Boehringer is a unique TLD (top-level domain) that is specific to Boehringer Ingelheim, a global, research-driven pharmaceutical company headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany. According to the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), the official body responsible for overseeing global IP address allocation and domain name system management, .boehringer is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) that is not open to the public for registration, but is reserved for the exclusive use of the Boehringer Ingelheim corporate family.
As stated by IANA, the domain .boehringer is organized by Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, a subsidiary of the Boehringer Ingelheim company. The strategic use of top-level domain names specific to a company’s name has become increasingly common among corporations as a strategy to strengthen their online presence, protect brand names, simplify the customer’s search process, and improve the overall customer experience.
Other examples of such corporate TLDs can be .google for Google Inc., .samsung for Samsung, or .apple for Apple Inc. This trend, referred to as the dotBrand phenomenon, provides businesses with a unique way to control and manage their online identity. Instead of utilizing generic TLDs like .com or .net, these corporations own and manage their top-level domain, essentially becoming their registry operator in the internet’s top-level namespace.
The use of proprietary or brand-specific TLDs is governed by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the organization responsible for maintaining and regulating the Internet’s domain name system. When the .boehringer domain was proposed, ICANN’s New gTLD program was referenced as the source of the approval. The New gTLD program by ICANN was launched in an effort to expand the available TLDs and provide more options for businesses, organizations, and individuals. It allowed for the introduction of new TLDs to the root zone, including geographical TLDs, generic term TLDs, and brand TLDs like .boehringer.
In conclusion, .boehringer is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) intended and used specifically by the Boehringer Ingelheim company. It is consistent with the trend towards branded TLDs, providing the company with a robust strategy to control and manage its brand online, ensure customer reach, and safeguard against potential IP infringements.
Sources:
1. IANA Root Database (.boehringer) – https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt
2. ICANN’s New gTLD Program – https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/program
3. DotBrand Observatory – https://observatory.domains/what-is-dotbrand/
4. Boehringer Ingelheim Official Site – https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/
