Sunrise B period because after October 28, 2011, all remaining .XXX domain names will become available to register by the general public. This means that any unprotected brands could be attached to a .XXX domain.

EnCirca is uniquely positioned to assist Thomson CompuMark because we are pre-validating all sunrise applications with technology that mirrors the Registry’s validation checks for the .XXX sunrise period. By determining eligibility and detecting conflicts between government trademark databases and .XXX sunrise applications, customers will be able to correct their applications before registry fees are incurred.

In addition, we are still offering a money-back guarantee for trademark owners applying for the .XXX sunrise period. Visit our .XXX page for all the details!

Registrars will accept your sunrise applications now through  October 28.  But the deadline to provide required documentation is November 2.  Avoid this trap!

Make sure your application and documentation are completed and submitted at the same time.  That way, you know they are consistent and will not cause an issue during validation.

Remember, there are no second chances.  You are not allowed to make any corrections to your application once it is submitted.  So, if your trademark record or license has conflicting information, you are stuck.

Some registrars won’t care when you submit your documentation, since they are not offering any guarantee or refund.

Documentation is required for licensees, assignees and trademark records from countries that the validation agent cannot verify online.  The registry has not published the list of countries this includes.  So, get a copy yourself to review and have it handy in case your registrar asks.

EnCirca is offering a money-back guarantee if your application is rejected by the validation agent.  For more details, see http://www.encirca.com/xxx.

To take advantage of this service, employers must first register a dot-Jobs domain, such as companyname.jobs.  Secure your companyname.jobs domain here.

For the full decision and rationale from ICANN, you can visit: http://icann.org/en/committees/reconsideration/bgc-recommendation-09dec10-en.pdf

The .travel Registry has announced two important new changes to the Registry.

One and Two-Character Names Release: On August 5, 2010 the ICANN Board approved a proposal by .travel for the release of all one and two-character domain names. The Registry is now preparing a release program conforming to the terms of its proposal. The Registry anticipates that the release program will be announced late in September. Registrars and registrants will have ample opportunity to review the terms of the program before the first names are available for registration.

Important Policy Changes: The Registry and its travel industry representative body have approved two new policy changes. These changes will go into effect on September 20, 2010 after a 30-day notice period.

The first of these changes adds an industry sector to the list of those travel industry participants who are eligible to register a .travel domain name. This sector is “Creators and providers of travel and tourism products, services and content” This sector definition makes it easier to determine eligibility since it does not require that an applicant fit within named types, but rather identifies them by their travel-related activities.

The second change allows the Registry to provide incentives for use of .travel domain names. The Registry has not put in place a program of incentives, but while such a program is developed the Registry has suspended the requirement that .travel domain names must be used within 12 months of registration.

Contact EnCirca at support@encirca.com if you have any questions.

The suffix .co is universally recognized as an abbreviation for company. In a recent .co registry survey, 75 percent of respondents equated .co with “company”, “corporation,” or “commerce.” In fact, nearly 50 countries use .co as a second level domain name to depict just that, such as co.uk and co.jp (see EnCirca’s list of countries that use .co as a sub-domain below.)

Companies looking to protect their trademark internationally will want to move quickly to protect their brand and trademarks as .co will not be a restricted domain – it will be open to all. By participating in the Sunrise period, you’ll have first dibs on your preferred name to help develop or secure your brand online.

So, don’t delay! Get in before the rush and reserve your trademark or brand name today with EnCirca. The Sunrise period for global trademark holders is from April 26th through June 10th and is followed by Landrush for anyone interested in .co from June 21st through July 13th.

To check out more about .co, visit EnCirca’s .co domain page.

How many countries use .co as a sub-domain?

Now that the country of Colombia is re-purposing its .co country-code top-level domain name for unrestricted international use, we wondered how many other countries reserve .co for commercial or company domain names.  We found nearly fifty different countries or regions that actively offer, or have reserved, a .co domain name space for commercial or company use.

