Special Features
TRA Opens the door for Trademarks to Apply for Arabic Top-Level Domain Name
The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced the opening of Sunrise Period for the Arabic top-level domain name (dotEmarat) for trademarks. The application process will last for two months starting from October 17 until December 15, 2010. The application process will be available through TRA accredited registrars.The Arabic top-level domain name opens new doors for trademarks to communicate with a wide user segment that was reluctant to use the Internet because of the language barrier. It establishes a communication bridge through which businesses can deliver their messages and offer their services for that particular segment. Companies can use the Arabic domain name in advertisement campaigns that specifically target Arab audience. (dotEmarat) is still a spacious and wide market where companies can reserve distinct domain names that completely reflect their services and activities, unlike the familiar domain names where it is difficult to find suitable names.
Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director General said: "The Arabic top-level domain (dotEmarat) presents a unique opportunity for companies looking to expand its customer base. Ownership of such domains will secure intellectual property rights related to the name and opens vast opportunities for more companies to take advantage of the Arabic names for their brands." "The volume of Arabic content on the Internet is huge, but inability to write domain addresses in Arabic alphabets constituted a barrier for a large segment of Arab users. This was the main driver that sparked the adoption of the idea to present Arabic top-level domain names," he added.
Another advantage of the domain name (dotEmarat) is eliminating the need of transliterating Arabic words in English alphabets. Additionally, users of (dotEmarat) can easily type Arabic names in full and without substituting some of the Arabic letters that cannot be pronounced correctly with numbers. Thus, TRA was keen to create an online environment where users can count entirely on Arabic without using Latin letters.
The TRA has accredited many registrars to facilitate the application process for their Arabic domain names. Companies keen to apply for Arabic domain names can view a complete list of registrars by following the link (registrars.aeda.ae).
Comprehensive information about the Arabic top-level domain name (dotEmarat) is available at: policy.aeda.ae The Domain Administration, one of the TRA initiatives, is responsible for Arabic top-level domain names (dotEmarat) and the national domain name (.ae), both in technical or legislative aspects. The first phase of launching the Arabic domain name was fully dedicated to the federal bodies and government departments, where it witnessed huge response. This reflects a clear desire by all entities in the government sector to use an Arabic domain name.
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