Apple, Nvidia and Ericsson beat squatters to .wiki web domains

Firms have only two months to buy their .wiki address before they go on general sale

Numerous companies including Apple, Nvidia, Ericsson, Hallmark, The Weather Channel, Chanel and Old Mutual have rushed to buy their new top-level .wiki domains, following concerns that internet trolls may attempt to hijack control of them.

CentralNic Group, the company that handles the new .wiki domains, confirmed that the companies were among the first to buy the domains. The .wiki top-level domains (TLDs) are designed to let businesses set up information sites about themselves.

The .wiki TLD is available for purchase for companies and not-for-profit organisations that already own similar domain names. CentralNic's CEO Ben Crawford told V3 that other parties will be allowed to secure the .wiki TLD from 8 May.

"Trademark holders have this two-month window to obtain their domains before they become available to the general public. If they do not register their domain, then someone else with a legitimate use for the domain may register it," he told V3.

"So for instance if Apple computers did not secure Apple.wiki, then the community of apple growers could have registered the domain as a home for a wiki about the fruit, apples."

The time frame set by CentralNic is far shorter than other companies handling TLD domains. Nominet, the company handling the .uk rollout, has pledged to hold the addresses for companies with valid claims for up to five years.

This indicates that the early rush by Apple, Ericsson, Hallmark and others could be a protectionist move, designed to stop web squatters and competitors stealing the domains from them.

This theory is supported by CentraNic's flexible pricing model. A CentralNic spokeswoman confirmed to V3: ".wiki is being retailed at around £200. The pricing of each TLD varies on how popular that particular TLD is."

This means companies with generic-sounding names but good branding, such as Apple, could have been put in a difficult situation if a similarly relevant company, such as an apple seller, had beaten it to the .wiki domain.

Crawford moved to downplay the significance of squatters and competing bids, arguing that the company has taken suitable protective measures.

"There are many more corrective measures in place under .wiki than under traditional domain name extensions to protect trademark holders again cyber squatters, who illicitly register domains using trademarks to divert traffic, or to sell the domains to the trademark holders at a profit," he said.