Firms can now apply for domains similar to their company name.

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and its CPA.com unit have launched an application process for early access to .CPA domain names.

This process is different from sunrise and a separate non-Trademark-Clearinghouse trademark phase the organization is running.

Only CPA firms — not individual Certified Public Accountants — can apply during this early phase. Applicants who get a .CPA domain prior to general availability must put the domain to use by, at minimum, forwarding the domain to their existing website.

Applications for this phase must be received by October 31, 2020. The phase is only for registering domain names similar to the firm’s name, not generics like tax.cpa.

Domains will be allocated on a “systematic logic-based process”, according to the .CPA website. I inquired with a support agent about what this process is. The agent told me:

We have a process that we can’t share due to manipulation of the process. Please just choose domains that are most similar to your own.

It will be interesting to see how applications for the same name will be allocated.

Non-premium domain names cost $225 per year.

General Availability for .CPA begins January 15, 2021. At that point, any licensed CPA can register a domain.

AICPA likely paid more than $2 million to secure the rights to the .CPA top level domain.

The American Institute of CPAs and its technology arm, CPA.com, have begun the first phase of the rollout of their new top-level internet domain, .cpa, and are now accepting applications from CPA firms for specific addresses.

This “Brand Protection” phase of applications runs through Oct. 31, and is designed to make sure that CPA firms have an opportunity to register for .cpa URLs that match up with their current .com URLs and firm branding. Applications are limited to licensed CPA firms that agree to actively use the domains they are applying for; all applications will be considered together after the Oct. 31 deadline, with priority for any particular address given to the firm that has the corresponding .com URL.

“You can reserve your existing .com URL,” explained CPA.com president and CEO Erik Asgeirsson. “If you want another domain, then it depends on who else applies, and who has the closest URL to what’s being requested. It will be a logic-driven process.”

The goal is twofold: to help firms extend their current branding and digital positioning – and to cut cybersquatters out of the process.

“What we don’t want is people buying up domains and not using them,” said Michael Cerami, vice president of strategic alliances and business development at CPA.com. “We’re looking to be as fair as possible, and not get into auctioning these sites. We’re trying to make as fair a playing field as possible.”

Results of the “Brand Protection” phase will be released in early November. Following that, the “Early Adopter” phase will run from Nov. 5 to Jan. 14, 2021, where URLs will be available to licensed CPA firms on a first-come, first-serve basis. Starting on Jan. 15, .cpa registrations will be opened up to individual licensed CPAs.

Pricing for a standard .cpa domain is $225 a year. Premium domains — those with just two or three letters — will cost $690 a year.

Firms can register here.

More secure brands

Until relatively recently, the number of top-level domains was very small – primarily .com, .edu, .org or .gov. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the international body that registers internet addresses, has allowed that number to expand, but even now there are only around 600 TLDs, and 40 percent of websites still end in .com.

“It is expensive to get a top-level domain,” Asgeirsson explained. “It’s a complex process, you spend millions to put the infrastructure together. That’s not something a small firm can do — they’re not going to create top-level domains for their firm, but they don’t have to, because we have .cpa.”

Because ownership of a .cpa address will be limited to licensed CPAs and CPA firms confirmed by the institute and its chosen administrators, Neustar, it will significantly limit the potential for phishing and spoofing attacks by hackers looking to impersonate CPAs.

“We’ve been focusing on how domains are a foundational part of your firm – they’re used everywhere on the internet; you see them in portals, in emails, on the website,” said CPA.com director of operations Chris Cromer. “So if you’re using a less-secure domain, like .com and the other legacy TLDs, you’re putting your firm at risk.”

“If you start with a more secure domain to build your brand on, everything above will be more secure,” he continued. “It’ll keep away that cybersquatter community — every time there’s a new TLD, there’s a rush of these cybersquatters, but they can’t do that with .CPA.”

“Trust is a crucial commodity in business and on the internet, and it’s a cornerstone of the CPA profession,” said AICPA president and CEO Barry Melancon, in a statement. “The .cpa domain will signal you’re doing business with a licensed CPA firm or individual CPA, so it provides an additional level of trust, security and brand recognition in online interactions.”

Today, the AICPA and CPA.com are launching .cpa, a restricted Internet domain exclusively for the CPA profession.

