.CM ccTLD Sunrise Period is Over; Tradmark Holders Should Still Consider Defensive Pre-Registrations of .CM Second-Level Domain Names

Registrations for second-level .cm country code top-level domain names (ccTLD) are now in full swing.  These second-level ccTLDs include .com.cm, .net.cm, and .co.cm.  Registrations began on October 15 through NETCOM, located at http://www.netcom.cm.  The .cm domain name suffix, which is a country code that stands for the Republic of Cameroon, is wildly popular with typosquatters and cybersquatters because it acts as a typo of not only .com, but also of China’s .cn ccTLD, the most popular ccTLD in the world. 

Trademark holders, unfortunately, can no longer take advantage of the sunrise registration period.  The sunrise period for .cm domain name registrations expired on November 5, 2008.  After November 15, NETCOM will open the registration process to the general public, but some registrars, such as http://www.instra.com, are allowing pre-registrations.  It has been speculated for years that the noted domainer Kevin Ham entered into a revenue sharing agreement with the Cameroon government to install pay-per-click advertisements across the .cm ccTLD, so NETCOM’s registration of second-level .cm domain names has peaked the interest of trademark holders who have been victims of .cm typosquatting in the past. 

Trademark holders should consider pre-registering their trademarks in second-level .cm domain names as a defensive measure.  If you are worried about typosquatting or cybersquatting on the .cm ccTLD, or if you need legal advice on whether defensive registrations are right for you, contact one of the domain name specialist attorneys at Traverse Legal.