Technology

Beginning July 1, accountants and other professionals who had registered a trademark or service mark before September 30, 2002, can secure a .pro domain name, or Internet address suffix, that exactly matches their registered mark. For example, a firm with a trademark such as Smith & Jones, CPAs, would qualify for a Web address of www.smith&jonescpas.pro. Through the use of digital certificates—information packets that confirm the identity of participants in online transactions—such Web addresses will provide greater security and confidentiality for electronic commerce and communications. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN, www.icann.org ) added .pro to the existing list of approved domain names, such as .com, .org, .gov and .edu, and designated RegistryPro ( www.registrypro.com ) as the operator for the registry. ICANN is the nonprofit corporation responsible for Internet address allocation and domain name system management.