As everyone knows, the .paris extension has been approved by the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) and will be launched over the next few months.

Why opt for the .paris extension?

  • Stand in front of territorial competition: Paris is the first city after New-York and London to have its own extension
  • Differentiate oneself from the huge population of .com, .net and other generic extensions
  • Leverage the extension as an economic development tool: using a .paris is a true local marketing strategy, and a means to strengthening the presence of your trademark on the Web
  • Associate your image with the myths and values of Paris (innovation, art of living, upscale products, solidarity and proximity)
  • Promote new contents and services: You already have a trademark or a product and want to create a new service to serve the Paris area; or you have launched a new activity or a new product that you will be able to associate with the Paris area

How to adopt the .paris extension?

3 launch phases:

1- Calls for projects for 100 pioneers

This initiative was launched on September 16 and will end on December 16.
Being a pioneer means:

  • Being the first to be able to use the .paris extension
  • Associating your trademark or product with the abovementioned Parisian values (innovation, art of living, upscale products, solidarity and proximity)
  • Strong fallouts: communication on the Web; endless connections on social medias; public display in local communities
  • A strong right of entry: several categories of pioneers are listed, from the ambassador pioneer at € 100 000+ to the special pioneer who only has to pay a few hundred euros to apply

Right holders will not be left behind:

  • An analysis based on existing rights:
    All applications will be analyzed in view of the existing IP rights, based on the verification of official data (INPI, WIPO, TMCH); in case of a risk of confusion with an existing trademark, the project will be rejected, otherwise the project will be validated and the list of selected pioneers will be published.
  • A challenge procedure open to third parties
    The list will actually be published, so that any third parties (any owner of a trademark that is strictly identical to the pioneer's domain name, or of a legitimate interest) can react and take action. It will be possible to initiate a challenge procedure for a period of 30 days, starting from publication, but it will cost € 300.
    Conditions to be met to initiate the challenge procedure:
  • You must be the owner of a trademark that has legal effects in France and enjoys effective usage, is known to the public and has been registered since July 2011
  • Legitimate interest: You must hold a right to be known under the name concerned and must be managing a service considered as a service of primary interest for the .paris community
  • Bad faith: It will be checked whether the hidden intent is to disturb commercial transactions, prevent any re-use of the name, or else to attract users

2- Sunrise phase for 3 months in mid-2014
This phase will take place according to conventional rules. The associated costs have not been established yet.

3- Opening in late 2014
This facility will be open to all non-pioneer third parties.