The first 3 months of 2005 have seen some significant developments in Register EU Domain Names's plans for launching the '.eu' domain.

• The ICANN board has approved the delegation of .eu TLD.  The board decision sets in motion the next stage whereby IANA (The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) puts .eu in the internet root. This is not expected to take more than 10 days.  Having .eu in the root sets the green light for the launch of .eu said Register EU Domain Names General Manager, Marc Van Wesemael
• Register EU Domain Names has appointed PriceWaterhouseCoopers to Validate 'prior right' claims of applicants during the .eu sunrise period.
• Register EU Domain Names have announced the appointment of the Prague-based Arbitration Court attached to provide ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution)for .eu domain name disputes.

Register EU Domain Names recently issued the following updated roadmap for the rest of 2005.

With the recent announcement of the details of the two 'Sunrise' periods, now is an excellent time to submit your .eu pre-registration via Register EU Domain Names. The service is free of charge and will enable you to keep up to date with developments in this critical opening phase of the .eu Registration process. It will also give you time to assemble the necessary registration documents ready to support your Domain Name application. Just go to Register EU Domain Names, select '.eu Pre-registration' and sign in.

'.eu' Registration requirement - in general.

EC Regulation No 733/2002 states that only the following categories of companies, organisations and individuals will be able to register a .eu domain:

• undertakings having their registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the European Community
• organisations established within the European Community without prejudice to the application of national law
• natural persons resident within the European Community.

'.eu' Registration requirement - Sunrise period.

The sunrise period will consist of two consecutive phases each lasting two months.

During phase 1 only domain names that correspond EXACTLY with:

• The full name of a public body
• The acronym by which a public body is commonly know
• If applicable, the territory which is governed by a public body
• registered community or national trademarks

may be applied for by the public body or trademark holder/licensee concerned

During phase 2 domain names that correspond exactly with

• the names listed in phase 1
• other rights that are protected under the national law of the member state where they are held such as:
• company names
• business identifiers
• distinctive titles of protected literary and artistic work
• unregistered trademarks
• trade names  applied for by the parties concerned.

Practical Details of the .eu 'Sunrise' period

There are a number of alternative ways one can prepare for obtaining a .eu Top Domain Name (TLD).

Situation 1

If your company or organization is registered in one of the 25 EU Member States, and you have an officially Registered Trade Mark in one or more of the EU Member States, you can apply for a .eu TLD during the first 'Sunrise' period.

Situation 2

If your company or organization is NOT registered in one of the 25 EU Member States, but you have an officially Registered Trade Mark in one or more of the EU Member States, you can still apply for a .eu TLD during the first 'Sunrise' period. But you will need to establish a local EU company address.

Situation 3

You are unsure of the status of your trademark registration, or do not have a Trademark Registered in any of the EU Member States. Register EU Domain Names will shortly announce a number of new services to assist clients to prepare for Sunrise Phase 1. Revisit this page for further details.

Sunrise Requirements

When the first Sunrise period opens, all approved Registrars will be allowed to submit Domain Name Registration applications where the appropriate Trademark data is available. Some sort of time slicing will be used to ensure that each applying register has an equal chance to submit registration applications.

In view of the importance of the 'Sunrise' period, Register EU Domain Names will be offering a service for companies wishing to check the registration status of their existing European or National Trade Marks, or to register their Trade Mark for the first time. This will enable them to register their .eu Domain Name during the first priority Sunrise period. Go to Register EU Domain Names

But don't delay too long. Trademark Registration takes several months to obtain. What ever you do, ensure you pre-register your .eu Domian Name via Register EU Domain Names to ensure your place in the first applications.

All Registration applications received by Register EU Domain Names will be time stamped and stored on the Register EU Domain Names Sunrise database. The Validation Agent will be informed of the received application, and will check if the proposed Trade Mark Registrations (Sunrise Phase 1) or company or individual name Registrations (Sunrise Phase 2) are valid. If suitable certified copies of the supported documents have not been provided, the applicant will be asked to supply them within a 40 day period from the request.

The status of all applications received by Register EU Domain Names are shown on the Register EU Domain Names Sunrise Database. This allows any applicant to see the status of their application, and its position relative to others for the same Domain Name.

Applications are sorted by the time the application was received by Register EU Domain Names, and are shown as pending until either the required documentation has been provided and approved, or the 40 day period for their provision has run out. In the case that the required documentation is provided on time, and approved by the Validation Agent, the application is shown as approved, and all other pending applications for the same Domain Name are automatically deleted.

There is then a further 30 days during which an ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) application can be submitted, complaining against a specific Domain Name allocation

A similar procedure applies for the second Sunrise period, except that applications based on Registered Trade Marks may still be submitted, but then on an equal basis to applications based on registered company or individual names.

From the above one can see that there is a 2-stage application process during the two Sunrise periods. The first is a Validation procedure for which an appropriate charge has to be paid. Once an application has been validated and approved, the second Registration charge has to be paid.

Remember that in ALL cases, the date an application is received by Register EU Domain Names establishes the time priority of a given application. The 'First come-first served' rule applies.

Full details of the Sunrise Period requirements will be published by Register EU Domain Names later this summer.

Visit the Register EU Domain Names website - Register EU Domain Names regularly for further information, or subscribe to our newsletter.

Use Register EU Domain Names to provide a local EU address, or help with Trade Mark Certificates and Registrations, or Name Registrations.