Domain Name – A domain name is a unique address on the internet. Domains are most commonly used to identify websites.
Just like how addresses in the real world have country, city and street, domain names are made up of different levels and separated by
dots.
TLD – Top Level Domain. A top level domain is the part of the domain name located to the right of the last dot e.g.
.com is a Top Level Domain, as is .net or .nz. TLDs are generally used to categorise the internet.
ccTLD – Country Code Top Level Domain. A ccTLD is a certain class of TLD, best described by way of example, e.g. .nz,
.au, .ca, .us and so on. The ccTLD relates to a country, and generally signifies an attachment to, or representation of that country. It
gets a bit confusing when countries such as Columbia (.co), Montenegro (.me) or Tuvalu (.tv) market the use of their ccTLDs in more
generic ways and move away from the traditional association with their country – these are often referred to as “re-purposed” TLDs, or
“pseudo generic TLDs”. Country Code TLDs are always two characters long.
gTLD – Generic Top Level Domain. A gTLD is another class of TLD, best described by way of example, e.g. .com, .org,
.travel and so on. The gTLD does not represent a country like a ccTLD, but can relate to other more generic categories such as an
industry (e.g. .travel, .xxx), a type of organisation (e.g. .org, .com, .edu, .gov, etc) and can even relate to a geographical region
(e.g. .cat for Catalan). Generic TLDs are longer than 2 characters.
New gTLD – New Generic Top Level Domain. Prior to the year 2013, there were only 22 gTLDs in existence. Some of these
gTLDs were for restricted use such as .gov, .mil, .int, and others were open for any use such as .com. Due to the vast growth of the
internet since the early 1990s, the way we use the internet has changed and the amount of users and applications of the internet has
grown tremendously. In response to this, in 2011 ICANN, decided to increase the amount of gTLDs available by accepting applications to
introduce new gTLDs to the internet. As a result, in 2013 and 2014 we have the introduction of English and non-english script gTLDs,
such as .kiwi, .google, .beer, etc.
IDN – Internationalised Domain Name. IDNs simply are domain names that are not in English script. For example, .قطر
which is the Arabic version of .qa (Qatar), or .
which is
Cyrillic for .ru (Russia). Non English script can exist in the Top Level of a domain, and also at the Second Level within a domain, for
example the use of macrons is possible within the .kiwi TLD, e.g. māori.kiwi
ICANN – An acronym for The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. ICANN is the organisation that
is responsible for managing and coordinating the Domain Name System (DNS) to ensure that every address on this internet is unique and
that all users of the Internet can find all valid addresses. It does this by overseeing the distribution of unique IP addresses and
domain names. It also ensures that each domain name maps to the correct IP address.
URL – A Uniform Resource Locator, which probably doesn’t explain much. In other words, a URL is a commonly used term
that really just means a “web address”, such as http://www.register.kiwi
2LD/SLD/3LD – These describe the different sections of a domain name. In the following example, http://this.domain.kiwi
– “this” is the 3LD (Third Level Domain), “domain” is the 2LD (Second Level Domain, also known as an SLD) and of course “kiwi” is the
TLD (Top Level Domain)
Registry – The Registry is the organisation in charge of the register of domain names. In this case, Dot Kiwi Limited
is the Registry for the .kiwi Top Level Domain.
Registrar - The Registrar is the only kind of organisation that can register domain names at the Registry, on behalf of
the Registrant. For a Registrar to register a domain name in a gTLD, they must be accredited by ICANN, and contracted with the specific
gTLD Registry. In fact, we have a list of registrars that we recommend right here: link to registrars.
Registrant – The Registrant is the person or organisation that is licensed to use a domain name. A Registrant must
register their domain name via a Registrar. The Registrant is often also referred to as the “Registered Name Holder” of a domain name.
DNC – The Domain Name Commission manages the .nz ccTLD name space. The DNC was appointed by InternetNZ to serve a
number of functions that can be viewed here. InternetNZ and the DNC are
not affiliated with Dot Kiwi Ltd and have no authority or administrative function over the .kiwi gTLD.
Labels – Labels is technically the correct terminology for the different sections or parts of a domain name. So, for
the domain mydomain.kiwi the section “mydomain” is known as a label, and the “kiwi” word is also known as a label. Basically,
any word or string of characters that is separated by a dot, is known as a label.
