Tanzania Businesses Required To Use .TZ Domain Name

 The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has recently issued a public compliance notice stating that all entities doing business in Tanzania are required to register and use a .tz domain name.

The notice states that this requirement is in place to comply with the regulatory requirements and to contribute to national revenue.

Any business in Tanzania that is currently utilizing a .com, .net, .biz or other domain extension should immediately register the matching .tz domain.

According to the .TZ registry, here are some of the benefits of using a .tz domain name:

Establishes Trust

• Country code extensions establishes a trust and reputation with the local consumer. Domains ending in .TZ are viewed as legitimate and credible.
• Free emails (i.e. Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) are not always trusted. A .TZ domain creates more authority and will makes you stand out from the competition.

Local Identity

• A .TZ domain shows distinct association with Tanzania and is ideal for any local business.
• Country code extensions like .TZ are recognized both locally and globally.

Marketing

• A .TZ domain creates local brand accessibility and awareness
• Improve your search engine performance and target new clients that are geographically close to your business.

Lexsynergy is an accredited .TZ registrar. Contact us today and we will help you register your .TZ domain name. This new domain name will allow you to be complaint with the TCRA’s policies and take advantage of all the benefits of a .TZ domain. Email us today to register your .TZ domain – support@lexsynergy.com

.TZ Reseller Program
Lexsynergy offers a white-label reseller package for all interested registrars. Our reseller service provides a simplified and automated process for registering and renewing .TZ domains for your clients. Grow you’re your business by offering one of the most popular country code extensions in Africa.

For more information visit http://registry.co.tz or email accreditation@registry.co.tz to become accredited.

ICANN Study Maps Changes To Global Domain Market, But Misses Significant Legacy gTLD Declines

ICANN recently released the results of its Phase II study looking at the global domain market since the introduction of new gTLDs 2.5 years ago.

The study found the share of registrations held by the top registries and registrars has declined as the marketplace has become more diversified but the percentage of European and Asian registry operators has grown, particularly from China. Registrations of new gTLDs were more dispersed among registrars than for legacy gTLDs.

Registrations grew from 3,483,064 at Phase I in November 2014 to 16,570,035 registrations in March 2016 at Phase II with new gTLD registrations growing from 2% of all gTLD registrations to 9%.

The study strangely finds no aggregate (worldwide) effect of new gTLD entry on legacy TLD registrations. This appears to be plainly wrong as several legacy gTLDs have seen a significant drop in registration numbers, several of which commenced their decline at the same time as new gTLDs were introduced when looking at statistics on RegistrarStats.com. The .biz, .tel, .xxx and .us TLDs are some of those seemingly impacted, although .us has recently jumped significantly due to a promotion.

The study also found the average and median registration prices of both legacy and new gTLDs has declined and that the overall wholesale price, that’s the price charged to registrars, of legacy gTLDs is lower than that of new gTLDs.

Argentina Opens Up NET.AR to Anyone, Anywhere

The Argentinian ccTLD operator, NIC Argentina, announced that from 1 November the same rules that apply to .com.ar will apply to .net.ar. The change means any person or business, Argentinian or from abroad, may register .com.ar and .net.ar domains. Previously .net.ar domains were only available to suppliers of internet services within Argentina. Registrations for second-level .ar domains remain only open to Argentinians.

To register your net.ar domain, email us at support@lexsynergy.com

Controversial .FEEDBACK gTLD Subject of Complaints Due to "Bogus Commentary"

The .feedback gTLD has always been controversial by allowing the registration of domain names for the purpose of positive and negative feedback on any topic. The controversy was that it would end up enabling illegitimate criticism of brand owners.

After its launch, the controversy grew with trademark holders being forced to pay more for domains than non-trademark holders while being compelled into using a template for their website design enabling criticism. There were claims people were paid to go to websites and fabricate reviews on .feedback sites. It is also mandated that all .feedback domains point to live websites enabling posting of comments, which does not take into account that not all domain names are registered with the purpose of hosting website content. Furthermore, these websites are widely populated with bogus commentary, including from paid commentators and user comments copied from third party websites such as Yelp.

