Goldstein Report

Tag: .ie

  • .IE To Allow Irish Geographic Names In Domains As Struggling .IRISH Sold To Donuts

    It will be possible to register Irish geographic names as part of .ie domain names from 20 December the Irish registry, IE Domain Registrations, has announced.

    IEDR Identifiably Irish logoSo it will now be possible for businesses or community groups that can show a connection to Ireland to register domains that contain their geographic location.

    Any town, village, city or townland can be applied for. In the past, these domains were only available to Local Authorities, or anyone who got special permission from them. While most geographic names will have been registered, options will exist for potential registrants to use the placename only as part of a longer name, for example, HowthRugbyClub.ie.

    There are currently 222,200 .ie domain names registered, so there are plenty of options to choose from.

    To show a connection to Ireland, registrants will need to show they are one of the following:

    • Irish Citizens (Irish passport / Irish birth certificate).
    • Irish Residents (utility bill / bank statement).
    • Companies registered in Ireland (CRO / RBN or VAT number).
    • Companies not registered in Ireland (show that you are trading with clients in Ireland – such as invoices, press releases or previously published marketing material aimed at the Irish market, or a letter from a solicitor, accountant or bank manager, confirming your current or future trade with Ireland).
    • Companies, partnerships and individuals (Irish or EU Community registered trademark).

    Then to register a .ie domain name, registrants will need to show a valid reason for registering the domain, known as the “claim to the domain.”

    If the domain applied for matches a registered business, company or trademark name, registrants need to include the relevant number with their application. To register a domain for any other reason, registrants will need to include a few short sentences with their application explaining why they want this domain and what it will be used for.

    In other Irish domain name news, the struggling .irish new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) has been sold to Donuts. The gTLD hit General Availability in June 2015 and hit a peak of 2,458 registrations in September 2016 before losing around one in 8 registrations (almost 300) in less than a month and has sit at around the 2,160 registrations mark since.

    Donuts have been on the prowl for new gTLDs for a few months now and the addition of .irish takes them to 198 new gTLDs they operate with 1.877 million domains under management.

    While there are restrictions on .ie, there are no such restrictions on .irish with the gTLD being promoted as a means for the Irish diaspora expressing their Irish identity from anywhere in the world.

  • IEDR Proposing .IE Aftermarket

    IEDR Identifiably Irish logoThe IE Domain Registry is proposing to allow the sale of .ie domain names and are seeking comment on their proposals.

    The policy, known as the “secondary market”, has arisen from an increased demand for .ie domains, and a need to protect the public from unauthorised .ie domain sellers.

    Under the proposed policy, an owner of a .ie domain will be able to sell it on to a private buyer, via their original Registrar, providing the buyer meets the .ie domain ownership criteria—namely, having a provable connection to Ireland.

    The precise mechanism of the .ie domain sale process will be announced following completion of the consultation, which closes on 16 August.

    “.ie is an ‘Identifiably Irish’ domain associated with authenticity, trust and reliability,” said David Curtin, Chief Executive of IEDR. “By creating a regulated secondary market, we are providing increased access to a respected and valued domain while protecting consumers from rogue traders.

    “Following careful consideration by key .ie namespace stakeholders and IEDR’s Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), we are now asking the public to take part in our open 30-day consultation and provide feedback on the proposed secondary market policy.”

    Feedback on the proposed policy can be submitted here, or by emailing aftermarket-consult@iedr.ie.

  • ccTLD Updates: .DE, .EU, .IE, .RO, .IT and .DK

    DENIC logoDENIC is warning .de domain registrants of German-language emails coming from the forged email address of info@denic.de. The emails claim to acknowledging a domain transfer and have the subject “DENIC eG – Domain-Transfer Bestätigung”. DENIC is advising the emails have nothing to do with them and contain a ZIP file that contains malware.

    EURid currently has open the .eu Web Awards. The awards are an online competition where .eu and .eю websites can be nominated for a chance to win a prestigious award to be presented at a stunning ceremony in Brussels.

    There are numerous categories including “The Better World”, for ecologically minded websites, and “The Laurels”, for websites that promote ongoing education/Pan-European projects. For more information see webawards.eurid.eu.

    The IE Domain Registry has published their annual report for 2015. The report includes a large amount of information for those interested in .ie stats, such as there were 35,225 new .ie registrations in 2015, an increase of 13.4 percent when compared to 2014 (31,072). Accounting for .ie non-renewals or deletions, there was a net increase in registrations of 12,929, an increase of 48 percent on 2014 net registrations.

