Over 6000 requests for 30,000 previously banned domain names such as islam.fr and internet.fr have been received by the French registry since a new law came into being on 1 July authorising their release.
This follows the French Constitutional Council declaring unconstitutional section L. 45 of the French Electronic Communications and Telecommunications Act and giving the legislature until 1 July to amend it.
“More than 6,100 requests have been made,” since July 1, Mathieu Weill of the French Association for Internet Naming and Cooperation (AFNIC) told AFP.
“By far the most sought after are terms like ‘internet.fr’, ‘url.fr’ and ‘entreprise.fr’ (business),” Weill said.
âAnyone who can demonstrate a âlegitimate interestâ and was the first to put in a request since the new law came into effect will get the domain name they want,â reported AFP.
For sensitive names such as those of religions, an applicant can be refused because of the risk of “disturbing public order,” Weill also told AFP.
On 22 March 2011, the Act replacing the article was passed, establishing a new legal framework for domain names under the .FR ccTLD, with the main changes coming into effect on 1 July. The changes introduced by the Act included the easing of registration requirements for terms previously classified as prohibited and reserved.
AFNIC will give responses to the applications for the requested domain names by 29 August.
In addition, the decree specifies the accreditation criteria with which registrars will now have to comply. AFNIC will begin considering the introduction of this process in the coming weeks. During the transition phase, the decree provides that registrars under contract with AFNIC will continue to carry out their business in accordance with the conditions specified in the contract.
To register your .FR domain name, check out Europe Registry here.