Until today it has only been possible to register a domain name within a certain number of Top Level Domains (TLD) such as: .com, .org, .se etc. As the result of long and intense discussions, from today and for the next three months it will be possible to register nearly any word, generic term or brand as a new TLD.

The new system, while offering exciting opportunities, imposes considerable responsibilities on those who choose to register. Registering a generic term or your own brand as a TLD means that you will be running your own registry business and controlling the second-level domains sorted under your specific TLD. The application process is enormous and requires large investments e.g. application fee 185 000 USD, yearly fee 25 000 USD.

It is still uncertain whether this is going to be a success or not, and to what extent the growing number of new TLDs might create confusion for Internet users. If you want to learn more about the new system or find out how to prevent your brand from ending up as someone else’s TLD, please contact one of our legal experts at legal@essen.se or call +46 8 503 001 00.