.EU in detail

Who is eligible for .eu?

Applicants for .eu domain names must be:

Undertakings having their registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the European Community; OR
Organisations established within the European Community without prejudice to the application of national law; OR
Natural persons resident within the European Community

You must have a registered office, central administration or principle place of business within the EC, or established within the EC, or be an EC resident to apply for a .eu domain name.

How is the .eu being introduced?

.eu domain names are being introduced in three phases starting with a 'Sunrise Phase' (domain industry term indicating an initial restricted registration period for specifically qualified entities to apply for specific domain names in advance of public release).

The three phases are:

Phase 1 Sunrise - period designed to protect holders of registered European Community (EC) Trademarks or EU national Trademarks, Trademark licensees and a territory name governed by a public body, names and acronyms of public bodies.

Phase 2 Sunrise - Those names listed in Phase 1, other rights protected under national law of the member state where they are held. Included here are unregistered Trademarks, company names, trade names, business identifiers, distinctive titles of protected literary and artistic work and family names.

Open Registration - First-come, first-served for entities in the European Community If EURid receives more than one claim for the same domain during the phased registration period, applications shall be dealt with in strict chronological order.

Why a phased registration process?

EURid have stated the phased registration process is:

a) to allow those with prior rights the opportunity to protect their names

b) to prevent the abuses witnessed in .com and other spaces

c) to ensure a quality domain name and enhance the reputation of .eu

What are the Sunrise requirements?
Sunrise applicants will be required to identify the legal basis that grants the right in community law or the national law of the member state where the right is held and provide documentary evidence (e.g. proof of Trademark ownership) which is accepted to demonstrate the right under that law. The domain name should be an exact-match as written in the supporting Trademark documentation. A Registered Trademark Holder whose Trademark contains a space (i.e. is composed of more than one word) will be permitted to apply for their Trademark domain containing a hyphen instead of the space, as well as their Trademark domain containing no hyphens or spaces (e.g. my-company.eu or mycompany.eu).

A Public Body (organisations and bodies governed by public law) is able to apply for .eu domains that correspond with the full name of the Public Body; OR the acronym by which the Public Body is commonly known; OR if applicable, the territory which is governed by the Public Body.

The validation process

There is a period of 40 days after the application being accepted to submit supporting documentation to EURid’s validation agents. If the documentary evidence has not been received within the 40 day deadline, the application for the domain name will be rejected and the next application in the queue will be processed.

What is the registration period for a .eu domain?

The registration period is one year.

What is the timetable for launch of .eu?

EURid is in the final stages of the Registration Policy and Terms and Conditions for .eu. From that time there will be a 2 month review prior to Phase 1 Sunrise commencing (likely at this stage to be November).

Most importantly; now that Domainz has accreditation we are able to accept Sunrise Applications.

For those clients not wishing to submit applications via Phase 1 or 2 of Sunrise, although still wanting to register domains in the .eu space once the Open Registration phase commences (likely early 2006); please complete the ‘Register of Interest’ form. We will collate all forms and submit registrations for these .eu domain names once the registry opens.

Register of Interest – Open Registration Phase: No fees apply at this stage. It is purely an expression of interest. Details on documentation requirements and pricing will be forwarded in due course.

Who secures the domain if there are multiple applications?

Primary rights (Trademark holders & licensees / public bodies) take precedence over Secondary rights, (unregistered Trademarks, company names).

Within each category first-come-first-serve applies, i.e. the first application to be validated is awarded the domain. Numerous rights may be deemed valid; for example, the same Trademark can be registered within numerous categories within different EU member states.

Apply today for your .eu domains!

Domainz clients can apply for a .eu domain in Sunrise Phases 1 or 2 by completing the Sunrise Application form. Your Account Manager will also be able to help identify and prioritise the domain names for submission in Sunrise (and determine whether the premium multiple registrar service would be beneficial to your applications).

Sunrise application form (eligible applicants $95.00 inc.GST)
Expression on interest for Open Registration (registrants not eligible for Sunrise application)

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