.INC 6 months milestone

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The global reach of .inc has also been noteworthy. Domains have been registered in over 40 countries and territories, with the top three markets being the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Although popular in the US was expected, the latter two countries have come as a surprise, since incorporation is not a legally-recognized type of business formation in either one.

Three main reasons why most businesses are registering .inc domain names:

1. Improvements in SEO
   Collab Inc., a digital design and entertainment studio, shortened their domain from CollabCreators.com to simply Collab.inc. Their website now ranks #1 in Google for the term “Collab,” above Collab.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other high-traffic websites.
2. International visibility
   Previously shift-plus.jp, Japan-based company Shift Plus used a ccTLD which limited its rankings on search engines outside of Japan. Now ShiftPlus.inc, the website ranks on the first page of Google in North America, despite having a website hosted in Japan, and only published in Japanese language.
3. More affordable than the aftermarket
   Push Inc., a marketing agency, registered the domain Push.inc for $1,999. Compared to Push.com, which sold for $125,000 in 2003, this company saved over $120,000 that can now be invested in its business and people instead.

The impact has been widespread, with major trademarks in banking, retail, news, and other high-risk segments currently registered to unknown third parties under WHOIS privacy protection. A UDRP was also filed recently against CVS.inc.

In light of these new findings, Safenames now recommends that all brands proactively register their .inc domain names. The past six months have provided enough evidence of both usage by legitimate businesses and trademark infringement by bad actors to warrant serious consideration, without assuming the cost will serve as a deterrent to third parties. Instead, brands should use .inc domains to their advantage for corporate sites, investor relation pages, or branded URL shorteners.

Contact your Account Manager to discuss the addition of .inc domain names to your portfolio on +44 1908 200022