THNIC, the registry operator for .th domains, has opened its second of three planned application periods this year for registrations at the second level (ex. domain.th).
This is not a new Launch Phase, but rather the continuation of a practice in place since 2014, under which second-level domain applications are only accepted at certain points of the year.
For .co.th and other third-level extensions, THNIC staff verifies that eligibility criteria has been met and can approve a domain application in as little as one day. In contrast, for second-level .th applications, THNIC appoints a panel of specialists to review documents and resolve cases where multiple parties apply for the same domain. In this context, it makes logistical sense to convene the panel only occasionally.
Foreign organizations holding a trademark registered with Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property are eligible to apply for second-level .th domains. The domain name requested must be an exact match to the trademarked term: The inclusion of additional characters is not permitted, nor is creating a text string based on a trademarked image or logo.
Only 276 domains are registered directly under .th, compared with more than 83.000 active .th domains at the third-level. Granted most of the 276 existing registrations are defensive in nature, there a few examples of major organizations that have adopted the shorter .th URL for their main page in Thailand. For example, the tax and accounting advisory firm BDO Global uses bdo.th as its country home page and redirects the “traditional” domain bdo.co.th to this page.
The relatively low adoption of second-level .th also presents an advantage to holders of trademarks matching common dictionary words. These strings can be registered through the normal process at the standard rate, with no Landrush Phase nor secondary market activity to drive prices out of budget.
The current application period goes until July 31, so there’s still plenty of time to evaluate this option. If your organization or that of a client holds a Thai trademark and may be interested in securing its second-level .th domain, we encourage you to reach out to an IP Twins Account Manager at juristes@iptwins.com for further details.
