What is a Brand Top-Level Domain?
A Brand Top-level Domain (TLD) is a type of internet domain name that is associated with a specific brand trademark. Unlike generic TLDs such as ".com", ".org," or “.net”, a Brand TLD is the authentic brand extension of a trademark, enabling it to be extended to customers and partner supply chains.
A Brand TLD is distinct as a “single registrant TLD,” as defined by ICANN’s Specification 13.
Specification 13 is an amendment to the ICANN Base Registry Agreement that defines a Brand TLD. Among other requirements, Specification 13 requires all second level domains (e.g., home.brand, product.brand, service.brand) be owned by the trademark owner or their affiliates. This distinction is the key attribute for audiences, customers, suppliers, and partners who will know that they are engaging with the authentic digital brand.
In a word, a Brand TLD means “Trust”.
For the trademark owner, the key attributes are full ownership, security and control over a massively scalable, brand-authentic digital identity.
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