.Eco domain hopes to differentiate itself with .eco system.
.Eco domain names become available to the public this month. I asked Michael Ward, VP of Business Development for Dot Eco, to explain what will make .eco different from other top level domain names.
DNW: Who is .eco for and what are the requirements to register one?
Ward: Thank you for this opportunity Andrew. .eco is for the millions of businesses, organizations, and individuals who are committed to positive change for the planet. Small and medium size businesses that are committed to sustainability are ideal .eco end users. We are already seeing Champions, or early adopters, from the fashion industry, financial service sector, and companies that offer environmentally-friendly products launching new businesses on .eco domains, or switching from their current domains to .eco. It is amazing to see this early adoption. We are also seeing environmental organizations and individuals adopting .eco domains for campaigns, such as raising awareness for the protection of ocean areas in Canada and Chile. Expect to see press releases and more marketing about these .eco Champions in the future. As we get into General Availability later in April, one of our goals will be to have Fortune 1000 companies embrace and use .eco to showcase their sustainability initiatives.
All .eco registrants will be given two complimentary value adds with their .eco domain, a .eco profile and a .eco trustmark. Registrants will be required to complete the .eco profile and take a pledge to support positive change for the planet and to be truthful when sharing information about their environmental actions. These are the two requirements to use a .eco domain.
2. Registrars typically don’t like validation. How did you get so many registrars to carry .eco?
Ward: We currently have over 60 global registrars who have onboarded .eco. Our validation is not like those you may have seen in the past. There are two key differences—it’s simple and it’s post registration. That means the onus is on the registry and not the registrar. The validation process is akin to self attestation, which makes sense for the .eco brand that is so focused on trust and transparency. The .eco profile is a natural extension of the brand and fosters a trustworthy and transparent space. We think registrants will want to create a .eco profile to showcase their sustainability work and will not view it is as a validation process.
We have met with dozens of registrars over the past 120 days to solicit registrar feedback. Overall, registrars are embracing our innovative approach and strategy with .eco. They understand that what we are doing will add value to .eco. We still have some work to do with some registrars to get them to onboard and we are encouraged by the ongoing dialogue we are having with them.
3. What’s the .Eco System?
Ward: As mentioned earlier, each .eco registration will come with a .eco profile and a .eco trustmark. Combined, these three elements make up the .eco system. The .eco profile will be a searchable database where internet users will be able to find those companies, individuals and organizations that are committed to environmental change, and more importantly, view their specific environmental actions. The trustmark will be an icon that .eco registrants can put on their websites, similar to a facebook or twitter icon, to showcase their .eco alignment. It is our belief that the .eco domain extension, although certainly valuable and globally recognized on its own merit, will have more value as an element of the .eco system.
4. A lot of new TLDs are struggling. When I think of .eco, I immediately think of .green. Despite a dedicated marketing effort for eco-friendly use, it didn’t take off. Why do you think .eco will be different?
Ward: .eco is supported by over 60 global environmental organizations including WWF, The World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the UN Environmental Program to name a few. Big Room, the registry behind .eco, is founded by Jacob Malthouse and Trevor Bowden, who combined have over 25 years working in the environmental space. They have deep professional networks, are trusted, and know the language. .eco is a three character globally recognized extension that will offer value adds that align and strengthen the brand. The world is increasingly moving towards more sustainability efforts. Millennials and Generation Z specifically, are looking for environmentally friendly brands that walk the talk – like .eco does – and demanding transparency from companies when it comes to their environmental commitments and actions. The internet is a place where environmentally conscious consumers go for information. We anticipate .eco to be the place where consumers end up to get reliable information.
5. When will .eco be available and where can one register a .eco?
Ward: Our Early Access Program begins on April 18, 2017 and our general availability begins on April 25, 2017. For a complete list of participating registrars, visit home.eco/registrars/partners/
Dan says
I had my Eco.extension domain seized back by the registry 2 years ago, how can they release .eco now, was this the reason for the unlawful
Seizure?
Andrew Allemann says
No, that would have nothing to do with the .eco domain extension.
.ECO® says
UPDATE: planet.ECO WINS .ECO® and gets victory in 10 year fight over .eco.
As Allemann’s dated articles appears at the top of .ECO Google news continue to mis-inform the public, we provide the truth…
On May 7, 2019 after wasting another 2 more years of the U.S. government’s precious time and resources, Big Room Inc’s December 15, 2016 “.eco” trademark case against planet .ECO® LLC was rejected. In this 5th attempt Big Room Inc. was finally Dismissed with Prejudice by the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=91231750&pty=OPP&eno=57.
After Big Room Inc’s final dismissal – planet .ECO® was issued 2 new .ECO trademarks from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in addition to its incontestable trademark covering .ECO Internet Domain Name Services, registered since 2009.
On July 23, 2019 the USPTO issued .ECO Registration No. 5813887 – for “Computerized database management,” in Class 35
On September 3, 2019 the USPTO also issued .ECO Registration No. 5851826 – for “advertising and marketing services…” in Class 35.
On September 4, 2019 the USPTO also rejected Big Room Inc’s application to perform .ECO Registry Operator Services – http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn87327563&docId=OOA20190904152931#docIndex=0&page=1.
According to a Department of Commerce representative, the agency did not award Big Room Inc. rights to operate the .eco Registry.
Since 2010 planet .ECO® has prevailed in all 6 Federal Trademark proceedings brought forth by Big Room and TLDH.