The complaints have come about as a result of the harm suffered by brand owners who are leading a group of clients and partners in a submission to ICANN “that [they] believe either directly violate or at the very least show disregard for many long-standing policies and industry standards which ICANN and the community have come to expect, and which the parties involved should be bound to uphold.” The submission requests a “PICDRP (public interest commitment dispute resolution procedure) Panel to review the (.feedback registry’s) violations, and impose appropriate sanctions and remedial measures.”

The complainants are seeking a comprehensive review and investigation of the .feedback registry’s compliance with its obligations, the appointment of a panel to monitor compliance, the deletion of all domains fraudulently created with false WHOIS registration data through the FREE.FEEDBACK marketing campaign and appropriate compensation.

TMCH Ongoing Notification Promotion

From now until the end of the year, trademark owners that have an active ongoing notification service with the TMCH can submit 20 variations for free. These variations can include the following terms:

• A term that contains the mark but adds text in front or behind the mark: (i.e. lexsynergydomains or registerlexsynergy)
• A term that is a series of consecutive characters taken from the mark (i.e. lexsyn or synergy)
• A term that is similar to the mark by replacing a character(s) with a similar character (i.e. you can replace o with 0 or e with é). You are allowed to replace a maximum 1/4 of the total length  (i.e. léxsynergy)

If you currently have ongoing notification for one of your TMCH validated trademarks and wish to add 20 additional terms for free, please email us at brandprotection@lexsynergy.com. This promotion is available until 31 December 2016.

Get Your Foothold in the EU Following Brexit with a .IE Domain

In the wake of Brexit, Ireland will become the largest English speaking country in the EU. As such it will continue to be a great base for American companies that want to do business in the EU. Companies like Facebook, Google, Linkedin, Paypal and many others have their European headquarters in Dublin.   Apart from being an English speaking country, Ireland uses the Euro currency and the time zone makes it very favourable for working with US companies.

As part of our domain and trademark advice, we recommend that you protect your brand and your business by taking out a .ie domain (Ireland).

Registration is simple and straightforward and a .ie domain name will provide you with an identifiably Irish presence on the internet. Let’s get straight into the how; there are three basic pieces of information that you’ll need to provide with your domain application:

1.    Proof of your identity.
2.    Your claim to the domain name.
3.    Your connection to Ireland.

Let’s take all three of these specifically and look at some common examples of what we look for.

Identity
In order to ensure that you are who you say you are, the .ie registry asks everybody who registers a .ie domain to verify their identity. This helps to provide traceability for all .ie domains. In general they will ask for companies to provide their certificate of incorporation or employer identification number (EIN).

If you’re a business you can send proof of your business registration. You can include a copy of your Certificate of Incorporation/verifiable company registration number. To enable verification, just provide the URL for your country’s company register website.

Claim
All .ie domain applicants are also asked to show that they have a valid reason for wanting a particular .ie domain name, known as your claim to the domain name. Don’t let it put you off though, it’s generally simple to prove your claim. If the domain name matches the company, business or trademark name, that is proof of your claim.

Variations on your company, business or trademark name can also be registered; however, if it’s not clear that the domain name is clearly related to any of these the registry will likely ask for more information. Generally this will just be a written explanation about the meaning of the domain name and why you need to register it. This often covers domain names that are registered for brands, trading names, products or promotional campaigns.

Connection to Ireland
.ie is Ireland’s domain extension. It’s Ireland’s online address and as such the registry requires that all .ie domain registrations are either based in Ireland or have a real connection to Ireland. In most cases this means that when you apply for a .ie domain you can show that you operate in, trade with, or clearly intend to trade with, people or businesses in Ireland. You can use invoices, press releases, promotional material or even a screenshot of your e-commerce store that shows a customer can select Ireland as their country for delivery.

If you want to read more about proving your claim to the name or connection to Ireland you can find more information regarding the specific registration requirements HERE. 

As an accredited .ie registrar, Lexsynergy can help you with the full registration process. Contact us today for assistance support@lexsynergy.com.