EnCirca, a 20-year ICANN-accredited domain name registrar, has created the industry’s first Web3 trademark search engine, AltRoots.
AltRoots allows brand trademark owners to monitor possible trademark infringement and obtain their own Web3 internet address on the blockchain in order to participate in the decentralised web and metaverses.
McDonalds, Microsoft, Chase Bank, YouTube, and Epic Games, to name a few, are flocking to the decentralised web and private metaverses in order to establish their presence and safeguard their trademarks on the blockchain.
Web3 domain names are a kind of non-fungible currency (NFT) that functions in blockchains, metaverses, and the decentralised web.
They are used for digital wallets, digital identities, internet hosting, email, and stores in the metaverse.
While blockchain names such as .eth and .crypto have grown in popularity, there are no laws or protections in place to avoid trademark infringements.
Cybersquatting on trademarks or domains using name variants close to those of reputable brand names may create confusion and damage for people attempting to engage with their favourite brands on the decentralised web.
Brand Security on Web3
Tom Barrett, president of EnCirca, said, “Now is the moment for anybody who believes they may do business on the blockchain to preserve their Web3 brand identification and trademarks.”
EnCirca has developed AltRoots, a trademark search engine of over 8 million blockchain domains, to assist businesses in establishing and defending their trademarks on Web3. AltRoots allows trademark attorneys to identify registered blockchain domains that may suggest trademark infringement or cybersquatting.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a non-profit organisation founded in 1998 to assist preserve the Internet’s security, regulates 1,500 Top-Level Domains (TLDs) on Web2 (the internet as we now see it).
Whenever you register a domain on the Internet, you agree to ICANN-mandated legal conditions as part of the registration procedure.
The regulations and laws of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) offer trademark owners with several ways for monitoring and preventing trademark infringement. However, the regulations of ICANN do not apply to Web3 domain names.
In the meanwhile, blockchain developers have developed their own Web3 TLDs, such as .eth, .crypto, and many more. Web3 domains, unlike Web2 domains, inherit the blockchain’s anonymity and immutability.
To participate in the decentralised web and metaverses, businesses must register a Web3-compatible domain name.
However, as there are no ICANN standards or guidelines for safeguarding trademark rights on the blockchain or for revealing owner identities, corporations face an uphill struggle if their brand is already in use on Web3.
Barrett states that as Chair of the Blockchain Subcommittee of the International Trademark Association, he has evaluated the challenges and possibilities posed by blockchain technology to trademark owners for many years. “Now is the moment for trademark owners seeking to provide blockchain services or even a metaverse presence to defend and preserve their Web3 identity on the decentralised web.”
Initial AltRoots service detects precise and near trademark similarities against more than 8 million blockchain domains from diverse blockchain ecosystems. Interested trademark owners and attorneys may create a free account at immediately.
About EnCirca
Tom Barrett launched EnCirca (http://www.encirca.com) in 2001 as an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar.
EnCirca offers trademark protection, domain portfolio management, cybersecurity, DNS and website hosting, as well as other domain services.
EnCirca is also involved in the blockchain Web3 domain arena, assisting trademark owners in acquiring their trademarks on decentralised namespaces such as the Ethereum Naming Service, the Handshake Protocol, and others.
In addition to serving as the Chair of the Blockchain Subcommittee for the International Trademark Association, Barrett oversaw the creation of Thomson-industry-leading CompuMark’s SAEGIS trademark research platform.
AltRoots is the first domain name search engine specialising on blockchain trademarks. Every time a new Web3 domain name is registered, updated, or removed, the search engine is immediately updated.
The domain names are then indexed in accordance with the principles of trademark research in order to identify variant string matches to specified trademarks.
The search engine indexes approximately 8 million live Web3 sites distributed throughout the Ethereum, Polygon, and Handshake blockchains, with further domains being added continuously.
Mikey is a geek with a passion for all things tech. He enjoys keeping up-to-date with the latest advancements in a variety of industries and is particularly geared towards technology that changes the world.
