March 19, 2009 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) –
LCN, an ICANN accredited domain registrar, is warning of the potential for cybersquatting when premium fees attached to .TEL domain names are removed and the domains become generally available (on a first-come, first-served basis) March 24, 2009.
“The premium fees which have been applied to registrations during the public launch to discourage domain squatters from snapping up hundreds of .tel domain names for resale purposes are set to be removed next Tuesday,” explained the company’s Managing Director, Mark Boost. “We would encourage businesses to act now and ensure they gain control of the .tel names related to their company as soon as possible. Not only are individuals and companies protecting their brand through the early purchase of a .tel domain, they are securing a hugely innovative domain extension that acts as an easy to access contact page especially useful for the rapidly growing mobile market.”
LCN quotes the recent publication of the 'Brandjacking Index' published by MarkMonitor which suggests an 18% increase of cybersquatting over 2008. In the 4th quarter of 2008 there were apparently 440,584 cases of cybersquatting alone. The registry dealing with .TEL domains, Telnic Limited, has taken “numerous steps to protect holders of trademarks related to domain names” but suggests there will be “strong demand for variants of popular trademarked names yet to be secured by their rightful owners”.
