PHILIPS AND gTLDS
WELCOME TO OUR gTLD
PHILIPS:
Details on branded generic top-level domain applications are thin on the ground, but Ingrid Baele, vice president at Philips intellectual property & standards, gave TB&I a preview of the .philips domain.
Why did you apply for the .philips gTLD?
We applied because our own generic top- level domain (gTLD) off ers multiple business opportunities and security advantages. Our three main reasons are:
• To create a genuine environment that we can manage ourselves;
• To create new business opportunities via our online presence; and
• To avoid the risk that others might apply for, and obtain, our name.
What do you mean by a ‘genuine environment’?
As the registry operator, we can control who registers a second-level domain. We have formulated our strategy in such a way that we can open the registry in the future, but we will certainly start off with a closed registry. T e openness means that when we are working with partners, for example, they could have a domain. But not everyone will be able to have a domain.
When people see a .philips domain, they know that it is ours, and not a fake. We can control domain name registrations, image and
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communications. We have a very broad strategy, but in the fi rst instance we will use it for the Philips company and its subsidiaries only.
What are the new business opportunities?
We, as the IP organisation, work closely with the businesses and brand, digital and communications teams in Philips. We see a lot of opportunities with this new gTLD. It is diffi cult to say what they are at this point in time but we will have workshops next year with the businesses in Philips to bring the business opportunities to the surface. T e brand will be very visible aſt er the dot and that can attract the attention of customers. Philips has recently re-launched its brand: the new tagline is ‘innovation and you’ and we have integrated brand, digital and communications. We can use a billboard to drive people from the street to our website. A fancy .philips domain is more likely to attract people than a regular
philips.com.
It is important that we now have our own gTLD and are defi ning our strategy ahead of the race, rather than being too late to the party. We are an innovative company, and I think we should be a part of this as well.
Trademarks Brands and the Internet Volume 2, Issue 4
Was .philips your only gTLD application?
We also have .philips in Chinese script. China is our second biggest market. T e benefi ts of having this are similar to the Latin script gTLD, but there might be the need for a local, relevant approach in China. T e website would be in Chinese. We currently have diff erent home sites (more than 50) in diff erent languages, with the same look and feel but always addressing the local markets.
When do you plan to launch .philips?
We do not know yet. Our priority is to determine our registration policy for third-party domains. We will establish this during the workshops.
Will you set up different sub-domains for your different products/departments?
We do not intend to set up sub-domains, but that will be discussed during the workshop as well.
How will .philips co-exist with your current domain name portfolio?
T e current domain name portfolio is being reviewed and a new domain name policy is being defi ned (as we usually do, based on traffi c and relevance of the domains). We expect
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