.CO Internet, the company that is operating the .CO (Colombia) registry, announced that they will be the first registry to adopt the IRT IP clearinghouse and Global protected markets list and Uniform Rapid Suspension, when the registry rolls out the extension.
The IP clearinghouse is a designated third party which assist brand owners by reviewing their trademarks to ensure that they meet the requirements of the ‘.co’ sunrise policy (at no additional costs).
The Globally Protected Marks List (GPML) , is being created to protect the trademarks of the top hundred Global major brands.
Criteria for inclusion on the GPML includes, the number of worldwide trademark registrations, the level of enforcement shown by the trademark holder and the level of participation in previous sunrise processes.
The .CO registry is also adopting the Rapid Takedown Process (also known as Uniform Rapid Suspension System), to take down websites rapidly where phishing, pharming, malware, or other significant criminal and/or security threats have been identified.
The Colombian registry will also implement a policy to suspend domain names when serial cybersquatting can be established.
The .CO registry is also requiring all registrants to keep their WHOIS data updated and accurate. In addition, they will not be allowed to use a proxy service to hide their identity.
It seems that the .CO registry is bound and determined to not repeat the mistakes of the .CM registry and wants not only be seen as the ccTLD for Columbia, but for registrants to use the extension to represent a shortener for .company and .cooperative.
Being a ccTLD, the .CO registry is not governed by ICANN rules so the adoption of these policies are purely voluntary.
We have to applaud their best efforts to make this a clean as possible rollout although we are concerned about the adopting of the URS and only hope is it used to take down only the most obvious trademark issues.
Nice to see especially after we just saw the .TV registry, price trademark terms as some of their highest priced domains during last weeks modified landrush
Isn’t this a catch-22 ? Speculators won’t register domains that can’t be typos of .com domains for traffic purposes. In that sense, .co is useless.
Acro
You can’t register verizon.co.
However hotels.co is fine (their trademark was rejected) or travel.co, or any generic word
Acro
Or sex.co or porn.co
although some of these maybe auctioned off as a premium
I’m not saying you should register trademarks but in the case with .cm the target was obviously any .com domain with traffic. The generics you mention are definitely premium names that will be held off by the .co registry. In that respect, I am not seeing why anyone seeking traffic would register .co domains. Generics exist in any ccTLD.
Is URS (Uniform Rapid Suspension) system now offcially approved BY ICANN?
Or
Is there a chance it will not be approved?
Just wondering what’s going on with URS?
RBK
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/03/08/icann-chair-may-be-ready-to-move-on-uniform-rapid-suspension/
Acro
I think you are also not taking into account that as opposed to Cameroon, Columbia is a “real” country with a huge population and internet use is in the millions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_Colombia
Where’s the actual press release about this?
Michele
This information came from an article not from a press release:
http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=4f27edea-d133-400a-9612-3cd858db9557
Thanks so much for your vote of confidence about the efforts that the .CO
Registry is taking to create a clean name space for the launch of .CO.
Indeed, we have paid close attention to both the positive and negative
aspects of past domain launches — and we are committed to both learning
from the mistakes of the past — and to seizing on new opportunities to make
improvements for the future.
I do want to clarify a few points straight away so that there is no
misunderstanding about our future plans. To start, we are not “adopting the
IRT IP clearinghouse and Global protected markets list and Uniform Rapid
Suspension,” but more aptly — we are “adapting” them to our unique needs.
While we agree fully with the intention of each of these initiatives, none
of them were perfectly suited to our goals — and all required certain
modifications to strike the right balance between protecting the rights of
brand owners, respecting the interests of registrants, and creating .CO into
what we believe will become the world’s next premier web address for 21st
Century businesses and brands.
A quick point on each initiative:
IP Clearinghouse: We have indeed deployed an IP Clearinghouse through the
global consultancy Deloitte and the Belgian law firm Laga to assist brand
owners by reviewing their trademark in advance to ensure that they meet the
requirements of the .CO Sunrise Rules.
GPML: We are also implementing a “list of protected marks” to offer special
protections to a small group of 100 brands that have made a significant
efforts to protect their marks and enforce their rights in the domain name
space. The definition of the criteria – and the decision as to which
companies should be included on the list – were made by the global
consultancy Deloitte. The .CO Registry is simply the first registry to
adopt and apply the soon-to-be published Deloitte list. It is important to
note that the list of protected marks defined by Deloitte and used by the
.CO Registry is NOT intended to be “THE GPML,” as contemplated by the IRT —
it is simply based on many of the same principles.
URS: Similarly, the .CO Registry is NOT implementing “THE URS” as defined
and referenced by the IRT. Instead, we are creating a more tailored set of
rules that are built on many of the very same principles. We have taken
very seriously the recommendations made by the IRT and as such will
implement a policy to rapidly take down domains in cases where phishing,
pharming, malware, or other significant criminal and/or security threats
have been established. We are also committed to implementing a suitable
policy to help brand owners tackle systemic brand abuses, such as serial
cybers-squatters, in a swift and cost-efficient manner. While these
policies are still being finalized, you can rest assured that we are
committed to implementing a balanced, fair approach that will be triggered
in only the most clear cut cases of infringement. We are consulting with
the leading minds in both the domain investment and the trademark
communities to make sure we get this one right!
