The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the private organization that administers the unique identifiers for the Internet, announced last week, that it will delay the launch of the new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) system until at least December 2009. ICANN is seeking additional public comment on the proposed procedures - especially in areas that address trademark owners concerns regarding bad-faith registrations and having to defensively register their marks. Many have been questioning the need for the gTLD system in the first place.

The proposed new gTLD's will allow virtually any gTLD to become part of the TLD system. This means that some business may try to get a familiar generic term as its own gTLD, such as ".shopping" or ".sports." This also means that a business could sign up for ".yourcompany" or ".yourbrand" as a gTLD. For more information regarding the new gTLD system, see Expansion of Internet Top Level Domain Names.

-- Originally published in Larkin Hoffman's IP/Tech Buzz.