    Turnover increased five percent to €2.86 million. The company registered an operating loss of €517,082 in 2015. The loss is principally accounted for as a result of expenditure of €508,000 on activities under the company’s Strategic Development Fund.

    Commencing on 6 July, .ro domain registrants have the option of signing their domain names with DNSSEC the Romanian registry RO TLD has announced.

    And get ready for the three millionth .it domain name under management. During May and June there were around 20,000 new .it domain names added to the base meaning they are 40,000 registrations short of the three million milestone. The .it is the ninth largest ccTLD.

    Have you ever wondered about what the .dk registry should do about severe violations and misuse of .dk domain names? If so, DIFO invites you to participate in the consultation that extends over the Danish summer.

    On 6 June, DIFO held a successful hearing which started a debate about when a domain name can be suspended, how the registrant is validated and what personal information DIFO may pass on.

    A large number of representatives from the Danish internet community, from government authorities and the Copenhagen Police to a wide range of IT suppliers participated.

    Issues to be considered include should the process of suspending a domain name become faster than it is today? One proposal is to create a special suspension board with responsibility for the suspension of domain names. Can you thereby ensure efficient treatment of cases of evident crime on Danish domain names? What about the legal certainty?

    DIFO’s validation of the identity of registrants behind a domain name is currently carried out by letter but perhaps the current validation model should be tightened up? A more restrictive solution with forced NemID validation for Danes and an activation code by post for foreign registrants gained great support at the oral hearing. However there were strong voices against increased control and concerns that domain registration will become too difficult for the customers.

    Should DIFO disclose information about anonymous registrants to authorities and individuals quicker and easier than today? DIFO looks forward to see the right holders participate in the written hearing.

  • .IE To Allow Fadas, or Irish IDNs

    Irish businesses will be able to register .ie domain names that include fadas, Irish Internationalised Domain Names, later this year, says the IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the company that manages Ireland’s .ie domain.

    IEDR Identifiably Irish logoThis policy change will allow companies – for the first time – to register a .ie domain name that includes á, é, í, ó and ú.

    IEDR is currently conducting a public consultation process and is asking interested parties to have their say before the 30-day process ends on 21 March.

    The policy change and implementation basis have been prepared and recommended by IE’s Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), the forum through which advice and counsel of industry stakeholders is provided.

    Details of when ‘fada .ie domains’ will be available and how businesses can register their domains will be confirmed on completion of the public consultation.

    “I am delighted that ‘.ie fada domains’ are soon to be available to Irish businesses,” said David Curtin, Chief Executive of IEDR. “This is the week we celebrate our National Holiday and our sense of and pride in being Irish. Our language is a key part of that identity and something which distinguishes us from every other country.”

    Interested parties can find further information: https://www.iedr.ie/internationalised-ie-domain-names/

    The public consultation document can be found at: https://www.iedr.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/IDN-Public-Consultation-Document.pdf

  • Register Your Two Letter .IE Domain Today

    IEDR Identifiably Irish logo[news release] Irish companies can now register one- and two-letter .ie domains for the first time with more than 600 possible combinations available. There will be hot competition for many of the domain names, particularly company abbreviations that are shared by one or more companies like GE, MS and PC.

    One-letter domains, like p.ie, are also be available to register. Additionally, two-letter domain names which describe a specific type of business or service such as HR, GP and DR are also expected to be in high demand.

    IEDR IE Ireland 2-letter-domains-image

    How it works
    All interested parties can now apply for a one- or two-letter .ie domain subject to the standard registration requirements. In cases where multiple eligible applications are received for a single domain name by the closing date of 22 March 2016 the domain names will go to auction. More details are available here. 

    One- and two-letter .ie domain names that are not registered during this phase will subsequently be available to the general public for registration on a first-come first-served basis, in accordance with the standard registration requirements.

    If you are interested in acquiring a one- or two-letter domain name, simply contact your .ie accredited registrar of choice, who will be happy to manage the registration process on your behalf.

    This IEDR news release was sourced from:
    https://www.iedr.ie/2016/02/register-your-two-letter-ie-domain-name-today/

  • Two-letter .IE domains open to registration

    IEDR Identifiably Irish logoTwo-letter .ie domains, like aa.ie and hp.ie, will be available to register to anyone with a related registered trademark from 9am on Monday, 16 November, the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) announced today (16 November).

