Thursday, 19 November 2015

.feedback – Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down

When do you want feedback and when don’t you?

All brands appreciate feedback about their products and/or services, good or bad.
A Google search for the word FEEDBACK defines it as "information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement."

A customer FEEDs communication BACK to the business, hence FEEDBACK. Feedback is often discrete or a direct communication between the customer and affected business. This channel is about to change with the launch of the new domain name extension .feedback.

There are many review services such as TripAdvisor and Yelp but none of them that allow a third party to register domain names that match registered trademarks. The TLD .feedback could create the impression that the user is communicating via a channel controlled by the trademark owner, which is not the case but rather via a third party moderator who collects the comments and data from the user.

A live example is www.fox.feedback which is owned by the TLD operator of .feedback. In order to post a comment or review about the famous FOX network a user needs to provide their email address or login via one of a few preselected social network services such as Facebook. See some reviews already posted at http://www.fox.feedback/reviews.

Besides the trademark issue that arises from a third party using a trademark without the required permission for a commercial purpose, the domain name is not controlled by the trademark so they cannot deal with issues raised. It could also create frustration from the user who may not receive feedback due to the aforementioned reason.

When a .feedback domain name is registered a review page is automatically created to allow for the submission of comments. This, however, can be avoided by paying a monthly fee. The monthly fee therefore allows the trademark owner to directly control the .feedback domain name. The extra payment is deliberately targeted towards trademarks owners who want to reduce their exposure to risk ultimately paying a premium to control their own domain name.

Launch information relating to .feedback can be found at http://www.lexsynergy.com/tlds/feedback

In order to simplify the registration process and to avoid the automated feedback form Lexsynergy has set the default registration setting of a .feedback domain names it processes to avoid the feedback platform consolidating the monthly fee into a single annual charge.

Whether you agree or disagree with the business model of .feedback the risk cannot be ignored.

Contact brandprotection@lexsynergy.com to discuss protecting your trademark in .feedback, .sucks and other high risk new gTLDs.

Tuesday, 17 November 2015

Nominet Now Offering Domain Lock Service

Nominet will now offer a registry level domain lock service for all domains in the .UK namespace. A domain lock means that no changes can be made to the Domain Name System (DNS) configuration unless unlocking is explicitly requested by a pre-authorised representative through an additional authentication process. This additional security layer provides peace of mind that changes cannot be made to the DNS without identity being thoroughly authenticated.

If you are interested in adding a domain lock to any of your domains within the UK namespace email us at support@lexsynergy.com.

Monday, 9 November 2015

Secure Your Matching .UK Domain For Free

Are you the owner of a co.uk domain name who has been waiting to secure your matching .uk domain? As a co.uk domain holder you have the first right to register the matching .uk domain and right now is the perfect time to do so.

For a limited time you now have the opportunity to register your matching .uk domain free of charge for the first year. Between 10 November 2015 and 7 January 2016 new .uk domain registrations will have the first year registration fee waived.

This is a great opportunity to secure your .UK domain name at no cost to you. The .UK extension is the shorter and more attractive option for businesses and individuals in the United Kingdom and we feel it will eventually become the default choice for UK brands. It is imperative that you secure these .uk domains before they become available to the general public.

Here are a few benefits to securing your .uk name:
*It’s a shorter UK focused web domain for businesses. It brings the UK domain space in line with the more familiar international format of other shorter country codes like .de and .fr
* It brings all the same benefits of trust, reliability and credibility as the .co.uk, .org.uk and other members of the UK domain family
* .UK is easier to remember and firmly states where you are and who your audience is

Please note:
* If you do not renew your domain you will lose the right of first refusal
* Any domain not renewed will no longer carry your right of first refusal
* The domain is free for the first year. After that normal annual fees apply
* co.uk domain names must have been registered prior to 6 June, 2014

If you have any questions about this promotion or would like to secure your matching .UK domain name free of charge, please email our 24/7 support team at support@lexsynergy.com.