New domain name options for Kiwi businesses

SME owner/managers wanting to cement their presence online can soon pick from a large number of new options for their brand domain name. Tim Johnson, CEO of the newly-launched .kiwi domain name has welcomed the Council of InternetNZ’s green light for the alternative .nz name. Once up and running, both new domain names will provide alternatives to the current list of available options such as .co.nz or .org.nz.

Johnson, who has been working on developing the .kiwi domain name for over two years now, says his domain name will bring a completely new option to the market for customers wishing to be associated with New Zealand on the internet or via their email address. 

“The domain will offer New Zealand organisations and individuals greater choice, branding creativity and the opportunity to differentiate themselves from competitors, providing them an exciting way of proclaiming their identity online,” he says.

The move is part of a widespread change in which hundreds of new internet domain names are now being launched around the world. They will include far more options than in the past with companies and individuals able to register choices reflecting geography [.africa], sports [.rugby] or brand names [.nike], for example. 

Johnson says businesses will be able to start reserving their .kiwi domain names from November onwards and using them from 2014.

He warns that old domain name iterations like .co.nz, .org.nz and net.nz will be become “relics of the past”.

However, managing online brand names is expected to become more complex and SME owner/managers considering their options are advised to work with the Trademark Clearinghouse  http://www.trademark-clearinghouse.com/ to protect and defend their trademark.

For more information check out the video on http://www.dot-kiwi.com/kiwi-and-trademarks/