Only licensed CPA firms and – starting next year – individual CPAs will be able to sign up for the new top-level domain, a term that refers to the last letters of an email address or website name (most commonly .com). The new .cpa domain has several advantages for the profession:

• It allows better, more focused branding
• It provides better security and resistance to Internet fraud
• It promotes greater trust in firms’ online interactions with clients and the public
• It demonstrates that firms are progressive and professional in the digital sphere

Restricted or protected domains such as .cpa are part of the next, more secure, generation of the Internet, what I like to think of as “Internet 2.0.” It’s no secret that Internet fraud is on the rise. The latest FBI statistics show that losses from Internet crime rose to $3.5 billion in 2019, an increase of more than 50% from 2016.

A recent Ponemon Institute survey found that 57% of small businesses reported instances of phishing or social engineering attacks in the past 12 months, many tied to fraudulent look-alike or spoofed domain addresses. For CPAs entrusted with sensitive client data, it goes without saying that a data breach, ransomware demand or other malicious attack could be devastating.

The rollout of the .cpa domain is part of a global movement aimed at improving security online. You may have noticed the introduction of restricted or protected domains, such as .bank or .pharmacy, in other sectors. Since trust is an essential component of the CPA profession, we’re early movers on this adoption curve. But it will become more and more common in business – and more recognizable to clients.

“Trust is a crucial commodity in business and on the Internet, and it’s a cornerstone of the CPA profession,” AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, said today in a press release. “The .cpa domain will signal you’re doing business with a licensed CPA firm or individual CPA, so it provides an additional level of trust, security and brand recognition in online interactions.”

We’re committed to making sure that .cpa domain names are distributed in a systematic way. Here’s how the process works:

• All firms can begin submitting applications today, Sept 1st, at domains.cpa, provided they are licensed and agree to actually use any domain names they acquire. The initial application phase runs from today until Oct. 31, with the goal of helping firms obtain domains that are most consistent with their current digital branding. No one gets to jump the queue in this initial phase – domain names will be awarded according to logic-based criteria verified by an independent third-party. Firms in this early phase will be notified of the outcome of their domain name applications no later than early November. Starting Nov. 5, firms are free to apply for any available .cpa name on a rolling, “first come, first served” basis. Beginning in January 2021, individual licensed CPAs will be able to apply.

We have a position paper that explains the benefits and background of the restricted .cpa domain in greater detail, as well as an explanatory video. For more information, or to apply for your preferred domain name, please visit domains.cpa.

Initiative is Led by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants and CPA.com

NEW YORK (Sept. 3, 2020) —The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association) and CPA.com are seeking applicants for their 2021 startup accelerator program, which specializes in accounting, finance and regulatory technology.

Launched in 2017, the accelerator is open to early-stage companies in the United States and abroad. Successful applicants can tap business intelligence about the accounting profession from senior leaders of both the Association and CPA.com and gain insight from the program’s advisory board members, who have diverse backgrounds and complementary skills in entrepreneurship, startup tech companies, accounting and finance. In addition, companies can qualify for up to $25,000 in funding.

“This was a great program and opportunity for our company,” said Joey Ryan, CFO and cofounder of Gilded, a member of the 2020 accelerator cohort. “We were able to leverage the knowledge and resources of the Association and CPA.com, receive feedback from CPA firms on our service, and connect with thought leaders who are helping to drive acceptance of digital payments.”

Gilded, based in New Orleans, uses blockchain to offer seamless invoicing, payments, and accounting for global businesses.

Applications for the 2021 accelerator close on Nov. 30, 2020, and selections will be announced in January. Companies that are chosen will be featured next summer at ENGAGE 2021, one of the leading accounting and finance conferences in North America, and later in the year at the AICPA/CPA.com Digital CPA Conference, which specializes in accounting technology and practice development topics.

“The 2021 program has particular value for early-stage companies because of the lingering challenges of the pandemic,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com. “As a global organization, we have the ability to advise startups so they’re well-positioned to take advantage of new opportunities. We have strong relationships throughout the accounting and finance technology field that are invaluable and hard to replicate. The profession, meanwhile, benefits by getting an early look at innovation from some really smart companies.”

