Domain names play an important role in terms of brand identity, market expansion, customers and partnerships, as well as information promotion and opportunities to access markets. — Photo dynco.co.uk

DONG NAI — About 182,000 of 500,000 firms have registered the domain name ".vn", a conference on brand protection with the ".vn" domain name was told in Dong Nai Province on August 6.

Many firms have registered for more than one domain name.

Tran Minh Tan, director of the Viet Nam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC), said less than one-fifth of the enterprises were too small, and that more efforts were needed to utilise the opportunities in the digital era.

The conference in the southern province was jointly organised by VNNIC and the Information and Telecommunications of Dong Nai Province, along with domain name registration organisations to improve awareness about domain names to avoid disputes over them.

The conference also provided information about e-commerce development and state management of the Internet and Internet resource.

Domain names play an important role in terms of brand identity, market expansion, customers and partnerships, as well as information promotion and opportunities to access markets.

"In the context of further and deeper integration and globalisation, the usage of the domain name ".vn" to protect Vietnamese brands will help enterprises to avoid loss of rights in their homeland and consolidate the value of their brand in the international trade environment," VNNIC Director Tan said.

The lack of websites or professional email addresses will reduce the opportunities for enterprises to promote themselves while participating in global trade.

The registration of the domain name ".vn" will be implemented in accordance with international practices, which means enterprises first would have the right to own the domain names, Tan said.

The state management agencies cannot protect or hold all domain names related to brands if the brand owners do not register for brand protection on the Internet.

Therefore, enterprises needed to pay more attention to protecting their brands on the Internet, the director said. — VNS