Recently, The University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA), the administrator and authoritative registry for .AN domains, announced that it will begin removing .AN ccTLDs (the extension has been active since 1993) from their databases and systems on October 31, 2013. By October 31, 2014 all .AN domains will be excluded from the DNS root server managed by IANA. Existing .AN domains with an active zone record need to move to the .CW Zone as soon as possible.  .CW was provisioned to all registrants that had previously registered a .AN domain in November of 2012.

Dot AN is the ccTLD of the former Netherlands Antilles, which was dissolved in 2010 into two new autonomous countries, Curaçao (.CW) and St. Maarten (.SX).

If you have any questions about the removal of .AN domains, or would like to check the availability of a domain name, please contact your Safenames account manager. You may also contact Safenames in the UK +44 1908 200022 (emeasales@safenames.net) or in the US at +1.703.574.5313 (nasales@safenames.net).

The Trademark Sunrise Period for .ML & .CF (the new ccTLDs for Mali and the Central African Republic, respectively) opened on May 1, 2013. This period is specifically for trademark holders to pre-register .ML and/or .CF domains that are the exact match (or closely similar) to the existing corresponding trademark(s). If you conduct business in Mali and/or the Central African Republic, are planning to in the future, or want to protect your brand(s) globally, registering country code domains is the best way to optimize your naming strategy.

Registration Launch Periods:

• Phase 1—Trademark Sunrise :: Open May 1, 2013 through May 31, 2013
• Phase 2—Landrush :: Open June 1, 2013 through June 14, 2013
• Phase 3—General Availability :: Open July 15, 2013

If you have any questions about any of the Launch Phases for .ML and/or .CF, or would like to check the availability of a domain name, please contact your Safenames account manager. You may also contact Safenames in the UK +44 1908 200022 (emeasales@safenames.net) or in the US at +1.703.574.5313 (nasales@safenames.net).

The .XXX registry has significantly reduced the cost of domain name registrations for the month of May, 2013. Although the .XXX extension is primarily targeted at businesses and individuals within the adult entertainment industry, .XXX impacts most mainstream brands with an online presence. Whether you’re an organization in the adult industry and plan to use .XXX, or an organization outside of the sponsoring industry wanting to protect your site/intellectual property from .XXX (in which case no trademark is required), this price reduction makes it a great time to get the .XXX domain(s) you were unable to get during Trademark Sunrise.

If you have any questions about registering .XXX domain names, please contact your Safenames account manager. You may also contact us in the UK at +44 1908 200022 (emeasales@safenames.net) or in the US at +1 703 574 5313 (nasales@safenames.net).

The Certificate Authority/Browser Forum (CAB Forum) has mandated that Certificate Authorities discontinue supporting 1024-bit key length certificates for both SSL and code signing. Starting January 1, 2014, all existing 1024-bit key certificates will be discontinued industry-wide. If you have a 1024-bit key certificate(s) it is important that you replace it before December 31, 2013 with security strengths of hash and encryption approved by the NIST Special Publication 800-131A (at least a 2048-bit key certificate(s), as they will no longer work, which may compromise the security of your site.

If you have any questions about SSL certificates, contact Safenames in the UK at +44 1908 200022 (emeasales@safenames.net) or in the US at +1 703 574 5313 (nasales@safenames.net).

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA) Executive Board recently announced that .NG (Nigeria) domain names are now available at the second level (SLD) for general registration for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 10 years. While .NG is specifically the ccTLD for Nigeria, it may also be used for vanity domains and other generic names (two examples of existing second-level .ng domain names are “bi.ng” and “google.ng”).

•  As of April 2013 any company, organization, or individual can register a second-level .NG domain name(s).
• There is no Trademark Sunrise period and/or local presence requirements.
• The .NG registry is reserving a list of “premium” second-level .NG domains, which will be available only via auction at a later date.

If you have any questions about the .NG extension or would like to register a second-level .NG domain(s), log in to the Safenames IDP today or contact your Safenames account manager. You may also contact us in the UK at +44 1908 200022 (emeasales@safenames.net) or in the US at +1 703 574 5313 (nasales@safenames.net).

The Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) selected Safenames as one of the first seven approved trademark submission agents. Agents of the TMCH are companies that are able to process TMCH submissions on behalf of trademark holders, make payment to the TMCH on behalf of their clients, and provide volume discounts. The TMCH launched on March 26, 2013 and is now operational, offering registered trademark/brand owners a solution to help safeguard their rights and simplify participation during the multiple pre-registration launch periods in the new gTLD program. As a registered agent in the TMCH, Safenames wants to ensure that our current customers and other trademark holders are prepared for the new gTLD expansion. Learn more about the TMCH.

If you have any questions about the TMCH, please contact your Safenames account manager. You may also contact us in the UK at +44 1908 200022 (emeasales@safenames.net) or in the US at +1 703 574 5313 (nasales@safenames.net).