Trademark Alert: New Top Level Domain .TEL Registration Begins December 3, 2008 for Trademark Holders
10/31/2008
Telnic, the registry operator for the new .TEL top level domain (TLD), announced that registration for the new TLD will begin December 3, 2008 for trademark holders and will begin February 3, 2009 for those not seeking to register trademarks as part of their domain names. A .TEL domain will be used to create a virtual rolodex online, enabling users to store, update, and publish all of their contact information in one place, including phone, fax, e-mail and mailing addresses, as well as keywords describing their company and other relevant information without establishing a traditional website. The .TEL TLD is optimized for use with mobile devices since it uses small and fast DNS lookups as opposed to pulling traditional HTML content. Visitors to a .TEL “webpage” can instantly telephone the company by clicking the link for the phone number shown on the .TEL page. The TLD is also available for individual use. Data can be privacy protected by the user allowing it only to be seen by authorized individuals. For additional information, please visit www.telnic.org. Trademark owners should consider purchasing .TEL domains containing their marks during the sunrise registration period which begins December 3, 2008. Disputes regarding a .TEL domain registration will be governed by the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (“UDRP”). However, trademark owners should act offensively to obtain domain registrations during the sunrise period, and not wait to act defensively in response to a third party .TEL domain registration through a UDRP proceeding. How to Obtain a .TEL TLD From December 3, 2008 through February 2, 2009 (the sunrise registration period), trademark owners may apply for a .TEL domain containing any trademark for which an application was filed before May 30, 2008 and which registers prior to December 3, 2008. The minimum period for this type of registration is three years, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis with a validation process. From February 3, 2009 through March 23, 2009 (the landrush registration period), any member of the general public may apply at a premium price for any domain not registered during the sunrise period. The minimum period for this type of registration is three years, and registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis with no validation process. From March 24, 2009 on, registration is open to the general public. The minimum period of registration for these domains will be one year. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis with no validation process.
For more information on or assistance with this or any other trademark matter, please contact one of the trademark attorneys listed below or the Mintz Levin attorney who ordinarily handles your legal affairs.
Susan Neuberger Weller
(202) 585-3510
SNWeller@mintz.com
Cristine M. Baker
(212) 692-6236
CMBaker@mintz.com
Carol H. Peters
(617) 348-4914
CPeters@mintz.com
Stacey C. Kalamaras
(202) 434-7451
SCKalamaras@mintz.com
