Application filed for .bank domain name.
The same company that filed a service mark application for .Secure is at it again, this time filing an application for .Bank.
Wisconsin-based Asif LLC filed application 85,120,345 on August 31 to cover “Domain name registration services”.
In the U.S. you cannot trademark a top level domain name, although that hasn’t stopped people from trying. At least one applicant has said it will use its non-U.S. trademarks in an effort to keep out any competitors for its TLD.
ICANN has yet to address how it will treat TLD trademarks in the upcoming round. But it may not matter what ICANN thinks; ultimately a trademark holder can slow down the process or scare off competitors with the threat of lawsuits.
Another of the pretty underhanded (hmmmm, sleazy) tactics we see too much of in the industry. They are doomed to failure in the US and overseas b/c functional terms are not registrable as Trademarks. Tactics like this always fail, but you’re correct that they can muck up the works for no reason.
I think .bank can be safely filed under “looks good, will fail hard”.
Seriously, how many banks a) are there and b) will want to migrate to a new TLD.
@ Kevin – I think one of the bank associations was pitching an idea of creating a secure TLD at .bank.
not saying I think it’s a good idea, though 🙂
banks are the cheapest end users around. they wont bite. sorry mr .bank