History of the TLD

.cm was introduced in 1996 as the country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Cameroon. It has gained notoriety for accidental traffic from mistyped .com domains, making it sometimes used for marketing or typo-squatting purposes.

Main Use & Industry Position

.cm is primarily used by Cameroonian businesses and organizations, but it is also occasionally leveraged globally due to its similarity to .com. Its niche usage has led to both legitimate and opportunistic registrations.

Comparison to Other TLDs

Compared to .com, .cm has lower recognition and higher risk of being associated with typos or spam. While it offers short, memorable domains, it is less trusted internationally.

Pros and Cons of the TLD

Pros

• Short, memorable domain
  

• Lower cost and high availability
  

• Open registration for individuals and businesses
  

Cons

• Often associated with typo-squatting or spam
  

• Limited global trust and credibility
  

• Less mainstream recognition than .com
  
  

Registration Criteria

.cm is the country code for Cameroon. It can be registered by anyone worldwide but is often used creatively as a short alternative to .com due to its visual similarity.

Summary

.cm is Cameroon’s country-code domain with high availability and short names, but limited trust and recognition compared to .com.