Firms warned of online brand threat

Sunday, 29 Sep, 2005 0

Travel companies run the risk of losing their brands to online rivals or even cybersquatters if they fail to sign up for the dot travel domain name which goes live next week.

Although safeguards are in place to protect legitimate firms from being stung, ABTA and domain name management service NetNames have warned firms they need to act soon before they lose out.

Firms with generic words – such as cheapflights – are in particular danger, they said.

NetNames business development director Jonathan Robinson said: “The registering of a brand name with descriptive words, such as cheap flights, is not as easy as trademarking distinctive brands. Airlines, for example, could justifiably say they have cheap deals at certain times of the year and buy the cheapflights dot travel domain name.

“There could be costly disputes over domain names where numerous organisations may be able to stake a claim.

“Companies need to act quickly to ensure they protect their online brands from potential threats around the world. Given the importance of this new domain name for the travel industry, we would urge companies to make applications as early as possible.”

Robinson admitted however that few customers will be aware of the travel domain name – at least not yet.

“Not many firms will market the dot travel domain. It’s more about protecting the brand and ensuring they do not lose out to competitors at the moment,” he said.

ABTA, which has as accreditation role, said gatekeeping procedures are in place to protect against cybersquatters but advised companies to register.

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