Domain Names Rewired: Strategies for Brand Protection in the Next Generation of the Internet

Praise for Domain Names Rewired

"Domain Names Rewired takes a topic so far reserved for specialists ICANN′s upcoming release of over 1,000 new generic Top–Level Domains (gTLDs) and makes plain why everyone else should care about it, and how they should think about the threats and opportunities that the resulting new Internet will present to them and their businesses. With full command of the technical aspects of the topic and keen awareness of the relevant historical precedents, Wolfe and Chasser spell out the impact of the new regime on existing Internet business models and predict the emergence of new ones. Just as in the settlement of the American West, the new frontiers opened by ICANN′s regime will open doors to a new breed of pioneers, cowboys, trappers, prospectors, and miners. Like their predecessors in American history, only those who are well prepared for the new environment will succeed. Reading Domain Names Rewired is a great way to begin the preparation."
Horacio Gutierrez, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft

"Domain Names Rewired is a must–read for anyone in the branding business. As the Internet expands with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new gTLDs, branding professionals need to understand how to build and protect their brands in this newly complicated world. Wolfe and Chasser provide useful insights about the present, thoughtful observations about future trends, and a how–to–prosper guide for these changing times."
Alan Drewsen, Executive Director, INTA (International Trademark Association)

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xxxi

Chapter One The New Regime 1

An Overview of the Business Community Response to gTLDs 3

Potential Benefits for an Organization Applying for gTLDs 6

Potential Risk if Applying for gTLDs 13

The Business Model How Can It Work? 15

Chapter One Highlights 23

Chapter Two The Brand Bubble 25

The .com Phenomenon 26

Protecting Trademark Owners 31

There′s No Need for It 34

The Cost Is Just Too High 38

It s Not Fair to Small Businesses 40

What′s the Value of Your .com Now? 42

It′s All About Execution 44

Chapter Two Highlights 44

Chapter Three Building Your Brand and Social Media 47

The Emergence of Social Media and Online Communities 48

Experience with Social Media Marketing 49

What s Next? 51

It Could Change Everything 54

Chapter Three Highlights 60

Chapter Four Defending Your Brand 63

The New Domain Name Landscape 65

The Slippery Slope 75

Competitive Analysis 75

The Best Defense Is a Good Offense 77

Chapter Four Highlights 84

Chapter Five Behind the Scenes 87

How Internet Search Engines Work 88

Web Crawling 88

Meta Tags 91

Building the Index 91

The Next Generation of Search 92

Chapter Five Highlights 97

Chapter Six Forecasting the Future 99

A History Lesson 100

Interactive Initiatives and their Outcomes 107

Overstock.com o.co Rebranding 108

Facebook Connect 109

Chapter Six Highlights 111

Chapter Seven Rewiring the Internet 115

A Few Final Conclusions 115

Begin with the End in Mind 123

A Few Key Predictions 128

Chapter Seven Highlights and Concluding Trends 131

Appendix A The History and Changing Landscape of the Top–Level Domain 135

Committed Companies 135

Other Major Companies 136

Learning from gTLD History 190

What Happened with .tv? 190

The Future of .tv 194

What′s Different Now? 194

What Will Happen Next? 195

Appendix B Our Thought Leaders 197

Josh Bourne 197
Managing Partner, FairWinds Partners 197

Sarah B. Deutsch 198
Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Verizon Communication 198

Claudio Di Gangi 199
Manager, External Relations, Internet and the Judiciary, International Trademark Association 199

Cynthia L. Gibson 199
Executive Vice President, Legal Affairs, Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. 199

J. Scott Evans 200
Senior Legal Director, Head of Global Brand, Domains & Copyright, Yahoo! 200

Nancy H. Lutz 201
Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP 201

Steven W. Miller 201
Vice President and General Counsel, Intellectual Property, Procter & Gamble 201

Jeffrey J. Neuman 202
Vice President, Business Affairs, Enterprise Services, NeuStar, Inc. 202

Russell Pangborn 203
Associate General Counsel for Trademarks, Microsoft Corporation 203

Krista Papac 204
Chief Strategy Officer, ARI Registry Services 204

Katherine A. Ruwe 205
Senior Counsel, Global Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Procter & Gamble 205

Adam Scoville 206
Trademark and Brand Protection Counsel, RE/MAX, LLC 206

Ellen Shankman 206
Principal, Ellen B. Shankman and Associates 206

Yasmin R. Tavakoli 207
Associate, Kelley Drye & Warren, LLP 207

Fabricio Vayra 208
Trademark Attorney, Time Warner Inc. 208

Nick Wood 208
Managing Director, Com Laude 208

Works Cited 209

About the Authors 217

Index 219

JENNIFER C. WOLFE was recently named one of the top 300 global intellectual property strategists by IAM magazine for the second year in a row. She is the founder and CEO of Wolfe Domain, a global gTLD strategy advisory firm and co–managing partner of Wolfe–SBMC, a prominent woman–owned intellectual property law firm with offices in Cincinnati, New York City, and Spokane, Washington. She is a successful entrepreneur and was elected as the first female president of the Greater Cincinnati Venture Capital Association. She has helped found technology start–ups and serves on the boards of emerging growth companies. Clients served include: Microsoft, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Duke Energy, FirstGroup America, and many emerging technology companies. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt in process improvement, nationally accredited in public relations, and has been a regular contributor to national legal and technology publications. She was recently appointed to serve on the Generic Names Supporting Organization Council of ICANN.

ANNE H. CHASSER was named one of the 50 most influential people in the intellectual property world by Managing Intellectual Property magazine and served as commissioner of trademarks for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and president of the International Trademark Association. She has achieved top–level executive experience in both government and higher education administration as Associate Vice President for Intellectual Property at the University of Cincinnati and Director of Trademarks and Licensing at The Ohio State University. She has been trained in negotiation at Harvard and is widely recognized as a visionary thought leader in IP. She was recently inducted into the College Licensing Hall of Fame and is a member of the Trademark Public Advisory Committee for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. She also serves as an advisor to Wolfe Domain.

This is the authors′ second book. Their first book, Brand Rewired, was highly recognized as a forward–thinking innovative approach to brand development and protection by spanning silos within organizations.