Domain Distribution

Domain distribution or domain name allocation is a much discussed topic these days. Domain name registries are vested with the right to distribute domain names to eligible applicants. The advent of private registration has paved the way for unauthorized, bulk registration of all generic top level domains with a number of extensions, sacrificing the restrictions and registration policies introduced by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Contradictory domain distribution schemes employed by domain registries have caused legal conflict between trademark holders and non trademark holders. The privatization of domain distribution has brought an imbalance between the Internet communities. The result of blind distribution of domains to ineligible applicants has resulted in many illegal practices like cyber squatting, domain hijacking etc. All these ultimately create a lot of legal domain dispute issues over trademark violation.

As part of the effort to avoid such issues, domain name distribution policies and methodologies for distributing domains have been created. These policies deal with questions like which domains should be reserved for public use, for operational use, and for auctions. The best period for distribution of domain names thus recommended is the sunrise period. Sunrise period is duration of time during which trademarks owners holding the owned mark can register or launch a new top-level domain or second-level domain name. Sunrise periods offer existing trademark and other intellectual property holders the opportunity of reserving names in the registry. Usually, one to two months period are set aside for Sunrise period.

The domain name distribution and processing services through ICANN authorized registrars are carried out exclusively on a priority basis. This is a service policy whereby domains are allotted to customers purely in the order of their arrival. But, this is not as fair a process as it seems to be, since applicants who have sophisticated software that can track these domains as soon as they are available, are anyway privileged over others.

ICAAN conducts online auctions to distribute domains to any individual anywhere in the world, who wishes to purchase premium domain names at reasonable prices.