Posted on June 23, 2014

The fastest way to register a new gTLD domain name like .CHURCH

Posted on June 23, 2014 by .BIBLE Registry Categories: Domains, Online Presence

Rather than waiting for the public launch of a new generic top-level domain (gTLD), when it would be a first-come first-serve to grab a domain name you want, there is another path that works similar to the express lane at the supermarket or the priority lane at airports.

Every new gTLD provides a window of time prior to the public launch date (known in the industry as general availability) called the sunrise period. This sunrise period allows priority access to register new gTLD domain names to entities (individuals or organizations) with 2 things:

  1. has an active registered trademark name
  2. has registered that trademark with Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH)

Note that this article is only an introductory simplified overview and is not legal advise. Your organization should consider getting official legal counsel to insure desired results.

For example, the sunrise period for .CHURCH domain names is: 08 July 2014 to 06 September 2014. Here’s what churches can consider doing:

If your church already has an active trademark, go to the Trademark Clearinghouse for info about how to get your trademark submitted and verified.

If your church does not yet have an active trademark, and wants to have the earliest possible access to register .CHURCH domain name, your church would do well to first count the costs; like Jesus said in Luke 14:28

If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and figure out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.

To help your decision-making process, here’s some pertinent info:

Do you have any tips to share for trademarks and domain names? Add a comment and let’s help each other.