Applications for the first round of ‘generic Top Level Domains’ (gTLD) were published yesterday, offering many companies the opportunity to extend brand ownership.

Of the 1,930 applicants seeking a dot brand name, many claimed their own namesakes, including the BBC (.bbc) and Apple (.apple), with Google proving the most frequent participant by submitting 101 TLDs.

Amazon followed closely behind with 76 submissions and is a direct competitor to the search engine giant, with both applying for domains: .free, .search, .wow and .you, among numerous others.

A vast number of companies applied for the same gTLD, which is suspected to spark contention during the 60-day public comment and objection period which follows.

During this time anyone can submit a comment on an application for consideration to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Campbell Newell, Partner at Marks & Clerk LLP, says: “As commerce continues to migrate online, and the internet embeds itself into more and more aspects of everyday life, brand and reputation are becoming more important than ever before. So it makes sense for companies and organisations to seize the opportunity to distinguish themselves like this.”

Rod Beckstrom, president and CEO of ICANN says: "We are standing at the cusp of a new era of online innovation.

"That means new businesses, new marketing tools, new jobs, and new ways to link communities and share information."