Trademark Clearinghouse – The Trademark Clearinghouse is an “opt in” database of eligible trademarks that are verified
as current and in use. Trademark owners must apply to have their trademarks included in the database. Trademarks that exist in this
database are eligible (some conditions may apply) to participate in the Sunrise events of each new gTLD being launched. Furthermore, the
Trademark Clearinghouse acts as an early warning system for trademark owners who have their trademarks registered in the database. This
early warning system is known as the Trademark Claims Service.
TMCH/TCH – Please see Trademark Clearinghouse.
Trademark Claims Service – The Trademark Claims Service is an early warning system for owners of trademarks who have
their marks registered in the TMCH. If a domain name is registered in a new gTLD and the registered domain name matches a trademark in
the TMCH, the trademark owner (or their Agent) will be notified that the registration has taken place, allowing the trademark owner to
take action if deemed necessary. Also, the Registrant attempting to register the domain name will be warned (put on notice) that their
domain name matches an active trademark, and will be given the option not to proceed with the registration. The Trademark Claims Service
is not available in perpetuity, please see Trademark Claims Period for more information.
Clearinghouse Official Agent - A full list of Clearinghouse Official Agent’s can be located
here. Official Agents are registered with the Trademark
Clearinghouse and can submit trademarks into the TMCH on behalf of the trademark owners. Dot Kiwi Ltd is a Clearinghouse Official Agent.
TCS – Please see Trademark Claims Service.
DNSSEC – DNSSEC is an acronym for Domain Name System Security Extensions. If that doesn’t explain it for you,
think of it as a way of ensuring that domain names are who they say they are – so it’s a little like an ID badge. It’s a complicated
thing, but when you type a domain name into the address bar of your browser, there is a chain of events that you don’t see happen, where
a number of computers talk to each other to get you to the website you asked for. DNSSEC helps ensure that each computer in that
conversation are verified as the ones that are supposed to talk to each other to get you the website you asked for. In other words
DNSSEC helps stop that chain from being breached by a computer with a fake ID. For more information visit ICANN’s website and search for
DNSSEC.
IPv6 – IPv6 is an acronym for Internet Protocol Version 6. It might help if you know what an IP Address is first (click
here), but basically an IP Address is like a unique number for any computer (or device) connected to the internet – a bit like a phone
number. IPv6 exists to solve a problem with IPv4 IP Addresses. IPv4 IP addresses were like a short phone number, with fewer amounts of
possible combinations. As the internet has grown, there has been a shortage of these numbers that can be uniquely allocated to devices.
So, IPv6 came along (thanks to a bunch of very clever people) and made the IP addresses longer, providing an increase in possible
combinations and thus solving the short supply of IP addresses!
IPv4 – IPv4 is an acronym for Internet Protocol Version 4. It might help if you know what an IP Address is first (click
here), but basically an IP Address is like a unique number for any computer (or device) connected to the internet – a bit like a phone
number. IPv4 IP addresses are still widely used on the Internet today, but IPv6 is now being used in addition to IPv4 since IPv4 number
combinations have actually run out!
‘’A’ Record’ – An ‘A Record’, also known as an ‘Address Record’, is a small instruction that is contained within your
domain name records (domain name records = Zone File). You can have multiple A Records within your Zone File. An A Record helps instruct
computers to know where to look for certain things on the internet that relate to your domain name, such as your email service and your
website server.
Domain Activation – This occurs when your domain name becomes active on the internet. It means you can start using it
for things like email and websites. It’s a bit like when you’re given a credit card, you can’t use it until you activate it with your
bank! The activation concept is no different in domain land.
Browser – This used to be someone who looked at magazines and never paid for them. In the context of the Internet a
Browser is a program/application that runs on your computer or mobile device. It allows you to quite literally, browse the web looking
by looking at websites. Common Browsers are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.
Cache – In web browsing world though, cache is a versatile term for just temporary storage. Computers and internet
devices like to store data and information in their own cache (think of it as short term memory), so that they don’t need to keep going
back to a website to get the same data over and over again. Just think about when you visit your favourite knitting website, is it
easier for your computer to ask the website for the same logo every time you visit, or is it easier to ask for it once then just
remember it for a few weeks? Basically, cache is computer speak for being lazy (efficient).
