By Nivaldo Cleto*
Here in Bali, during ICANN[i] 87, I am following an issue closely connected to Brazil’s reality: the proposed “.pix” domain. As the representative of the business sector – Internet users on CGI.br[ii], believe it is essential to assess its potential impact on the trust of citizens and businesses.
According to information shared by Ambassador Eugênio, citing the Central Bank of Brazil, Pix had surpassed 170 million users, including individuals and businesses, in September 2026. This scale helps explain our concern.
The independent TLD Radar database identifies Agador Slip, LLC[iii],
Another important point was raised by Professor Flávio Wagner and confirmed by the Central Bank of Brazil: Pix is a registered trademark owned by the Central Bank and, in June 2026, was granted high-repute trademark status by Brazil’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI)[iv]. It was the first trademark owned by a public-sector institution to receive this protection.
Under Article 125 of Brazil’s Industrial Property Law, this special protection extends across all fields of activity within Brazilian territory. The 45 trademark classes classify goods and services; they are not equivalent to 45 economic sectors. This protection helps prevent the improper use of the name and similar signs, but it does not automatically prohibit every use of the word “Pix”.
Within ICANN, this recognition does not create an automatic veto. The Central Bank may consider filing a Legal Rights Objection, subject to the program’s requirements and deadlines. Within the GAC[v], Brazil’s representatives may assess alerts and other possible courses of action. My concern is to prevent “.pix” from conveying a false impression of an official connection to Brazil’s payment system.
I intend to contribute to this discussion while respecting the work of Brazil’s representatives and maintaining dialogue with the Central Bank. We need to gather evidence and protect users without prejudging decisions or assuming wrongdoing.
I will continue to follow developments. See you in the next diary entry!
*Nivaldo Cleto is the representative of the Business Sector – Internet Users on the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) and a member of the ICANN Business Constituency.
Footnotes
ICANN: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the organization responsible for the global coordination of domain names and Internet identifiers.
[ii] CGI.br: Brazilian Internet Steering Committee.
[iii] LLC: Limited Liability Company, a business structure in the United States that provides limited liability to its owners.
[iv] INPI: National Institute of Industrial Property of Brazil.
[v] GAC: Governmental Advisory Committee, an advisory committee within ICANN.
