The Trademark Sunrise phase (Phase one of four) for .JP.NET (Japan’s New Domain) will open January 16, 2012. This new domain is a marriage of two highly recognized domain extensions, .JP and .NET. It will enable your corporation, e-commerce platform, blog, brand, etc. to simultaneously network with Japanese and global communities. It will also make available thousands of keywords, place names, one and two-character domains and domains with Japanese characters.

Sunrise Registration Details:

Beginning January 16, 2012 (through February 17, 2012), Sunrise will open exclusively to trademark owners globally. Applicants must demonstrate ownership of a trademark that was registered prior to July 30, 2011 and is identical to the desired domain name.

There are three subsequent registration phases scheduled for non-trademark holders:

• Phase 2: Landrush (February 20, 2012 – March 16, 2012). Keywords, city names, even one and two character domains are all available. Companies without trademarks can get a .JP.NET domain name.  Applicant can be based anywhere and there are no restrictions.
• Phase 3: .JP & .NET Owner Promotion (March 19, 2012 – April 20, 2012). A special invitation for .JP and .NET registrants to obtain their matching .JP.NET domains (including official Organizational/Geographic Type .JP domains), where that Domain Name was not previously registered or applied for during Sunrise or Landrush, and/or excluded by the Registry.
• Phase 4: General Availability (April 24, 2012). No requirements. Domains are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you have any questions about the .JP.NET Sunrisephase or would like to check the availability of a .JP.NET domain name, please contact your Safenames account manager. You may also contact the Safenames UK office at +44 1908 200022 and emeasales@safenames.net, or the Safenames US office at +1.703.574.5313 and nasales@safenames.net.

General Availability opens tomorrow for .XXX domains. If you did not get the .XXX domains you wanted during the Sunrise or Landrush period(s), now is the time to register them.

What you need to know.

• General Availability is open to all businesses and individuals on a first come, first served basis.
• Any member of the adult Sponsored Community can apply without pre-existing rights or qualifications unlike in the previous launch periods.
• Members of the adult Sponsored Community—verification is done at the ICM Registry before sites will resolve.
• Non-members of the adult Sponsored Community—there is no verification and/or requirements, but these .XXX domain names will not resolve.

If you would like to register a .XXX domain(s) log in to the Safenames IDP today. If you have any questions about .XXX, please contact Safenames customer support at +44-1-908-200022 or +1-703-574-5313.

AFNIC (the French Network Information Centre, a non-profit association that manages the .fr and .re registries) is changing the registration rules for AFNIC operated extensions as of tomorrow (Dec 6, 2011). This is good news because the local contact requirements for some AFNIC operated extensions (listed below) will be less restrictive and thus, will simplify the registration process. The extensions are:

• .fr (France)
• .wf (Wallis and Futuna)
• .tf (French Southern and Antarctic territories)
• .re(Réunion)
• .pm (St. Pierre and Miquelon)
• .yt (Mayotte)

What does this mean? AFNIC will now allow domains to be registered to registrants who are individuals or entities in any European Union countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. If you are unable to meet the local contact requirements, Safenames Local Contact Service enables you to register domains in these (and many other) extensions.

Additionally, the following sub-extensions will no longer be open for new registrations after December 6, 2011. But all currently registered domains in the sub-extensions listed below under the previous AFNIC registration policy will be grandfathered and will continue to be maintained in the .fr zone file:

• com.fr
• .tm.fr
• .asso.fr

Finally, AFNIC has also changed the registration rules on .fr domains names for companies and individual owners of a registered trademarks that are valid in France, but whose country of residence/incorporation is not within one of the regions listed above. These specific entities will no longer be eligible to register new domains, but will be able to keep their domain names.

If you have any questions about these changes or would like to register domains with these extensions, please contact Safenames Customer Support at +44.1908.200.022 or +1.703.574.5313.

The Landrush registration period for .XXX domains opened today (November 8, 2011). If you did not get the .XXX domains you wanted during Sunrise A because you did not have a registered trademark or qualify as a grandfathered site, now is the time to order the .XXX names you want.

The Details:

• The Landrush Period is open only to members of the sponsored community or companies that are conducting business within the sponsored community
• Landrush is not first come, first served.  At the end of the eighteen day Landrush period, any .XXX domain names with a single applicant will be automatically registered to the requestor.  Any .XXX domain names with more than one applicant will be placed into a closed auction between the parties who submitted a Landrush order 
• You can register domains as keywords related to your business—and many great .XXX domains are still available
• Landrush ends on November 25, 2011

To submit your .XXX order request log in to the Safenames IDP today. If you have any questions about .XXX, contact your Safenames account manager or call Safenames customer service at +44-1-908-200022 or +1-703-574-5313.

As expected, the ICANN board approved new gTLDs at the ICANN’s 41^st global meeting currently taking place in Singapore.   This means that the naming space on the Internet will significantly increase in late 2012 or early 2013, although no one really knows how many applications will be submitted for new TLDs or how many ICANN will approve.  The current estimates are in the 300-500 range for approved TLD strings.  

The new domain extensions will include geo domains (.NYC, .PARIS), application based domains (.BANK, .SSL), special interest domains (.ECO, .FOOD) and brand domains (.CANON, .DELOITTE).  ICANN is sponsoring a four month communication period in the second half of 2011 to create awareness, followed by the application acceptance period scheduled to open on January 12, 2012 and close on April 12, 2012.   An approval period will follow in order to review all applicants and to address any gTLD strings that are sought after by more than one party.  The results of the applications will be published in November of 2012.  Safenames projects that we will see new TLDs approved and available for registration in 1Q 2013.

Safenames will be hosting a Webinar on new gTLDs on June 29^th to advise you on how you can apply for your own TLD and how Safenames can help you prepare your brand(s) for the new domain choices that will be available .  Details on how to register for this event will be available shortly.

If you have any questions regarding new gTLDs and the ICANN application process, please contact your Safenames account manager.

You may also contact the Safenames UK office at +44 1908 200022 and emeasales@safenames.net, or the Safenames US office at +1.703.574.5313 and nasales@safenames.net.

Just a little less than one year since .CO domains became available to the general public, the 1 millionth .CO domain name was registered.  It is no surprise that the .CO registrations remain on the rise.  While the domain officially is a ccTLD for Colombia, this extension continues to be marketed as a generic domain and as a direct competitor to .COM — with plenty of available name space. 

While there has been some speculative buying, the successful adoption of .CO in the corporate space has been demonstrated by the extensive marketing that Overstock has put behind O.CO.   Additionally the name space has found success as a URL shortener and as Brand Protection name space. It has even received some traction among start ups companies who want a specific brand, who think that behavior among Internet users will continue to evolve and who think that .COM will not always be the default extension for an online web address.

 Top 5 Locations of .CO Registrants

1. US
2. UK
3. Colombia
4. Canada
5. Australia

 If you have any questions regarding .CO domains, please contact your Safenames account manager.

You may also contact the Safenames UK office at +44 1908 200022 and emeasales@safenames.net, or the Safenames US office at +1.703.574.5313 and nasales@safenames.net.