Cookies – Not to be confused with biscuits. There are many kinds of cookies and they’re not half as exciting as they
sound. There are session cookies, super cookies - even zombie cookies and we certainly don’t recommend you eat them. When it comes to
the internet and websites in particular, it’s useful to have a way for websites to remember stuff about you, normally the kind of stuff
they remember is basic information. For example, on your favourite news website, you may like to automatically see Auckland weather
reports rather than Wellington weather reports, in this example cookies can be a way that a website remembers your weather preference.
More technically speaking, a Cookie is a small file located on your computer, the contents of the cookie can then be transmitted to the
website when you re-visit it to remind the website what you like and how you like it. Unfortunately, sometimes cookies are used to store
more information than they really should, so know your rights and if you’re worried about privacy, talk to someone who knows some stuff.
CRS – is an acronym for Complaint Resolution Service. Basically, if you have a complaint that relates to a .kiwi domain
name you are welcome to submit a complaint to Dot Kiwi’s support team. Please refer to our
Help section for which complaints Dot Kiwi can help with, and which ones we can’t.
DNS – is an acronym for Domain Name System. The DNS is one of the most important systems on the internet, in fact, we
wouldn’t have an internet like the one we do today if DNS didn’t exist. The DNS basically maps domain names to IP addresses, which makes
it easy for humans to use the internet without needing to remember lots and lots of numbers. If it wasn’t for the DNS, you’d need to
type xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx to reach our website, instead of just hello.kiwi
DNS Resolution – in other words, Domain Name System Resolution. This is the process of resolving a domain name into an
IP address. If a domain name resolution didn’t exist, we’d be stuck having to type (and remember) a sequence of 12 numbers into your
browser instead of a simple to remember domain name.
DNS Server – In the context of the internet, a DNS (Domain Name System) Server is a computer that performs the actual
DNS Resolution process. There are a number of different kinds of DNS Servers, but generally speaking they help translate domain names
into IP addresses by pointing other computers get what they’re looking for.
Domain Name Resolvers – Also called DNS Resolvers or Recursive Resolvers, Domain Name Resolvers are the computers which
are used by ISPs to respond to a user request to find an IP address associated with a domain name. The term “Resolving” in web world
speak refers to the translation of a domain name into an IP address, which allows your browser to locate your desired website content.
Think of it as though you are trying to find an address on a map, but aren’t sure where to look. You check the index, and it tells you
the quadrant to check. The index is like a Domain Name Resolver in that it tells you where to look next for your desired location.
Domain Parking – While this is certainly not self-explanatory, it is a little bit how it sounds. If your domain name
was a car, it would be like parking it in the garage where it can’t be seen or used. So in the domain universe, if you’ve registered a
domain name but don’t yet know what to do with it, you just park it in the virtual garage until you find a use for it. What this means
is that you can get the domain name you want right now, but worry about what you’re going to use it for later. Talk to your registrar
(the company you registered the domain with) if you want to know more.
DRP – an acronym for Dispute Resolution Procedure. Believe it or not but domain names can sometimes become the center
of a dispute between two parties. When such disputes arise, and there are lots of kinds of disputes (including but not limited to “I got
here first, so this domain is mine”), it’s best if there is a predictable process that either or both parties can use to escalate the
dispute to ensure a fair resolution. We call this a Dispute Resolution Procedure, or DRP for short. For more information on which DRPs
are available please visit the ICANN help page at http://www.icann.org/en/help/dndr.
Email Client – If you’re reading this, you probably know what an email is and you may even use email yourself. If you
were to read or write an email you would need a program, application or facility to do that with. We call that program, application or
facility an Email Client. We know it doesn’t make obvious sense why, but we deal with it and so can you. If it vexes you though, read
what an Email Server is and it might make more sense.
Email Server – An Email Server (or Mail Server) actually is pretty much what it sounds like – it exists to serve email.
In the case of email, the email server accepts email FROM the sender, and serves it to you, the recipient. The really good thing about
email servers is that they can serve hundreds of thousands of emails very quickly and for many people. To be more technical, there are
two main kinds of mail servers that play different roles in the overall email service. One takes care of the sending of an email, and
the other takes care of the receiving of an email.
