Infographic – What Brands Need to Consider Before Venturing to the Right Side of the Dot (Click to Enlarge)92-day period for new gTLD applications begins on January 12, 2012

Afilias, the domain name registry operations company that runs .info and .mobi, and supports 14 other Top-level Domains (TLDs), is advising leading brands about the short time remaining before the “dot Brand” application window opens on January 12, 2012.

In just 40 days—January 12, 2012—a 92-day application window will open where businesses, for the first time, will be able to acquire and manage their own “dot Brand” Web extension. For example, “news.pepsi” instead of “pepsi.com/news.”

Seven years have passed since the last application round, when just seven TLDs were approved. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that manages the availability of TLDs on the Web, plans to allocate an unlimited number of new extensions, many of which will be dot Brands. With a maximum delegation of approximately 500 dot Brand extensions expected each year—and thousands of applications for TLDs expected—Afilias estimates a wait of up to a decade before the application window for dot Brand will open again. Currently, ICANN has not announced a date.

“Businesses need to get moving now if they are going to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Roland LaPlante, CMO, Afilias. “With the opening of the application window in just 40 days, brands need to start their dot Brand domain applications as soon as possible. And given the short preparation time remaining, it’s more important than ever for potential dot Brands to team with an experienced provider, like Afilias.”

Having over ten years of experience with new ICANN generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs), Afilias possesses more background supporting successful applications and rollouts than any other provider. Afilias has launched an education program to inform businesses about the dot Brand opportunity, including ways a dot Brand can contribute to stronger branding and better security. The program also outlines how Afilias can help companies meet the 22 detailed technical requirements laid out by ICANN. Details are available for free, online, at http://www.afilias.info/dotbrand.

LaPlante added, “For many brands, there are great benefits to owning a unique domain name. A dot Brand domain can make a URL more memorable and easier to promote. A dot Brand can also bolster consumer confidence and trust by effectively combating fraud and counterfeiting online. Although ICANN has not announced how applications will be prioritized, proposed TLDs that do not jeopardize the security and stability of the Internet are likely to be approved first. For this reason, brands that apply for a new TLD with a registry operator, such as Afilias, which has already proven itself to ICANN as a trusted technical supplier, are more likely to be ‘front of the line’ for a dot Brand domain.”