Domain Incite reports the start of a new generic top-level domain .FOOD. Its launch is associated with a very confusing collision. The problem is that .FOOD is a dot-brand. The right to administer it was won by Lifestyle Domain Holdings registry – a division of American media company Scripps Networks, which owns Food Network TV and webpage Food.com. Therefore, the domain is a closed one and only Scripps Networks is able to register names in this domain.
However, this violates ICANN’s ban on the use of so-called closed generics –closed domains that are commonly used dictionary words. The word “food” obviously belongs to this category. Nevertheless, the domain has been delegated, since “food” is also a registered trademark of Scripps Networks. However, the copyright only applies to the use of the word as the name of the TV program. Therefore, webpages in the new .FOOD domain, obviously, should be associated only with media production of Scripps Networks, not with the food itself.
There is another precedent of a kind – domain .APPLE, which is a closed dot-brand. However, it is highly unlikely that the largest computer, smartphone and tablet manufacturer will start creating webpages dedicated to apple trees and apple pie recipes. It is difficult to imagine though how an owner of a cooking show will not have any “food” content in its domain zone.
