Eligibility Rules and Requirements

Definition of Personal Name. 

A "Personal Name" is a person's legal name, or a name by which the person is commonly known.  A “name by which a person is commonly known” includes, without limitation, a pseudonym used by an author or painter, or a stage name used by a singer or actor.

Eligibility Requirements.

The following categories of Personal Name Registrations may be registered:

(i)                   The Personal Name of an individual.  Any person can register his or her own Personal Name.

(ii)                 The Personal Name of a Fictional Character.  Any person or entity can register the Personal Name of a Fictional Character if that person or entity has trademark or service mark rights over that character's Personal Name.

(iii)                Additional Characters.  In registering a Personal Name Registration, registrants may add numeric characters to the beginning or the end of a Personal Name to differentiate it from other Personal Names.  For example, in the event that a John Smith is unsuccessful at registering john.smith.name, he may seek to register an alternative, such as john.smith1955.name or john1955.smith.name.

All Registered Name registrations must meet the foregoing requirements (the “Eligibility Requirements”)