Would you buy $2500-a-year .sucks domain to protect your brand image?

New Delhi: One of the 500+ new, generic top-level domains (gTLDs) that have been approved, .sucks has generated quite a stir after .adult and .porn domains. Controversial by the name and the price, .sucks domain name is up for grabs for upto $2500 per year for trademark holders.

Early registration for .sucks begins later this month, however, brands that want to register their trademarked names before the general public will be required to pay a hefty price.

US Senator Jay Rockefeller told ICANN - the international organization that manages the internet's domain name system - that the .sucks domain has 'little or no public interest value' and called it 'little more than a predatory shakedown scheme' aimed at getting businesses to spend big money on defensive domain registrations, MarketingLand reported MarketingLand reported.

Brands would be interested in using this domain for defensive purposes, as a way to protect their trademarked names by registering domains before the general public can. However, Andy Beal, CEO of the branding and reputation management agency Reputation Refinery, said that a tweet, Yelp post or a review could do far more damage than a .sucks domain used against a company.

A company called Momentous won ICANN's auction last November through its subsidiary, Vox Populi, giving it the right to operate the .sucks domain. The early registration period, or sunrise, starts on March 30 and general availability begins on June 1.

Vox Populi is positioning the new gTLD as a platform for conversation. Its website declares that the domain "is designed to help consumers find their voices and allow companies to find the value in criticism."

The domain will be available to consumers for $10 per year through 'consumer advocate subsidy'. Those who want to run their own website using .sucks will pay $249 per year for the standard registration, while the premium registration will cost more.

Companies that are registered with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) will have to pay $2,500 per domain during the sunrise period, and the same amount every year they renew their domain(s).