Multinationals and Domestic Companies Drive Demand for .CN
An increasing number of companies are registering .CN domain names in an effort to secure their place in the Chinese Internet market. As of Oct. 1, there were more than 7.1 million registered .CN domains. Chinese companies are registering them for many reasons, including the ability to show other companies that they are a localized, China-based service, as well as to gain legal protection. Disputes about domain names are resolved in the country which owns it, so Chinese companies can avoid having to deal with foreign laws that they are unfamiliar with. Also, since disputes are decided in China, domestic companies have a large advantage over multinational corporations applying for the same domain names.
While many multinational companies have registered .CN domains to appeal to Chinese Internet users, a number of disputes involving cybersquatters have occurred, leading to problems for brand owners. China Internet Network Information Center, the .CN registry, recently released an updated definition of cybersquatting in an effort to better resolve disputes.