The startup accelerator program is open to entrepreneurial companies worldwide. To be eligible, companies should be:

• At seed or pre-Series A stage (with some exceptions)
• Have a working product or service
• Focused on financial or regulatory technology solutions

For questions about the program, please contact Kacee Johnson, strategic advisor for CPA.com, at kacee.johnson@hq.cpa.com. To apply, please visit the startup accelerator program page at cpa.com/accelerator.

About the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association) is the most influential body of professional accountants, combining the strengths of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) to power trust, opportunity and prosperity for people, businesses and economies worldwide. It represents 650,000 members and students across 179 countries and territories in public and management accounting, and advocates for the public interest and business sustainability on current and emerging issues. With broad reach, rigor and resources, the Association advances the reputation, employability and quality of CPAs, CGMAs and accounting and finance professionals globally.

About CPA.com

CPA.com brings innovative solutions to the accounting profession, either in partnership with leading providers or directly through its own development. The company has established itself as a thought leader on emerging technologies and as the trusted business advisor to practitioners in the United States, with a growing global focus.

Our company’s core mission is to drive the transformation of practice areas, advance the technology ecosystem for the profession, and lead technology research and innovation efforts for practitioners.

A subsidiary of the American Institute of CPAs, the company is also part of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the world’s most influential organization representing the profession. For more information, visit CPA.com.

• New restricted Internet domain is exclusively for accounting profession
• Delivers enhanced trust, security and verification
• Strengthens brand identity in online communications

NEW YORK (Sept. 1, 2020) – The American Institute of CPAs and its business and technology arm, CPA.com, have begun an early-phase rollout of .cpa, a restricted Internet domain that allows CPAs to connect with clients and the general public with greater trust, security and verification.

Top-level domains are the letters found at the end of an Internet address, with the most common being .com. The use of specialized or restricted top-level domains has grown dramatically in recent years as businesses, organizations and online communities seek to promote their visibility and authenticity in the digital world. The restricted domain designated for the CPA profession is .cpa.

“Trust is a crucial commodity in business and on the Internet, and it’s a cornerstone of the CPA profession,” said AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA. “The .cpa domain will signal you’re doing business with a licensed CPA firm or individual CPA, so it provides an additional level of trust, security and brand recognition in online interactions.”

All firms can begin submitting applications today at domains.cpa. The goal of this initial period, which runs through Oct. 31, is to help firms acquire domains that are most consistent with their current digital branding. To apply, firms must be licensed and agree to use the domain they acquire. Licensed firms that apply during the early registration phase will be able to register their existing .com domain using .cpa. Firms will be notified of the outcome of their domain applications no later than early November.

The initial application phase is designed to ensure domains are issued systematically, according to logic-based criteria that has been verified by an independent third-party. After the initial period closes on October 31 and the first batch of domains are awarded, firms are free to apply for any available .cpa name on a rolling, “first come, first served” basis. In January 2021, the process will open up to include individually licensed CPAs.

“The digital presence of firms has never been more important.,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com. “The .cpa domain will reduce risks associated with phishing and spoofing attacks and the growing number of online bad actors. Just as importantly, it will give clients and the public-at-large greater peace of mind they’re dealing with legitimate CPA firms.”

The AICPA was awarded ownership and management of the .cpa top-level domain last year by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The institute has contracted with Neustar, one of the largest registry service providers in the world, to maintain and secure all .cpa domains. CPA.com will be responsible for managing the outreach of the service to firms in the United States.

CPA.com is hosting a CPE-eligible, Sept. 15 webcast on the new offering. For additional information on the .cpa domain or to register for the webcast, please visit domains.cpa.

About CPA.com

CPA.com brings innovative solutions to the accounting profession, either in partnership with leading providers or directly through its own development. The company has established itself as a thought leader on emerging technologies and as the trusted business advisor to practitioners in the United States, with a growing global focus.

Our company’s core mission is to drive the transformation of practice areas, advance the technology ecosystem for the profession, and lead technology research and innovation efforts for practitioners.

A subsidiary of the American Institute of CPAs, the company is also part of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the world’s most influential organization representing the profession. For more information, visit CPA.com.

About the American Institute of CPAs

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world’s largest member association representing the CPA profession, with more than 431,000 members in the United States and worldwide, and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education and consulting. The AICPA sets ethical standards for its members and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, nonprofit organizations, and federal, state and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, offers specialized credentials, builds the pipeline of future talent and drives professional competency development to advance the vitality, relevance and quality of the profession.