Businesses will be able to use their own names in place of domain extensions such as .com, .org, .net, or .co.uk, when so-called 'brand domains' are launched in January. The change will allow companies like Ford and Nike to control their own domain and better exploit their brands, as well as countering cyber-squatters who buy variations of brand names using the 280 or so domain extensions already available. The organisation that oversees domain names, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), will start taking applications for the new top-level domains early next year, but according to Future Laboratory, which conducted research last month, the majority of companies are unaware of the move. "This change has not yet permeated into the mainstream for businesses or consumers", said a spokesman. ICANN is expecting a low response, limited initially to large companies, because the new domains will be priced at over £10,000 when they are first made available early next year.