    The registration period, also known as the sunrise phase, will run from 16 November to midnight on 16 December. Once the deadline passes, two-letter domains which have only been applied for by a single party will be registered immediately, while two-letter domains with interest from multiple applicants will go to auction in January 2016.

    The existing registration requirements for all .ie domain registrations will apply to those one-and two-letter domains, meaning applicants must prove a connection to Ireland and a legitimate claim to the domain name sought.

    Earlier this year IEDR conducted a public consultation process seeking the public’s view on the availability of one and two letter domains. The Company benefited from the advice and counsel of industry stakeholders via the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) during the policy change and implementation discussions.

    This is the first time Irish businesses and individuals will be able to register a two-letter .ie domain. There are 676 possible two-letter combinations, like pc.ie, hr.ie and gp.ie. One-letter domains, like p.ie, will also be open to registration.

    When the British domain registry made one- and two-letter domain names available in 2011 there was strong demand coupled with an intense bidding process that saw in excess of £3 million (€4.1 million) raised at auction.

    There is expected to be strong demand and equally intense competition here, between both Irish and foreign companies with global brands, particularly in the case of company abbreviations that are shared by one or more companies, such as HP, BT or AA.

    Additionally, more general two-letter domain names which describe a specific type of business or service, like HR or DR, are also expected to be in demand.

    David Curtin, Chief Executive of IEDR, said: “For 15 years, we’ve worked closely with Irish businesses, organisations and voluntary bodies of all sizes to help them build an ‘identifiably Irish’ profile online. The addition of one- and two-letter .ie domains will help many others build and grow their brand and promote their services in Ireland and internationally. Today’s commencement of the 30 day sunrise process is the next stage in this journey”.

    Further information is available at www.iedr.ie/2-letter-domains where interested parties will find an FAQ and information on how to apply.

    This IEDR announcement was sourced from:
    https://www.iedr.ie/2015/11/two-letter-ie-domains-open-to-registration/

  • 2015 CENTR Awards finalists revealed

    2015 CENTR Awards finalists revealed

    CENTR small logo[news release] CENTR today announced the shortlisted candidates in each of the five categories of the 2015 CENTR Awards, which aim at highlighting ccTLD registry projects, teams and people that are making a difference in the industry.

    Marketing category:
    • AustriaLoves.at – “Darlinks” of the nation, NIC.AT (.at)
    • Domain Pirates campaign, IIS (.se)
    • “Without a name it remains a dream” campaign, Registro.it

    Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) category:
    • OPTIMISE Fund, IEDR (.ie)
    • Browse in Catalan, Fundació PuntCAT (.cat)
    • Community Investment Program, CIRA (.ca)

    Research and Development (R&D) category:
    • Zonemaster by Afnic and .IIS (.fr, .se)
    • Knot DNS by CZ.NIC (.cz)
    • turing by Nominet (.uk)

    Security category:
    • Rapid adoption of DNSSEC, Norid (.no)
    • Collaboration on auditing the ISO27001 ISMS, Christa Falkensammer (SWITCH [.ch]), Boban Krsic (DENIC [.de]) and Christian Proschinger (NIC.AT [.at])
    • Turris Project, CZ.NIC (.cz)

    Contributor of the Year category:
    • Lise Fuhr (DK Hostmaster, .dk) and Mathieu Weill (Afnic, .fr) (combined nomination)
    • CZ.NIC (Registry as a whole)
    • Marcos Sanz (DENIC, .de)
    • Kristof Tuyteleers (DNS Belgium, .be)

    All shortlisted nominations in the first four categories were forwarded to Jury members, who have until 18 September to submit their choices. “This shortlist is very promising”, says Carolina Aguerre, LACTLD General Manager and Chair of the 2015 CENTR Awards Jury. “We really look forward to diving into the details of each project.”

    This year, the CENTR community will also be voting for the Contributor of the Year Award. Votes are open to full and associate CENTR members, with one ballot per member.

    The winners this year’s edition will be announced at the 2015 CENTR Awards Ceremony in Brussels on 7 October.

    Congratulations to all participants!

    This CENTR news release was sourced from:
    https://centr.org/news/centr-awards/08-25-2015/4343/2015-centr-awards-finalists-revealed

  • Ireland’s ccTLD Passes 200,000 Registrations Mark

    IEDR Identifiably Irish logoIt’s not one of the larger ccTLDs, but the Irish country code top level domain passed the 200,000 registration mark during the first quarter of 2015 the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) announced this week.

