DotBrand Solutions Mena has launched in the Middle East to empower Arab companies in protecting their top-level domain (TLD) names and operating their own in TLDs as alternatives to .com, .net and country codes.

The firm will also offer options to secure domain names in Arabic script, a statement said.

DotBrand Solutions Mena is a partnership between the world’s leading “dot-brand” supplier, global domain name registry CentralNic, and a consortium of Middle East businessmen including UAE based Nabil Alyousuf.

New TLDs are the result of a policy change announced on June 20 by domain name regulator ICANN, which now allows new domain extensions in addition to the traditional ".com" and country codes, including empowering companies to end their domain names with their own brand name, such as .canon or .unicef.

Middle Eastern companies will also have the opportunity to run their own generic TLDs such as .music or .green. And all these new domain names can be in multiple languages including Arabic.

"The introduction of dot-brand and Arabic top-level domains signals a new era of internet growth in the Middle East," said Ali Alyousuf.

"The Middle East is one of the largest emerging markets in the world, and DotBrand Solutions Mena gives local businesses the opportunity to supply our markets with our own domain names, as well as putting local companies with international ambitions on the same level as their competitors from other regions."

"Companies and their legal advisors in the Middle East have been contacting our London offices for months, wishing to protect their trademarks through .brand TLDs and to secure the most valuable real estate on the internet," said Ben Crawford, CEO, CentralNic.

“Now we have a local presence with account executives on hand to assist companies throughout the GCC and North Africa. We acquire the TLDs for our clients, and equip them with intelligence on best practice and innovation in this new space, while also serving as a turnkey outsource solution to handle the technical execution."

Among many benefits, the introduction of .brand TLDs will enable companies in the Middle East to join the world’s leading brands in creating a truly global presence free from both the American .com and the local country codes. Dot-brand TLDs will also reduce cybersquatting, knock-off sites and brand abuse. – TradeArabia News Service