We are building the .CO registry to be the premier web address for secure
Internet commerce – the place where the world’s next generation of great
enterprises will have a home.
With this objective in mind, we listened carefully to the input and requests of
a wide variety of interested parties, not the least of which included legitimate
domain investors – and this was the outcome. Will our solutions be “perfect”?
Probably not. Will they make everyone happy? Probably not. But will they make
a big difference in creating .CO into a safe, secure name space you can feel confident
investing in — we certainly think so!
Thanks so much for your interest in .CO
Lori Anne Wardi
Director of Marketing
.CO Internet S.A.S.
idiots
I ownder what if someone register gmail.co who will get it gmail.com or gmail.de? Both have valid trademarks. Google even lost a case in Germany and gmail.com does not work in the country any longer.
” . . . and creating .CO into what we believe will become the world’s next premier web address for 21st Century businesses and brands.”
Key word here being, “we” ; since the rest of the world who understands such things either are already (or will soon be) on the floor laughing their guts out over such a statement (I’d say “over such a belief” except that I’m sure you don’t actually believe such baloney).
” . . . the place where the world’s next generation of great enterprises will have a home.”
Um, yea, sure.
Just like .tv, .mobi, .travel, .me; and all the other upcoming .this, .that, and .theother with the same false visions of grandeur you and the other .co folks have.
You all’d do better to spend you time, efforts, and money on making something else besides cocaine be your contry’s #1 world export.
LOL SteveM – you must have read my mind 🙂
.cm Part Deux
No savvy domainer will register .co domains under these false pretenses:
“Associated globally with the words “COmpany,” “COrporation” and “COmmerce” – the .CO domain is easy to recognize, simple to remember and flexible to use. And that makes it the perfect platform for today’s socially networked individuals, entrepreneurs and companies to create .COmmunities, share .COntent, and .COnnect, .COmmunicate and .COllaborate.”
as far as generic english traffic typos not even the King of Kings ‘ games.co” has decent traffic to speak of …
Site Information for games.co Alexa Traffic Rank: 5,377,117
will barely cover the premium registration fees nor warrants getting into an auction .
I think it is a great extension and we will be registering .Co domains. Some of them do have decent traffic as “typo” of .com and this is an additional bonus.
Lori, is the list of these 100 protected brands available?
Will a .com owner be able to claim the .co domain without having a trademark ?
We already have some .com.co domains and they also do have good enough traffic.
.
sex.co will be on sale soon…
ht
tp://domainnamewire.co
m/2010/03/22/sex-co-headed-to-auction-block-in-may/
.
SnickSnack – In response to your questions:
– The list of 100 has not yet been published by Deloitte and we are eager to see it too. It should be any day now!
– The .com owner will be able to claim the corresponding .co domain during Landrush under the same circumstances as any other person – but there won’t be any special rights/entitlements.
Thanks so much,
Lori Anne Wardi
Director of Marketing
http://www.COinternet.co
The .CO is just plain – STUPID. If they think everyone will jump on board .CO and one day it will outpace .COM then they are fooling only themselves.
They won’t stop cybersquatters.
And if they do manage to stop the cybersquatters, they will lose the majority of their profits.
This is going to be WORSE than the .CM registry based on the fact that the .CM registry at least weren’t fooling themselves and knew what the game was all about. The .CO registry seems like is a bunch of bad business men thinking they can get the entire internet to 1 letter less. What a bunch of foolish non sense.
They will find out soon enough how their theory plays out. Sure they’ll make a few quick bucks off the premium auctions. But there cannot be any long term success to this TLD. If history and common sense are not proof enough, then I do not know what is.
I wish this TLD was in the hands of smart business men. Because you’ll still get the same amount of trademarks and typos registered and at least I won’t have to deal with the BS when registered the typos at the very beginning on the launch.
I guarantee 3 years from now the .CO registry will be so broke that they’ll beg cybersquatters to come on board.
Matt
Sounds like someone is pissed off because they won’t be allowed to register Verizon.co.
Seriously the domain world is bigger than just domainers.
While you don’t see any value in computers.co I’m sure there are hundreds if not thousands of companies around the world that wouldn’t mind having it to base their site off of.
What will play an important role promoting this new .co TLD is the idea of .co domains to be recognized as COmpany. More than the legal part of it.
Anyone will be able to buy .co domains soon, however companies that own trademarks will have a special treatment and will be able to purchase their .co domain names before the rest of the world.
More info on .CO domain names.
Michael,
I am pissed and it’s not because of Verizon.co. I go after typos, but not of those that are high profile/trademarked of nature.
But do you know it’s not exactly a black and white area. Typos are very gray and the fact that they are adopting things like rapid suspension and all this other foolish nonsense has me worried. One of the rules for the rapid site suspension is phishing. I’ve had plenty of typos of non-trademarked names that others have tried taking away saying that the parked domains are phishing, scam, and so on.
This will be a mess.
Secondly, .CO is a typo of .COM. Most of their registrations for the first few years will come from domainers. Most profits for the .CM registry must’ve came from the domaining industry.
And btw, I do see value on Computers.co and will be bidding on those types of names as well.
.
sex.com and sex.co are on sale… but sex.do is better… 🙂
.
I got a few .co domains, and I hope and pray that they turn out to be a success. I also hope Google quickly indexes and recognizes the .co domains, as I plan on keeping a few myself to build a couple of sites.