(16th May 2016, Hong Kong) Canon Inc. announced that the Company has gone live today with a renewed global website employing a web address that departs from the traditional location-specific “www.canon.com” to the new “global.canon” proprietary domain name. The launch marks Canon’s first use of the “.canon” top-level domain1 (TLD) since acquiring it in February 2015.
Because “.canon” can only be used by Canon Group companies and services, visitors to sites that use the new TLD can easily confirm their authenticity and be assured that the information they contain is reliable. Additionally, by leveraging the simplicity of the TLD, which is easy to remember and easy to understand, Canon aims to enhance the Company’s global brand value.
Canon begins using new “.canon” top-level domain
The TLD “.canon,” which makes use of Canon’s company name in the right-most side of the web address, is based on the new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) Program.2 With the launch today of the “global.canon” website,3 Canon is providing information to a global audience with a new online presence.
Canon renews global website
Canon conducts business activities around the world, providing information and services over the Internet to not only the Company’s customers, business partners and shareholders, but to all stakeholders in countries and regions across the globe. In addition to the English-language version of the “global.canon” website launched today, Canon will introduce other languages to the site in the future to share brand messages and other information globally.
A top-level domain (TLD) is the string of characters immediately following the final dot at the end of an Internet address or email address, such as “.com” or “.net.”
The introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) followed the approval in 2008 by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the non-profit organization that maintains and regulates the Internet’s addressing system, of the relaxation and liberalization of new gTLD system adoption rules. Canon began efforts aimed at acquiring the TLD “.canon” in March 2010 and completed the process in February 2015 following a review by ICANN.
As of May 16, 2016, the Canon Global website is available in English only. Plans call for other languages to be added in the future with Japanese to be included by the end of the year.
Canon Inc. (TSE:7751 / NYSE:CAJ) was founded in 1937 in Japan. Its predecessor, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, produced Japan's first 35 mm focal-plane-shutter camera “Kwanon” in 1934. Canon Inc. eventually expanded into the photocopying and printing industries, launching Japan's first plain-paper copier NP-1100 in 1970 and the world's first inkjet printer BJ-80 in 1985. Through the years, Canon Inc. has acquired in-depth experience in digital imaging product manufacturing, and research and development. It is a leader in the development of innovative products and holds the most technology patents in the imaging industry. Canon Inc. also makes a significant contribution to the promotion of photography. Today, Canon Inc. has a strong global presence and is one of the most important market players in the imaging, office and industrial product categories. As of 31 December 2015, Canon's global revenue was US$31.4 billion.
One of the company’s first offices in Asia, Canon Hongkong Co., Ltd. (CHK) was established in 1971. It is responsible for the sales, marketing and after-sales services for all Canon product lines in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Taiwan, the Philippines and Mongolia. CHK adheres to Canon’s corporate philosophy of “kyosei”, which encourages the company and its staff to participate in social, charitable and environmental activities in the community. CHK implements internationally-recognized management systems and has achieved ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certification. For more information about Canon Hongkong, please visit our website:www.canon.com.hk.
