A Countdown of the Top IT Trends Coming in 2012 – #4 New Top Level Domains by Jay Mellon, Partner

This past year, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (or ICANN for short) has opened top level domains to the public. A top level domain is the ending on the web addresses that we use every day such as .com, .edu and .org. So far, only 22 of them have been approved (besides the country specific ones).
In the immediate future, this news only impacts large corporations that can afford the $185,000 registration fee and exhaustive application process. See our post “What’s in a Name” for more information. However, SMBs need to keep an eye on developments in this area.
For example, the top level domain name .XXX, which is used for adult websites, could have serious consequences to your brand if someone registers your business name with this top level domain. Your brand could suffer from the association with adult material.
Trade marking your name may help protect your organization. ICANN is allowing businesses with registered trademarks to file them so that other entities cannot register your brand with an unauthorized Top Level Domain.
What is a Top Level Domain Name worth to you? Join the discussion on Twitter @atnetplus.