Here’s EnCirca’s list of countries that reserve .co for commercial or company domain names:

Angola – co.ao

Armenia – co.am

Antigua and Barbuda – co.ag

Austria – co.at

Burundi – co.bi

Botswana – co.bw

Cameroon – co.cm

Channel Islands-Jersey – co.je

Cook Islands – co.ck

Costa Rica – co.cr

Greenland – co.gl

Guyana – co.gy

Hungary – co.hu

India – co.in

Indonesia – co.id

Iran – co.ir

Isle of Man – co.im

Israel – co.il

Italy – co.it

Japan – co.jp

Korea – co.kr

Lesotho – co.ls

Malawi – co.mw

Mauritius – co.mu

Morocco – co.ma

Mozambique – co.mz

Namibia – co.na

Netherlands – co.nl

New Zealand – co.nz

Oman – co.om

Pitcairn – co.pn

Palau – co.pw

Romania – co.ro

Saint Lucia – co.lc

Serbia – co.rs

South Africa -co.za

Tajikistan – co.tj

Tanzania – co.tz

Thailand – co.th

Trinidad and Tobago – co.tt

Uganda – co.ug

United Kingdon – co.uk

US Virgin Islands – co.vi

Uzbekistan – co.uz

Venezuela – co.ve

Zambia – co.zm

Zimbabwe – co.zw

Let us know if there should be any updates to this list.  To learn  more about the .co re-launch, please see http://www.encirca.com/html/co-reg.shtml

Accessing the Internet through mobile devices has exploded in frequency with the introduction and adoption of the iPhone and Android.  In fact, all businesses that want to have an online presence have to think about how they’ll be found on handheld devices or risk becoming invisible.

The problem? You have spent a lot of energy (and money!) to perfect your website, but it isn’t mobile-friendly. .tel can help establish your company’s mobile presence quickly, easily and affordabily. (EnCirca offers one-year .tel registration for $19.99.)

Slated as having the “potential to become a phone book for the Internet” by the New York Times, a .tel domain provides organizations of all sizes a named listing with unlimited contact information in a global directory, accessible from any device connected to the Internet.

.tel allows you to create a single point of contact via your .tel page. No matter how often your other contact details change, you can maintain your .tel page and update it with your telephone number, email address, blog address and any other contact information you would like to publicly share.

A .tel website also enhances your search engine discoverability because you can include descriptive keywords about you or your company. Of course, you also have privacy option to keep your data only visible to select users.

If you don’t currently have a website, there isn’t one needed for .tel. Users can update and store information without having to build, host, or maintain a website. And, because the .tel info is directly input into DNS, your information is instantly updated.

To check out some great .tel users, visit here: http://www.encirca.com/html/tel-registration.shtml

Reserve your preferred .tel name today with EnCirca. http://www.encirca.com/cgi-bin/rgsys/bulkregtel.cgi

“New and potential registrants are recognizing that .pro is beginning to compete with .com. .Pro domains can now be registered at a fraction of the price of the equivalent .com names. In fact, each new .pro registration is available from EnCirca for just $14.95,” says Thomas Barrett, President of EnCirca, the leading .PRO registrar. “Find.pro is a great way for our .pro customers to get noticed online. We know that our customers have many choices when picking a .pro domain name registrar and now, in addition to offering customer service and competitive pricing, we also offer Find.pro, free of charge, to help give our customers a leg up in their attempts to market their website.”

Who would benefit from a .pro domain? To start, job-seekers, self-employed professionals and businesses of any size. Professionals both at home and abroad are trying to distinguish themselves to employers and potential clients as they vie for the few available jobs. Building your online presence using the .pro domain name is one way to gain a competitive edge.

“Establishing yourself as an expert in your field is an important component of marketing to potential employers and clients,” says Barrett. “Creating a website for your resume, blog or portfolio of work is an approach that will pay dividends far into the future. A .pro website has credibility and is a great platform for showcasing your skills and industry knowledge. Further, as more and more domain extensions are made available, .pro will emerge as a familiar domain that certifies authentic credentials.”

.Pro domain names work just like .com domains, with the ability to create fully featured websites and email addresses. The .pro domain is a restricted domain name, available to licensed professionals who self-certify that they meet the eligibility requirements of their profession.

There are no restrictions on the types of names a business or licensed professional may register: including trademarks, industry keywords, search engine terms, company names, or marketing slogans. There is no limit to how many dot-pro domain names an individual or company can register. Types of businesses and professions eligible for dot-pro include: Lawyers, Accountants, Engineers, Doctors, Architects, Dentists, Educators, Chiropractors, Veterinarians, Surveyors, Plumbers, Inspectors, Investment Advisers, Real Estate Brokers, Insurance Brokers, Nurses, Opticians, Optometrists, Podiatrists, Psychologists, Therapists, Social Workers, Building Contractors, Electricians, Patent and Trademark Examiners, Court Reporters, Police and Fire Safety Officers and any other profession where an official credential is required for a business or individual to offer services.

Visit https://www.encirca.com today to register.