Com Laude scales for second wave of dotBrands with FairWinds acquisition

Com Laude, the internet domain name provider to many of the world’s largest companies, owned by PX3 Partners, the London-headquartered private equity firm, announces today that it has acquired domain name consultancy FairWinds Partners (“FairWinds”) as it prepares itself for what it calls “the biggest change to the internet since 2012.”

Headquartered in London, UK, Com Laude is a leading consultancy in obtaining dotBrand top-level domains (“TLDs”) for many of the world’s foremost brands. It is a tech-enabled business services provider that manages internet domain name portfolios, monitors digital brand infringement, and ensures secure online brand presence for large companies. Com Laude provides mission-critical internet domain name services to many of the world’s foremost branded companies, essential to the smooth functioning of their internet presence and infrastructure. The company operates globally, with offices across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., FairWinds has a track record of obtaining dotBrand TLDs for American brands, as well as managing their domain name portfolios and monitoring against digital brand infringements.

dotBrand TLDs are used by companies to create a trusted digital environment. They include .nike (https://swoosh.nike/) and .sky (https://skygroup.sky/), amongst many others. Leading brands in every major business sector obtained dotBrand TLDs in the 2012 round to future-proof their digital identities and enhance their audiences’ safety, trust, and confidence whenever they interact online. Customers wary of scammers can be assured that “if it’s our name to the right of the dot, it’s really us.”

In April 2026, internet regulator ICANN will open a three-month window for companies to obtain and operate their own dotBrand TLDs, a full fourteen years after the first dotBrand TLD applications were accepted in 2012. Unlike a generic TLD, like .com, which is available to anyone to register and offers no consumer assurances, a dotBrand TLD is exclusively controlled by the brand owner and provides a powerful way to enhance, control, and secure their digital presence.

Com Laude, which successfully obtained more than 120 TLDs for household-name brands in the 2012 TLD application period, is currently engaged to assist customers to obtain hundreds of TLDs in the 2026 round. CEO Benjamin Crawford believes that adding the expert firepower of FairWinds, which handled 133 applications from blue-chip customers in the 2012 round, will supercharge its efforts to respond to the soaring demand for dotBrands and other new TLDs.

Com Laude’s acquisition of FairWinds brings together two of the most trusted names in corporate domain name strategy and management. Josh Bourne, who founded FairWinds in 2006, remains on the board of FairWinds as a Director.

Benjamin Crawford, CEO of Com Laude, commented: “We’re excited to expand our capacity to deliver for companies all over the world in the run-up to the biggest event in internet domain 1 names for 14 years. Adding FairWinds to our group creates a platform that is even better placed to deliver for customers, backed by broad and deep experience from the 2012 round, making us a compelling choice for achieving dotBrand TLD success for our customers, from the most established brands to the emerging brands of the future. FairWinds also brings other valued capabilities in internet domain name portfolio strategy and online brand protection, which are hugely valued by its customers.”

Josh Bourne, Founder and Director of FairWinds, remarked: “With the impending dotBrand TLD expansion, this is the perfect moment for FairWinds to join forces with an outstanding operator with a mission to take internet domain name management to the next level and beyond. We look forward to working with Benjamin and the Com Laude team to help deliver great results for our customers.”

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