Email Spoofing – Email Spoofing is a technique mostly used for spam and phishing scams. It’s where a true sender of an
email forges the sending email address, so that the recipient thinks the email came from someone else. If you think about traditional
mail, it would be like someone sending you a letter but putting a false “FROM” address on the envelope to make you think you can trust
the contents. There are technologies and protocols that can help fights against email spoofing, but they’re not perfect. If you’re
interested in knowing more, you should talk about SPF records with your domain registrar, and also ask about other options.
EPP – an acronym for Extensible Provisioning Protocol. If you are a Registrar and need to know what EPP is all about,
then we’d seriously suggest that you get in touch with our technical team, or even consult with your own technical team. EPP is a
protocol that exists so that registries and registrars can exchange requests and information easily between each other.
FTP – is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol. If you’ve ready this entire glossary you’ll know that the internet is
full of protocols, and FTP is yet another one. Actually FTP is quite an important one in the life of the everyday internet. FTP is a
protocol that allows the transfer of files from one location on the internet to another location on the internet. This is particularly
helpful when you’re wanting to download files, or share files with others. Quite commonly, FTP is used by people who build websites and
need to upload the website files to a computer that publishes that website on the internet. FTP is not the only protocol that allows the
transfer of files on the internet, there are others - FTP is an oldie but a goodie.
GAC – This stands for the Governmental Advisory Committee of ICANN. The GAC play an important role within the ICANN
organisation and are one of the advisory groups that ICANN relies on to receive advice on the interests and needs of stakeholders not
represented in other sections of ICANN. The GAC’s specific role is to provide advice to ICANN on issues of public policy, and especially
where there may be an interaction between ICANN’s activities or policies with national laws or international agreements. To find out
more about the GAC, please visit https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/About+The+GAC
GNSO – Is an acronym for Generic Names Supporting Organisation. The GNSO is a supporting organisation within ICANN that
fashions (and over time, recommends changes to) policies for gTLDs.
HTML – Hyper Text Markup Language. HTML is one of the main (markup) languages for building websites. It helps turn
boring looking plain text into a web page that is easy to read and styled in an attractive, or unattractive way as the case may be way.
The text you are reading right now is the result of HTML working its magic. If HTML had a tagline (which it doesn’t) it would be “Making
text look cool since the early 90’s”.
HTTP – A commonly known acronym that lots of people don’t know the meaning of. Hypertext Transfer Protocol is an
application protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. If you don’t know what that means, and don’t want
to find out, then we suggest you just remember that HTTP is often the bit you see automatically inserted in your browser before the
domain name. The reason you see it there is to tell your browser to use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol when requesting the webpage.
IANA – The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority is a department of ICANN and is responsible for the global coordination
of the DNS Root, IP addressing, and other Internet protocol resources. In other words, IANA makes sure that the internet doesn’t break.
IETF – IETF stands for Internet Engineering Task Force and their mission is to make the Internet work better. They seek
to do this from an engineering or technical perspective, rather than getting bogged down in policy and business related concerns.
IMAP – This is what Apple would have called their maps app if someone called Mark Crispin hadn’t used the name first.
Actually, it’s an acronym not a word, and it stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. IMAP is a protocol that is used for retrieving
email from a mail server. The great thing about IMAP is that it allows an email client to stay “in sync” with the mail server, whereas
the alternative protocol called POP requires intermittent checking of the mail server. When setting up your email client to access your
mailbox, you’ll probably need to choose between POP or IMAP. Have a chat with your email service provider about which one they recommend
for you.
InterNIC – The Network Information Center, which is also known as InterNIC was the governing body primarily responsible
for domain name allocations up until 1998. After that time, ICANN then assumed InterNIC’s responsibilities.
NIC – See InterNIC.
ISP – an Internet Service Provider. This is a name sometimes given loosely to a company that provides some type of
internet based, or internet related service. Most commonly this is the name you would give to the company who supplies you with Internet
access, generally this is also your telephone company. Broadly though, an ISP is anyone who provides you with an Internet specific
service, such as web hosting, email services, domain names and more.
LAN – in geek world (even in non-geek world), LAN means Local Area Network. A LAN is a group of computers and/or
devices that are connected in a way that means they can talk and share stuff with each other. If this sounds a little weird, you’re sort
of right, but without a LAN you can’t do cool stuff like have more than one computer on the internet at home, or share one printer
between a few computers. Think of a LAN as a private network of computers that can share resources – including an internet connection.
