.pro name has cons.Law firms have reacted coolly to the release of the .pro domain tag - aimed at professional firms - despite warnings to protect themselves against the renewed prospect of cybersquatting.The .pro name is one of seven new general top level domain names made available by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on 21 November.

Others are: .info, .biz, .name, .museum, .coop and .aero.Clarke Graham, a partner at trade mark and patent attorneys Marks and Clerk, said that if law firms did not protect their domain name other parties would secure it, 'which could cause problems'.He warned that although better- known firms could use ICANN's dispute resolution procedure to reclaim their name from cybersquatters, where they could show a prior right to the name, less well known firms could find it more difficult.Earlier this year, Hammond Suddards Edge won back its domain name from a cybersquatter.

In the US, a string of top law firms with ampersands in their names have taken action against a company which registered Web addresses with the firms' names minus the ampersand.Chris Bull, chief executive of Bristol-based Osborne Clark, said the .pro name did not really suit the firm and could lead to 'ghettoisation' of professional firms.

'We see ourselves much more as part of mainstream international business, not just as a professional firm,' he said.John Fell, IT partner at London firm Masons, said his firm had no plans to register with the .pro name at present.

He added the registration of real names - which allow access to a site without using a suffix - was an area which the firm found more interesting.Sue Allen