P&G logs onto Internet with over 100 "domains"; registers brand names and generic terms.

P&G's MORE THAN 100 INTERNET SITES INCLUDE GENERIC WORDS LIKE "GUMS," "germs" and "cavities." As of Sept. 15, Procter & Gamble had registered a total of 104 domains, about half of which are generic names and half company or product names. Each domain name represents a site on the Internet at which an Internet "address" is posted.

With the registrations, P&G gains exclusive use on the Internet of the terms it has registered. Among the generic names registered by P&G are several OTC symptoms, such as "pimples," "bad breath" and "dandruff," as well as a number of OTC/health & beauty aid product categories, such as "toothpaste," "antiperspirant" and "dentalcare."

P&G also has registered domains for several of its cosmetic, fragrance and personal care brands, including Old Spice, Pantene, Vidal Sassoon, Cover Girl, Hugo Boss, Ivory, Max Factor, Noxzema, Oil of Olay, Pert Plus, Zest, Camay and Clearasil. The company additionally registered several possible misspellings of brandnames, such as "noxema."

P&G is not yet engaged in Internet advertising and would not comment on upcoming plans. However, the firm has been one of the most aggressive consumer product companies to reserve domains. P&G appears to be the only OTC company to have registered generic names.

InterNIC, the agency made up of three separate companies that collectively offer domain registration, directory and information services, said it is looking into whether P&G should have been awarded so many generic names. P&G pointed out that the names they chose to register are "not random," but rather relate to "consumer issues" that the company's products address.

Currently, any entity can record a name by filing an application with Network Solutions, Inc., the company that oversees domain registration for InterNIC. Network Solutions said it discourages registrants from using more than one domain. Consequently, most companies reserve only their own corporate names. However, companies that provide "reasonable justification" are allowed to register multiple domains, such as domains for subsidiaries and operating divisions, Network Solutions said.

Just prior to P&G's registration activity, Network Solutions automated its registration process. The automated system accepts any application that is correctly submitted without making judgments about the entities that apply for domains or the number of applications they submit. As a result, Network Solutions said it is working to refine the system so that it allows for a "human element" that can determine whether multiple domains are permissible for a given company. Network Solutions has no precedent for reversing domain assignments, but the company does ask domain holders to relinquish names that have not been accessed for 90 days.

The growing interest in communicating to consumers via the Internet has led to a registration frenzy. Network Solutions is currently registering 12,000 to 14,000 names per month, up from approximately 2,000 registrations a month last year at this time. By the end of 1995, Network Solutions said it expects to be registering about 20,000 names a month. The demand has created delays of up to five weeks in registering new domain names.

To meet its growing workload and costs, Herndon, VA-based Network Solutions announced Sept. 14 that it will charge an annual fee of $50 for each domain name registered by a company, organization or agency. New registrants will be charged a two-year fee of $100 per name while organizations registered prior to Sept. 14 will be charged a $50 annual fee on the anniversary of their initial registration.