Certainly, I can provide you detailed information about the top-level domain (TLD) “.abbvie.” But it’s important to note that this isn’t a general or common TLD. Rather, it is a branded or proprietary one that is specific to a particular organization, in this case, AbbVie Inc.
AbbVie Inc. is a recognized, global, research-based biopharmaceutical company that’s known for its work in developing advanced therapies for some of the most complex and critical conditions in the world. These conditions include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, HIV, and various types of cancer, among several others (source: AbbVie.com).
Top-Level Domains or TLDs refer to the last segment of a domain name, or the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol. TLDs are mainly categorized into two types: generic TLDs (like .com, .net, .edu, .org) and country-specific TLDs (like .us, .uk, .au, etc.) (source: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) FAQs).
However, in recent years, ICANN opened up the TLD system to allow companies to apply for virtually any TLD they desire, leading to the creation of so-called “brand TLDs.” “.abbvie” is a perfect example of such a TLD.
While the application process for a brand TLD is more complex than for a generic one, having a unique TLD allows a company to maintain total control over its internet domain. For instance, pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche operates exclusively under “.roche”, while Barclays Bank uses “.barclays,” and CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, uses “.cern” (source: Authentic Web – Branded TLDs Applications).
Each one of these organizations, including AbbVie, can maintain tighter control over their brand online, promote a sense of trust and authority with users, and potentially benefit from improved search engine optimization (SEO).
It is crucial to understand that one key difference of such TLDs is that they’re closed for public registrations, which means only the organizations who applied for them and got approval from ICANN can use them (source: ICANN New gTLD Program). For example, only AbbVie Inc. would be able to use “.abbvie” in the domain of one of their websites.
Therefore, if you see a website ending with “.abbvie”, you can trust that it’s authentically linked to AbbVie Inc., as they are the only entity who have the right to use that TLD. As such, these proprietary TLDs can help ensure that Internet users are truly interacting with the brand they believe they are, in this case, AbbVie Inc.
