Internationalized domain names (IDNs)

The use of domain names containing accents or using non-Latin alphabets is being developed all over the world, with China being the world leader in this field. SafeBrands has become the 1st (and currently the only) French registrar to be accredited in China, and the 1st globally to automate the registration of domains in ideograms. We believe that in a few years’ time, domain names using local languages and characters will have become the internet standard.

Although most companies have now implemented proper protection of their trademarks for the generic TLDs and for the majority of ccTLDs, IDNs are often overlooked. Whether you are registering domains in accented Latin characters or translating them into different alphabets, protection strategies that do not cover IDNs risk exposure to major cybersquatting risks.

IDNS are relatively recent on the internet naming market, and therefore still offer numerous generic domain name opportunities where all of the traditional gTLDs and ccTLDs are already taken.

SafeBrands is the first registrar to provide a virtual keyboard enabling you to search Whois records for IDNs. All of our front and back office systems are IDN-compatible, as well as being compatible with extensions in non-Latin alphabets such as the Russian ‘рф’.

Your domain name cannot simply be translated into Chinese. It must be adapted to Chinese culture and markets. SafeBrands translates your trademarks into ideograms and sets up Chinese domain names for them, with the help of its Chinese corporate partner which specializes in this area. This translation takes into account a variety of factors such as business sector, slogan, corporate culture, logo etc. to ensure maximum impact on the local market.