Planet.eco llc says
Are Trademarks in Danger?
Who approved the authorized delegated of .ECO?
Lots of other questions
David says
The new tld .ECO domain extension is being launched with considerable publicity. However, many new tlds are failing or doomed to fail so its success is far from assured. .eco will also face tough competition from new tld .GREEN
.ECO domain coming online couldn’t be at a worse time with major negativity from Pres Trump and his massive proposed 31% budget cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, along with Pres Trump reducing or down-playing importance of environmental protection and EPA rules or regulations.
THE .ECO(R) COMPANY says
On March 1 2017 Big Room Inc.’s 4th Registration attempt to obtain “.eco” was once again refused by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) because of a likelihood of confusion with the mark in U.S. Registration No. 3716170.
This time Big Room Inc. applied to register “.eco” in stylized form for:
Domain registry operator services, in Class 42.
planet.ECO LLC is the exclusive registrant of the mark “.eco” in standard-character form for:
Design, creation, hosting and maintenance of internet sites for third parties; Hosting of digital content on the Internet; Providing specific information as requested by customers via the Internet, in Class 42.
Thus, the USPTO determined when viewed in their entireties, the “.eco” marks are similar in commercial impression and therefore issued the refusals.
See:
http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn87327563&docId=OOA20170301165412#docIndex=0&page=1
Andrew Allemann says
Note that you don’t have a trademark for running a domain name registry. There’s a good reason for that: USPTO doesn’t let people trademark top level domains.
I think you have a good case that .eco shouldn’t have been a community TLD, but to argue it’s a trademark violation is far-fetched.
THE .ECO(R) COMPANY says
“The USPTO’s mission is to ensure that the Intellectual Property system contributes to a strong global economy, encourages investment in innovation, and fosters entrepreneurial spirit. Intellectual Property is an invention or creation embodied in the form of a patent, trademark, trade secret, or copyright.Oct 4, 2009
Thus, what local or nationwide priority did Big Room Inc., a Canadian Company, have for “.eco” and who’s approval authority was used to delegated “.eco”, considering we paid $185,000 and passed the “.eco” evaluation.
Our ideas, plan and trademark have been hijacked and…
After long wait, we too have a lot of questions?
.ECO(R)
Pierre says
I’m sorry but I’m really confused. I wanted to license the .ECO Trademark so I did a search on who owns it and per the USTPO a company named Planet.ECO LLC owns it. So if this company owns the Trademark, which company should I be speaking with to possibly obtain said licensing agreement? Andrew, per your statement here, I should be speaking to the Planet.ECO guys correct? Something that is confusing me here, how can I get a .ECO domain if what you are saying here is correct? If this other company owns the Trademark.ECO, how can anyone or a TLD registrant use .ECO if it is a registered Trademark? I don’t understand! A U.S. Trademark is VERY powerful, that’s like a company saying .NIKE, they can’t because it’s a registered Trademark! Maybe I didn’t see it but does this other company have a licensing agreement with this Planet.ECO LLC? I don’t want to go around in circles any longer, just need the correct company to work with. In your opinion, do I need to speak to 1 company for a .ECO domain then speak to the other company for a licensing agreement?Thank you.
THE .ECO(R) COMPANY says
We were approached by Big Room Inc. in 2011 and after discussion, rejected their $15,000 offer to licence our trademark, “.eco(R)”.
We filed a cease and desist, took them to Federal Court for infringement and they lied to the court about their jurisdiction.
Big Room Inc. has spent years trying to petition for cancellation of our trademark and eventually withdrew or were terminated at least 3 times. We prevailed in each case.
Needless to say, we never entered into a licensing agreement with Big Room to use “.eco(R)”.
– .ECO(R)
THE .ECO(R) COMPANY says
Big Room Inc.’s so-called community and above nationwide priority are not relevant as our concern are:
Who delegated .ECO and with what authority?
Are Trademarks Safe if TLDs are allowed to be unbridledly licensed ?
Note, a trademark is not required to operate a registry. We happened to have one called “.ECO”, asserted our rights and watched the rules of engagement for the recommendation of a root zone change
change adjustment in the favor of Big Room Inc., after we applied and paid $185,000. We were treated differently and attacked because we applying with a U.S. trademark.
Instead of rightfully being awarded .ECO, the TLD was awarded to a Canadian Company co-founded by a former ICANN executive who help create the program we all applied in. As an ICANN executive he began applying for .ECO in 2007. He had a 5 years head start and helped create the rules of engagement before the New GTLD application window was opened to the public. He co-created the community priority rules and partnered with well known organizations like, WWF, 350.org and others to push their greater good agenda.
We still believe fair competition matters and you simply can not violate laws, rules, and regulations even if the claims are for your ” Greater Good”.
Indians says
you should be asking bigroom why they said in the press and their submission that they would give 25% of their money back as donations to the community, but they have no plans to do this now. ICANN should revoke on this basis alone.
you should be asking Big Room how much profit they are making from each sale.
you should be asking what qualifications they have.
environmental partners should be asking themselves if they want to be associated with cowboys that are doing a grab for money by exploiting the ‘environment industry.’
THE .ECO(R) COMPANY says
Indians,
You are correct but even if Big Room Inc. violated any law, rule or regulation, it is still not at fault for delegating itself or being entered into the authoritative root zone file for. ECO.
They can try to cover up their trademark infringement but can’t do the same on the real issue. They are illuminating the unfair TLD playing field.