Kuala Lumpur, 25 August 2009 – .my DOMAIN REGISTRY, the sole registrar and administrator for ‘.my’ domain names is currently on an awareness drive to encourage all businesses, especially those headquartered in Malaysia, to secure their online Intellectual Property (IP) by registering their ‘.my’ domain name

In support of Bursa Malaysia’s directive for all listed companies to have a corporate website, .my DOMAIN REGISTRY has announced that it is pre-reserving the domain names for a number of Bursa Malaysia companies it has identified as not yet having a ‘.my’ address.

.my DOMAIN REGISTRY plans to ‘hold’ these domains on behalf of these companies until 31st October 2009 as part of its continuing efforts to encourage more Malaysian businesses to secure their online IP.

“From our research, nearly 50 percent of the companies listed on Bursa Malaysia -- inclusive of all three: main board, second board and MESDAQ -- do not have, or do not actively identify their online presence via a .my domain name,” said Shariya Haniz Zulkifli, Director of .my DOMAIN REGISTRY. “What we’re saying is that if they haven’t secured a domain name or an online presence yet, it might as well be a ‘.my’ domain name to denote their Malaysian pedigree. After all, we are among the top-20 trading nations of the world.”

She said that .my DOMAIN REGISTRY, an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) regulated by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the .my domain name registry and stands ready to assist in protecting the identity of all registered businesses from being exposed to cyber-squatting. 

By registering domain names derived from famous or known brands, unscrupulous cyber-squatters go to the extent of luring online consumers into purchasing counterfeit products, giving away personal information and exposing them to malware.

According to the National Arbitration Forum (domains.adrforum.com)1, 98 per cent of domain name dispute resolutions in 2008 involved Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) ‘.com’ and’ .org’ domain names.

“To protect your business IP, we are advocating that Malaysian businesses, particularly public listed ones, to register with .my DOMAIN REGISTRY resellers. The ‘.my’ unique domain name not only protects IP rights here, it is arguably less open to cyber-squatting issues compared to the ‘.com’ domain names,” clarified Pn. Shariya at the media briefing.

She said that .my DOMAIN REGISTRY should be viewed as a supporting partner for all Malaysian companies. The organisation’s aim is to provide its customers with secure domain name-related services by undertaking research and development efforts that provide Malaysians with advanced Internet-related technologies.

“As the national level domain name, ‘.my’ gives Malaysian businesses a unique brand identity that is accessible worldwide on the Internet.  Utilising a ‘.my’ address will therefore not only differentiate local businesses from foreign entities but will also enhance its export and international market potential as a Malaysian company,” she said.

Pn. Shariya added that in line with the 1Malaysia concept, even Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) should also make their Malaysian identity more noticeable online as e-commerce has become one of the most important facets of the Internet as it is relatively cost-efficient, and a very effective and credible way of reaching out to the global market.

Individuals and businesses are encouraged to take advantage of the current promotional campaign in conjunction with National ICT Month 2009 from 20th July to 4th September where all new ‘.my’ domain name registrations and renewals enjoy at least a 50 percent fee reduction.

For more information about .my DOMAIN REGISTRY and its services, please log on to www.domainregistry.my