Landing Page – A landing page is a tool that marketers like to use to sell you stuff. They come in different shapes and
sizes, but they’re basically a single web page (which could be very long), which you will probably stumble across if you’ve clicked on
an advertisement and the advertiser wants to present you with some very specific content.
Sunrise – It’s just as it sounds really. In the real world, we give the name Sunrise to a very brief period in the day
when the sun rises! It is a brief period of time and it’s the dawn of a new day. In Dot Kiwi Land we too have a Sunrise, and this brief
period of time is the first opportunity to buy domain names. The catch is, the only folks who can buy domains from us at this time are
trademark who have registered in the TMCH. So if you don’t have a trademark, or you do and it’s not registered in the TMCH, then don’t
bother getting up to watch the Sunrise in Dot Kiwi Land.
Landrush – Just like Sunrise but completely different. A Landrush is another very brief period in time when Dot Kiwi
domain names are available to buy. Actually, the Landrush is the first unrestricted opportunity for people to buy .KIWI domains. Then
why is it called a Landrush? Well, because it really suits the folks who are itching to buy the best .KIWI domains, and be the first
ones there. The Landrush is a limited time only opportunity though, you have to be ready! The real fun starts when two people have one
hand each on the same domain name, unlike “General Availability”, in the Landrush period we don’t sell domains on a first come first
served basis. So at the end of the Landrush period (30 days) if two or more people have their hands on the same domain, being the
civilised company that we are, instead of encouraging a fight to the death, we simply auction the domain off amongst those who had their
hands on it.
Nameserver – Nameservers are really important to you if you have a domain name – at least if you want to actually use
your domain name. Every domain name needs to have at least two Nameservers listed in the details of your domain. To do this, you’ll need
to follow the instructions of, or get in touch with your domain name registrar (the good people you bought your domain from).
Nameservers really act like a receptionist for your domain name, so when a computer wants to visit your website, or send an email to
you, the computer first needs to check in with the Nameserver and find out where it needs to go to look at your site, or where to drop
off the email – otherwise the computer wouldn’t know where to go!
IP Address – Every computer and device connected to the Internet needs an Internet Protocol Address. In the same way
that every phone (that works) needs a phone number, so does your computer if it wants to connect to the Internet. Domain names use IP
addresses in their zone files to ensure that your computer knows where to look to find certain information and services, such as
websites and email.
NoRN – simply stands for Notification of Registered Name. The recipients of a NoRN are the people who registered their
trademark in the TMCH. They receive one of these notices when someone else registers a domain name that matches the label/s for a
trademark record in the TMCH. This is like a monitoring system for trademark holders, so they know who might be registering their
trademark as a domain name. If you’re planning on buying a domain name, don’t worry, you yourself will be notified prior to purchase if
you’re trying to register a domain name that will result in a NoRN being dispatched.
Phishing – Not half as much fun and wholesome as it sounds. Phishing is like virtual fishing where you are the fish,
and the Phisher is trying to get you on the hook, using a piece of juicy bait – doesn’t sound like a good prospect does it. If you have
an email address you’ve probably been exposed to phishing one way or another. Generally, a phishing email will bait you into clicking a
link in their email to go and do something, such as enter your account details, credit card details, or login details. The email will
always look like it is from someone that you trust, such as your bank. If you do follow their bait, they will record the details you
give them and go to the real bank and login to your account. It’s dastardly clever, and can be very easy to fall for it. So if an email
ever asks you to visit a website and provide confidential information, don’t click on the link – give your bank (or whoever it may be) a
call using the number from the phonebook, and double check with them. Read here to find
out what Dot Kiwi is doing to reduce Phishing incidents.
Pioneer – A Dot Kiwi Pioneer is a company or individual who has a special place in our hearts. They’re with us from the
start, from the very first day that we launch the first .kiwi domain name on to the internet. The first .kiwi domains that are launched
will be ours (naturally) and those of our Pioneers. There are a few different kinds of Pioneers that partner with us in different ways,
and receive different kinds of benefits. Simply put, Pioneers are the folks that pioneer our domain name into the big wide world. We
just love these people, because they know how big, important and exciting Dot Kiwi is and want to join us from day one. If you’re
interested in being a Dot Kiwi Pioneer, we’d love to meet you and fit you in as one of our cherished Pioneers. View here
for more details.
