The bright orange .CO color is an unfair advantage, says Verisign.
Verisign, managers of .com and .net domains, filed an ICANN complaint today, citing the ‘unfair advantage‘ of the .CO Registry and .CO domain names.
“There is no doubt that the increased popularity of .CO domains is solely due to an artificial, unfair advantage the Registry has established,” said Verisign spokesman, Larry Laffer.
“Without its bright orange logo that clearly was designed to attract consumers, the .CO Registry would experience mediocre results, much like most ccTLDs,” added Laffer.
In its letter of complaint, Verisign is demanding that the .CO Registry should change its orange color to “… a hue more appropriate to a corporate entity managing domain name registrations …” and suggests a choice of colors, ranging from gray and cream, to faded black and white.
“Competition in the domain industry is fierce, and our blue and silver logo naturally deserves more attention and media promotion, for factual and historical reasons,” said Larry Laffer.
“The use of a so-called ‘yummy orange’ by the .CO Registry attempts to capitalize on our established position in the domain industry and to initiate a mass exodus from the .com realm, which is deemed unacceptable by our shareholders,” added Laffer.
It is not known, at this time, whether the .CO Registry will attempt to appease Verisign and change its orange color to something more modest and less extravagant.
