Trademarks given time to claim .us

NeuStar, which operates the .us Web address, says it has extended the deadline for the .us sunrise period until April 16. The sunrise period lets owners of existing or pending U.S. trademarks apply for a corresponding .us address before they are opened to the public, according to NeuStar. The Washington, D.C.-based company said companies that registered or applied for trademarks as of July 27, 2001, will be eligible. The public will be able to register for .us addresses on a first come, first served basis beginning April 24. Founded in 1996, NeuStar was originally an independent business unit within Lockheed Martin. NeuStar's subsidiary NeuLevel operates the registry for .biz, a new top-level Web address.