PPC – an acronym for the term Pay Per Click. Unless you’ve been living in an alien universe with an alien internet
where advertising doesn’t exist, you’ll have seen PPC advertisements popping up all over various websites. Most commonly you’ll see them
on the far right of the page on a Google search results page. Every time you click on one of these ads, it costs the advertiser anywhere
from $0.01 to, well, any amount of money – hence the term Pay Per Click. Sometimes, as a website owner, you can agree to display PPC
advertisements on behalf of Google (and many others), and Google (or one of the many others) will give you a commission on each click.
This can be a pretty awesome way of making some money for doing nothing. Be aware though, you might need a lot of clicks to make some
serious cash.
Premium Name – This is a rather boring term given to a rather exciting concept. The concept is so exciting we’ve
actually dedicated an entire section of our website just to Premium Names. If we could (and we can’t) we’d call them the Bestest Names.
Bestest Names are the crème de la crème of .KIWI domain names. The reason they’re so good is because they’re the most searched for words
on the internet, the most commonly used words in the dictionary, or they hold such a special place in the hearts of Kiwis that we need
to treat them with the respect they deserve. To find out more, just visit this section of our
website.
RRA – meaning the Registrar Accreditation Agreement. If you want to be an ICANN accredited registrar, then you need to
sign one of these. It’s not that easy though, so best first check with ICANN about the other gazillion things you have to do before you
are even allowed to sign one of these bad boys.
Reseller – Unsurprisingly a Reseller is someone or something that resells a thing to someone else. In the domain name
world, a Reseller is someone who can’t or won’t sign an RRA, so they have to buy their domain names from a Registrar rather than direct
from the Registry. Therefore, they’re “reselling” domains to you that they bought from a Registrar. There’s nothing wrong with this at
all, in fact it is very common practice. There are some implications to you the registrant though, so we suggest you read up and make
sure that your Reseller is trustworthy..
Restricted Domains – there are some domains we aren’t allowed to create for various reasons – here are some examples of
restricted domains:
· Two-character labels
· Registry operator domains (includes www, rdds, whois, Nic)
· Country and Territory Names
· International Olympic Committee; International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement related
names
· Intergovernmental Organizations
· Sensitive Names (includes the sensitive Maori terms, profanity, Government requests,
etc.)
RGP – An acronym for Redemption Grace Period, which sounds pretty good doesn’t it. In reality, it is really good,
especially if you’re a domain name registrant that forgot to renew your domain name. The RGP is a period of time, often between 30-90
days where you as the registrant can still renew your domain name after it officially expired, hence the name of Redemption Grace
Period.
Root Server – This is the server that all servers descend from, it is the mother of all servers, without it there would
be no internet. Actually this is not true, well, not all of it. A Root Server, used in the context of IANA/ICANN is a server that helps
tell the internet about itself. It does this by holding lists of addresses of other servers that will help guide a computer on the
internet to find what it is looking for. Think of a really large index in the back of the biggest book in the world, to find the
location of the word “Elephant” you would first find the section of the index which lists all the words starting with “E”. You might say
that a root server provides the A-Z list in the index, it then points you towards where you find the list of words starting with ‘E’. So
as you can see, without Root Servers (plural), there would be no internet.
SEO – simply stands for Search Engine Optimisation. This is the art, and indeed it is an art, of configuring and
refining certain aspects of your website (and things that your website relies on) to make sure that your website appears as high as
possible in the list of search engine results. Interestingly, domain names do have a part to play in SEO - for example, if you want to
rank better in results when someone searches for “wild monkeys”, having the domain name “wildmonkeys.kiwi” is better than
“tame-chimps.kiwi”. In other words, make your domain name relevant to your content. For everything else SEO, talk to someone who knows
about that stuff.
SMD – Firstly, SMDs have nothing to do with mass destruction. A Signed Mark Data file is a little like a key that
allows you permission to take certain actions. SMDs are given to those who have registered their trademark in the TMCH. It’s very
important that you keep your SMD safe and secure. When a new gTLD (such as .KIWI) launches their Sunrise phase and you wish to register
your trademark as a .KIWI domain, you will need to supply your SMD (your key) so we can validate that you are the rightful owner of the
trademark, and therefore the rightful applicant for that domain.
