When discussing the Internet in Canada, we have to go back in time to the late 1980s. In the late 1980s, several universities in Canada established NetNorth. The NetNorth network allowed PCs to communicate with each other.
The NetNorth network also allowed personal mainframe computers to transfer data at very slow speeds. In fact, the transfer data rate of NetNorth was at 56 kilobits per second.
In 1989, the group of individuals who created NetNorth laid the necessary groundwork for the Internet we know and enjoy today. So, two years before the World Wide Web was born, NetNorth team incorporated TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol) standard that was developed in the United States.
Moving to the Transmission Control Protocol Internet network was supported by the Canadian National Research Council that decided to sponsor all the hard work necessary for the migration to the new network standard.
The new network named CAnet was established in 1990, while three years later, it was renamed to CANARIE. Just like NetNorth, the data transfer rate of CANARIE was very slow at around 56 kilobits per second.
Today, the data transfer rate of CANARIE is at around 100 gigabits per second or two million times faster than its original data transfer rate. In its infancy, the Canadian provincial network was mainly used for emailing and map transfer.
Following the emergence of the Netscape and World Wide Web, CAnet’s traffic increased massively. More specifically, its traffic doubled every six months.
Current Canadian Laws About Owning Domains
As estimated in January of 2021, around 35 million Canadians were active internet users, so the Canadian internet penetration rate stood at around 94%.
Most companies and businesses operating in the country promote their products and services online. To boost their digital presence, they rely on different marketing strategies and use different marketing tools.
Many also use powerful link building and Search Engine Optimization services offered by AWISEE and similar brands. Link building services offered by AWISSE and others assist companies with growing their businesses by offering expert SEO and other marketing tools.
This leads us to Canadian domain name laws and regulations. A domain name is one of the most important factors to consider when running online businesses.
While not many people are aware of domain name laws and regulations, these must be taken very seriously or certain legal issues may arise.
Today, domain names are intellectual property and are considered extremely valuable assets. Therefore, there is no wonder why Canada has stricter laws and regulations about owning domains, especially owning .ca domains.
Every website has a unique domain name while one company may have several different domain names. For instance, a Canadian company may have one .ca domain and another .com domain.
The main regulatory body dealing with domain name issues and disputes is the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office), while in Canada, domain names are governed by the Trademarks Act.
The Trademarks Act provides businesses and companies with all of the necessary resources to protect their intellectual properties or their domain names. The act also prevents third parties from obtaining and using the same or similar domain names.
The .ca domain is the most attractive, top-tier domain level. According to Canadian domain name laws and regulations, only a permanent Canadian citizen or company can register for a .ca domain. Essentially, .ca domains are reserved for companies based in Canada and Canadian citizens.
Companies that want to obtain a .ca domain must meet strict Canadian Presence Requirements that are enforced by the CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Authority).
Reserved only for Canadians, .ca domain registrants must have a strong legal connection to Canada. When it comes to .com domains used in Canada, internationally operating companies usually use .com domains as they are easier to obtain.
In Canada, everyone can obtain a .com domain, so there are much more .com domains in Canada than .ca domains. When it comes to Search Engine Optimization, owning a .ca domain can give companies a much-needed boost in leads, traffic, and online visibility. The bottom line, a domain name truly matters for Search Engine Optimization.
Essentially, when compared to domain name laws and regulations in other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canadian domain name policies are quite strict.
