As we’re all aware, .asia has opened, but not everyone is enthused. Charles Arthur writing in the online Guardian says to, “Curb your enthusiasm at the back. Oh, you were standing up to leave? Can’t blame you. In what must have domain registrars around the world rubbing their hands with glee and ordering new yachts, we now have another TLD that nobody can quite remember asking for (is it like the gherkin in a fastburger?) which will coin it from all the companies that feel they have to register their name just to make sure that nobody else does. Which especially means all the banks and other brands, but which equally means that typosquatters and phishers can have a new way to play havoc with everyone’s lives.” Arthur things .asia is pointless and just one good income stream for registrars. Meanwhile The Times, among others, says there will be “a flurry of ‘defensive registrations’ by companies that will not use their new ‘.asia’ web addresses but are determined to prevent cyber-speculators and counterfeiters from exploiting them.” And sex.asia is expected to be in the most in demand domain name.
To read all of Charles Arthur’s posting on The Guardian’s technology blog, see blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/10/08/whats_the_point_of_the_asia_toplevel_domain.html
For more media coverage on the launch of .asia, see the following:
Companies prepare to head off risk of cyber-squatters in new ‘.asia’ domain
The opening of the Asian TLD is expected to trigger a flurry of “defensive registrations” by companies that will not use their new “.asia” web addresses but are determined to prevent cyber-speculators and counterfeiters from exploiting them.
business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2609729.ece
Businesses advised to register .asia domains
Businesses with a presence in Asia which wish to protect trademarks have been advised that they should consider registering for .asia domain names.
news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39289872,00.htm
www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62033110,00.htm
www.sex.asia likely to be Internet domain in demand [Reuters]
The Internet address www.sex.asia is likely to be the domain name most in demand next week when dot Asia Web sites are launched, Europe’s .eu Internet domain registrar EURid said on Friday.
uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKL058948120071005
www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL058948120071005
redherring.com/Home/22931
www.chinapost.com.tw/business/2007/10/08/125792/Big-demand.htm