    The significant milestone was reached during Q1 2015, with a total of 203,217 .ie domain names registered by the end of the quarter.

    A comparison of the rate of .ie domain registrations per 1,000 population with national domain registrations in other EU countries, reveals that Ireland ranks joint 15th out of 19 countries, while a large divide also exists between Dublin and some rural counties.

    Ireland’s 200,000th .ie domain name was named to mark the release of the first ‘IEDR .ie Domain Profile Report’. The report, which will be published twice yearly, will track, analyse and review the profile of .ie domain names registered over each six-month period.

    Key findings included in the report include:

    – .ie domain registry tops 200,000 for the first time, with 203,217 by end of Q1 2015;

    – 16,992 new .ie domains were registered over the six-month period Q4 2014 to end Q1 2015, which, when taking into account the .ie domains that were deleted or suspended, results in a net increase of 6.207 .ie domains over the period – an increase of 6.4% when annualised.

    – The .ie domain registry has grown 26.5% in the last four years, with net new additions increasing by 67% in Q4 2014/Q1 2015 compared with the same period a year earlier;

    – Of the 6,207 net additions to the .ie domain registry, a total of 3,794 were registered by Irish businesses. Of this, 2,756 new .ie domains were registered by corporate entities and 1,038 by sole traders over the period;

    – Leinster accounts for 69% of all .ie domain names registered in Ireland, of which Dublin accounts for 47%. Munster, Connacht and Ulster follow at 18%, 8% and 5% respectively;

    – Dublin, with 69, has the highest rate of .ie domains registered per 1,000 population, followed by Wicklow at 47 and Carlow at 46. Donegal with just 16 per 1,000 has the lowest rate.

    – With 44 .ie domains per 1,000 population, Ireland ranks joint 15th with France out of 19 EU States when comparing equivalent rates of national country code domain registrations. Ireland ranks significantly behind the UK at 166 domains per 1,000 population, Denmark at 231 and the Netherlands at 332;

    – .ie domains account for almost 50% of the domain market in Ireland, followed by .com at 27%;

    Commenting on the publication of the ‘IEDR .ie Domain Profile Report’, David Curtin, Chief Executive of IEDR noted: “Reaching the milestone of 200,000 .ie domain names is significant for Ireland.

    “The number marks the extent to which all aspects of Irish life – individuals, communities and businesses – have migrated online. Behind the 200,000 .ie domain names are thousands of Irish-based websites, encompassing all areas of life in Ireland today.

    “For all those with a registered .ie domain name, the registry ensures that the registrants’ websites are identifiably Irish and that they have a real and substantive connection to Ireland. For businesses this can be a critical marketing and branding tool in promoting their companies.

    “The strong surge in the number of .ie domain names registered is also hugely encouraging. It reflects the wider economic recovery in Ireland and acts as a barometer of the growth in new businesses and in businesses going online to drive sales and expansion.”

    Today’s figures, however, show that Ireland, when compared with other EU countries (joint 15th out of 19), is still playing catch-up in fully embracing online activity and the digital economy following recent broadband improvements.

    Strong regional disparities in the numbers registering .ie domain names across Ireland also exist.  Dublin, unsurprisingly, with 69 registrations per 1,000 population, is well above the national average of 44, while other counties are less than half the national average, such as Donegal at 16 and Longford and Offaly at 19 per 1,000 population.

    “Our data suggests that the Government must accelerate broadband and other SME digital initiatives not just to get communities and businesses online, but to increase their awareness of the value of owning and managing digital assets, including their own domain names,” added Curtin.

    The report is available to download here and you can view an infographic with some key statistics here.

  • Less than one week to go in .IE domain consultation process

    IEDR Identifiably Irish logoThere is less than one week to go in the public consultation process on  two-letter domain registration, the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) said. All interested parties are advised to have their say before the 30-day public consultation process ends on 9th July.

    This is the first time that Irish businesses will be able to register one- and two-letter .ie domain names, say the IEDR, allowing for up to 676 possible two-letter domain name combinations, including hp.ie, pc.ie, hr.ie and aa.ie, amongst others.

    While many other international domain registries have allowed for two-letter domain names to be registered, like cd.com and ba.co.uk, this is the first time Irish companies will be able to register a two-letter .ie domain. One–letter domains will also be made available to register under the current plans.

