The domain has existed for many years but was little used,
unlike equivalent country codes in, for example, the UK, France and
Germany.
Until now, the naming structure for the .us domain was based on
national geography, in four levels, which made it an unpopular
choice for businesses. The first level was .us. The second level
domain was the applicant’s state, then the third level domain was
the city or county. Finally, the fourth level domain could be
assigned to an organisation or to an individual. The new system
will allow registrations of, for example, companyname.us.
Under the new system, trade mark owners will be given an advance
period for registration to beat the cybersqatters, beginning 4th
March. This Sunrise Period is being limited to owners of existing
or pending US trade marks prior to the opening of public
registration.
From 24th April, at least 29 accredited companies will begin
accepting .us registrations from the general public on a first
come, first served basis. The names are open to all companies
worldwide, so long as they and their customers meet the eligibility
requirements and policies.
