KPMG lays out gTLD vision
Professional services company KPMG has said a .brand generic top-level domain (gTLD) should be seen as a secure registry database, "not just a domain name".
Speaking at The Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress in London, David Green from KPMG said "much of the .brand focus so far has been on the domain name, but applicants have a much more complex registry system than that".
"A secure gTLD registry is a critical aspect of Internet infrastructure," said the head of global digital marketing.
"We did not apply just to upgrade our domain name, but to operate a secure registry at the root of the Internet."
This concept of a .brand as a secure space rather than a mere address, Green told WIPR later on, will be a topic focussed on increasingly in the future.
KPMG's only application was for .kpmg, and in the session Green listed some of the benefits of having a .brand gTLD, including "superfast servers at the root of the internet" and a "massively scalable database".
Further advantages were an enhanced security of Internet connections, a platform for innovation and a unique addressing system, which has implications for authenticity, IP protection and SEO.
"You will have a much greater degree of control of your brand in digital channels," he added.
With the first new gTLDs almost ready to launch, Green said now is an "opportune moment" to look at overall IP protection, because many organisations take a "disjointed" approach to protecting trademarks, domain names and other IP.
"Look at all those and centralise," he said.
He added that in too many organisations .brand gTLDs have been championed by only "a few individuals" while the rest of the company remains largely unaware of them, so internal communications are crucial for all applicants.
The conference finishes on Friday 27.