    In the UK, when its domain registry made one- and two-letter domain names available, there was strong demand coupled with an intense bidding process that saw in excess of £3 million (€4.1 million) raised through the auction process.

    There is expected to be similar demand and equally intense competition for some domain names in Ireland, particularly in the case of company abbreviations that are shared by one or more companies, such as HP, BT or AA. Additionally more general two-letter domain names which describe a specific type of business or service such as HR are also expected to be in demand.

    The exact release process and mechanism of one- and two-letter domain registration will be confirmed on completion of the public consultation.

    David Curtin, CEO of IEDR, said: “At IEDR we have been working for 15 years with Irish businesses, voluntary organisations and with individuals to help them register Irish internet domain names which are relevant to them or their business. Offering one- and two-letter domains is a welcome further extension of those services.

    “We are calling on interested parties to express their opinions during our 30-day public consultation process. IEDR’s Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) has worked diligently to consider the policy change and to build consensus among stakeholder organisations on the best release mechanisms. It is now the turn of the public to express its views.”

    A public consultation document and FAQ are available to download from the IEDR’s website at https://www.iedr.ie/p30/policy-development/.

    This IEDR news release was sourced from:
    https://www.iedr.ie/2015/07/less-than-one-week-to-go-in-domain-consultation-process/

  • Two Letter .IE Domains To Be Available For First Time

    IEDR Identifiably Irish logo[news release] Irish businesses will shortly be able to register two-letter .ie domain names for the first time, the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) announced today (11 June).

    The move will allow for up to 676 possible two-letter domain name combinations, including hp.ie, pc.ie, hr.ie and aa.ie, amongst others. The exact release process and mechanism will be confirmed after a public consultation.

    While many other international domain registries have allowed for one and two-letter domain names to be registered, like cd.com and ba.co.uk, this is the first time Irish companies will be able to register a one or two-letter .ie domain.

    There is expected to be intense competition for some domain names. This will apply in the case of company abbreviations, particularly where these are shared by one or more companies, such as HP, BT or AA. Additionally more general two letter domain names which describe a specific type of business or service such as HR are also expected to be in demand.

    In the UK, when its domain registry made one and two letter domain names available there, there was a lot of interest, with 3 million pounds (€4.1 million) raised through the auction process. In the UK, global companies such as Facebook snapped up the address fb.co.uk; Mercedes Benz acquired  mb.co.uk and the clothing retailer H&M secured hm.co.uk.

    In Ireland the arrival of two letter domains will also have a political dimension with party domain names like fg.ie, ff.ie or sf.ie all becoming available.

    David Curtin, CEO of IEDR commenting on one and two letter domain names becoming available noted: “At IEDR we have been working for 15 years with Irish businesses, voluntary organisations and with individuals to help them register Irish internet domain names which are relevant to them or their business. Offering one and two letter domains is a welcome further extension of those services.’

    “We are calling for interested parties to express their opinions during our 30 day public consultation process. IEDR’s policy advisory committee to the board (PAC) has worked diligently to consider the policy change and to build consensus among stakeholder organisations on the best release mechanisms. It is now the turn of the public to express its views.”

    “.ie domain names continue to be the domain names of choice for a number of key reasons. For businesses they are guaranteed Irish as their owners have a proven real and substantive connection to Ireland. These Identifiably Irish dot ie internet addresses also give greater confidence to consumers due to their enhanced traceability and are also much safer, with lower risk of cybercrime and cybersquatting, than other generic domain extensions.”

    “The availability of one and two letter domain names and the demand for them is certainly one to watch with interest. Many of our sister national domain registries across Europe and the world which have already been through this process. All experienced strong demand, often coupled with an intense bidding process. The UK’s recent experience suggests we can expect similar demand here,” added Curtin.

    The timetable for the registration process will be announced following the completion of the policy development process by the PAC and the board of the IEDR. The conditions which currently apply to all .ie domain registrations will also apply to this process, i.e. each applicant must have a connection to Ireland and a legitimate claim to the domain name sought. Where two or more companies or individuals apply for the same one or two letter .ie domain name and also meet the registration criteria, then an auction to determine ownership will take place. The highest bidder will be awarded the right to use the contested domain.

    A public consultation document and FAQ are available to download from the IEDR’s website at https://www.iedr.ie/p30/policy-development/

    This IEDR news release was sourced from:
    https://www.iedr.ie/2015/06/two-letter-ie-domain-names-to-be-registered-for-the-first-time/