SMTP – An acronym for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, this is vastly different from the Complex Femail Transfer
Protocol. SMTP is an internet protocol that is widely used for sending email messages between servers. Most email servers that send mail
over the Internet use SMTP for sending from one server to another, at which point an email client can retrieve the email. Often when
configuring a mail account, you will be asked what your SMTP or sending mail server is – you’ll need to contact your email service
provider to find out that juicy little fact.
Spam – Generally speaking, spam are unsolicited emails that are sent to your mailbox that are commercial in nature. Not
all unsolicited email is spam though and different jurisdictions have different opinions on the matter. Since we’re .KIWI, the New
Zealand opinion on the matter is considered most important to us. Department of Internal Affairs has
this website to help you if you’re concerned about Spam
that you’re receiving. Furthermore, if you’re receiving spam from a .KIWI domain name, please get in touch with our Abuse Team.
TCP/IP – An acronym for Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol. In essence, TCP/IP are the pre-defined rules
for how computers communicate with each other on and over the Internet. Think of it as a combination of social etiquette and language –
unless you’re using the same etiquette and language, things can go wrong very quickly. So TCP/IP keeps the computers on the internet
understandable and respectful of communication rules.
Trademark Claims Period – The Trademark Claims Period is the period of time that a gTLD registry will run the Trademark
Claims Service. Each gTLD registry must run the Claims Service for a minimum of 60 days following the closure of Sunrise, however some
registries may opt to extend the 60 day period further at their discretion.
Trademark PDDRP – Also known as the TMPDDRP. Being one of the longer acronyms it stands for Trademark Post Delegation
Dispute Resolution Process. In basic terms, if a gTLD operator (that’s us!) is running a registry in a way that supports trademark
infringement, then the PDDRP is a process that is an alternative to court action to resolve the issue. If you really want to know more,
we suggest you consult with WIPO on their site here: http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/rpm/
UDRP – An acronym for Uniform Dispute Resolution Process, before you wonder why there needs to be a dispute resolution
process for uniform wearing folk (though granted some uniforms are better than others), this one is more specifically a Uniform Domain
Name Dispute Resolution Process. It applies to trademark holders who believe that their trademark is being infringed, and the
infringement involves a domain name. For more details regarding the process please refer to ICANN’s website here:
http://www.icann.org/en/help/dndr/udrp
U-Label – Domain names are a series of labels separated by dots. The U-Label is the part of an IDN (Internationalised
Domain Name) that appears in non-latin script.
URS – Meaning the Uniform Rapid Suspension System. The URS is a system that is there to help protect the rights of
trademark holders whose rights are clearly being infringed by a third party. The URS is different from the UDRP, because it is lower
cost and is a faster process for rights holders that are suffering infringement in the most clearest of cases. Further information on
the URS is available here: http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/urs
Web Hosting – If you’re going to have a website for your domain name, you’ll need to also get yourself some web
hosting. Web hosting is an allocated place on a server that can house your website for all to see. If a domain name is your address, web
hosting is like the land on which you’d build your store – you can’t have a store without some real-estate to build it on!
Web Mail – There’s nothing fancy about web mail, it’s still email and has nothing to do with spiders. Webmail is
another kind of email client that you can use to read and write emails. It is particularly useful because you can access your email
account using a web browser from any computer that is connected to the Internet – you don’t need to be using your computer.
Web Server – A web server quite literally serves up the juicy portions of the web to you. The Internet is made up of
millions of web servers that each has their own specific function. Most web servers host websites so that you can view and interact with
websites, there are also other web servers such as gaming servers and application servers. It’s safe to say that without web servers the
Internet would be a very boring place.
WHOIS – This is actually not an acronym, it really means (and is pronounced) “Who is”. WHOIS is yet another protocol
used in relation to domain names. Aside from the technical this, that and the other, what it really does is provide a way for people to
find out who owns a particular domain name – hence the name, “WHOIS the registrant of that domain name”? If you register a domain name
you will need to provide various contact details, and these are required to be reliable contact details at which you can be contacted
directly or indirectly. Think of WHOIS as a giant directory for domain names, you can use it to find the contact details of a domain
name, and someone can use it to find the contact details of you if you own a domain name.
WIPO – An acronym for the World Intellectual Property Office. WIPO is the United Nations agency dedicated to the use of
intellectual property. If you think that sounds boring, we’d tend to agree. That said, they play a rather important role in the world of
intellectual property and love them or hate them, they tend to know a thing or two. They’ve also been particularly involved in the
development of new gTLDs.