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Next generation internet naming system announced


RealNames, a US company that markets common words as an alternative to complex internet addresses, has announced that it plans to open its system to competition with the current structure for locating information on-line which relies on URLs (uniform resource locators).

Internet users searching for keywords registered through RealNames will be taken to licensees of these keywords. The user need only enter a keyword in his or her browser. The system has already been adopted by Microsoft for use with its dominant Internet Explorer browser. So, for example, if you enter the word “Madonna” in Internet Explorer, without the "http://www." prefix or ".com" suffix, the browser will take you automatically to http://www.madonnamusic.com.

The system is also supported by popular search engines and has been embraced by AvantGo’s software for use with its handheld devices.

The company announced the formation of a system for selling and distributing keywords. The three-tier distribution channel consists of:

  • RealNames Global Registry Services responsible for licensing country registries and providing the back-end systems for registering and resolving internet keywords worldwide;
  • Country registries responsible for appointing multiple Registrars in each country; and
  • Registrars who will sell Internet Keywords directly to customers.

The company said in a statement:

“A new naming system must be able to support multiple devices as well as the desktop, and should be capable of supporting new user interfaces like voice and natural language, as well as today's browsers and search engines.

“Internet Keywords overcome the limitations of URL web addresses because they support local language character sets with Unicode, extend easily to new Web-enabled devices, handle diverse types of data beyond text and pages, scale globally as resources are added to the network, are more efficient in their use of bandwidth, and present an intuitive, user-friendly interface to consumers.“

The keywords system will let businesses direct customers to specific resources within a company, not just to its virtual front door by sponsoring a particular word used in an advertising promotion. However, the potential of the system is likely to concern businesses involved in “traditional” domain name registration and it introduces new pressures on all businesses to protect their brands by leasing words as opposed to buying domain names outright.

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