Beginning on February 5, a new dot-poker domain address will be opened up for usage. As it is the first of a three-phase operation, a restricted number of potential applicants will be approved. The applicants must be trademark holders that have been registered with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and these applications will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

This should generate a great deal of activity as companies swoop in to pick up the most cherished potential web addresses that will be available or those that are potentially related to their companies.

After the initial phase closes on March 7, the second phase will begin. On March 10, the dot-poker domains will be opened up for what is known in the industry as the “land rush” phase of sales. At this point in the process, the new dot-poker domains will be available to the general public and, if there are two or more companies competing for the same domain name, an auction will be conducted to decide who gets it.

After that phase completes on April 9, there will be a lull until the third and final phase of the rollout begins. On April 21, the dot-poker domain will be publicly available for sale by such sites as GoDaddyand other domain registrars.

What will be interesting is to see just how many companies and organizations will get into the dot-poker web addresses. Many have functioned just fine with their dot-com addresses and may not see a reason to purchase a dot-poker address. On the other hand, many companies in the poker, gaming, or casino industry may be looking to purchase the dot-poker address with no intention of using it.

In that case, companies are looking to protect their product by denying access to a third-party that has no connection with the company. This process, known as “cybersquatting,” involves a third-party purchasing a domain name and using it in an effort to defraud the company that owns the dot-com site by trying to make money off the public’s trust of that company or to potentially sell the domain name to the offended website at a huge markup.

The new dot-poker address is just the latest in ICANN’s attempts to categorize web addresses. Already in use are popular dot-com and dot-net addresses, but there are also industry-specific domains such as for education (dot-edu), charitable or non-profit organizations (dot-org), governmental offices (dot-gov), and even pornography (dot-xxx).

Whether the new dot-poker domain addresses will open another Pandora’s Box of previous “cybersquatting” situations will be decided over the next three months. You can be sure, however, that online poker, gaming, and casino enterprises are already taking actions to protect themselves against the new addresses coming available.

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