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).

General Availability for .PW (the new ccTLD for “Professional Web” and for citizens and residents of the Republic of Palau) opens tomorrow, March 26, 2013. If you did not get the .PW domains you wanted during the Sunrise or Landrush period(s), now is the time to register. Anyone will be able to register .PW domains regardless of location—and there are no local contact requirements.

If you have any questions about the .PW extension or would like to register a .PW domain(s), log in to the Safenames IDP today or contact your Safenames account manager. You may also contact the Safenames in the UK +44 1908 200022 (emeasales@safenames.net) or in the US at +1.703.574.5313 (nasales@safenames.net).

The ICANN Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) is scheduled to launch tomorrow, March 26, 2013. With more than 1,000 new gTLDs scheduled to be introduced this year (as early as July) ICANN has built the TMCH—a single global repository for authenticated registered trademarks—to help protect brands and their IP rights. The TMCS offers 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. Safenames is a registered agent in the Trademark Clearinghouse and wants to ensure that our current customers and other trademark holders are prepared for the new gTLD expansion. Learn More.

If you have any questions about the 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).

The Chinese Registry (.CN) is now offering ASCII.IDN domain names (e.g., domain. 中国) for the .CN extension. Previously, .CN domains could only be registered as ASCII.ASCII or IDN.IDN. For languages that include diacritics, IDNs are the best means of communication for domain holders because they reflect the pronunciation of their identity and/or their brand. And it allows domain holders to optimize their naming strategies.

This launch presents an opportunity for brand owners to register their international brand name with a true Chinese extension. The new ASCII.中国 domain names are launching in 3 phases:

1. Sunrise 1 Phase—September 16 through October 11, 2012: Priority phase for trademark holders; trademarks of Mainland China and trademarks outside of China are eligible; in the event that multiple applications are received for the same domain name, domain will be allocated on a first come first serve basis
2. Sunrise 2 phase—October 15 through October 22, 2012: Priority phase for existing holders of .CN domain names; the corresponding alphabetical and numerical .中国 domain names must be registered through the same registrar as the alphabetical and numerical .CN domain names
3. General Launch Phase—October 29, 2012: ASCII.中国 domain names registrations open to all individuals and organizations; available domain names will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis

If you have any questions about Chinese ASCII.IDN domains, please contact your Safenames Account Manager or contact Safenames Customer Support in the UK at +44 1908 200022 (emeasales@safenames.net) or in the US at +1 703 574 5313 (nasales@safenames.net).