Registration of .info names begins on 25th July for trade mark
holders, the start of the so-called “sunrise period.” During this
period, those with a reputation in their trading name can stake
their claims to .info names to protect their trade mark rights. The
“sunrise period” will close on 28th August.
There will then be a 15 day “quiet period” for “testing and
evaluation.” The close of the sunrise period on August 28th also
marks the commencement of the “sunrise challenge process”, during
which challenges to names registered during the “sunrise period”
may be raised. This will last for 120 days.
Registration for the general public will commence on 12th
September after the “quiet period” and the names themselves are
expected to go live one week after that date. The only names that
will not go live at that time will be those that are the subject of
disputes.
The phased introduction of the .biz domain has already begun.
The first phase, the Intellectual Property Claim Service, is
intended to give trade mark owners special protection before they
even apply for their names much like the “sunrise period” for
.info. However, this stage of protection, which ends on 6th August,
in fact offers little more protection than the rights already given
to trade mark owners under other existing rules.
From June 25th (although the date is still subject to change),
applications can be made for .biz names. The names are not actually
live at this stage, so cannot be used with a web site. If more than
one business claims the same .biz name at this stage, in most
cases, one applicant will be chosen at random. The only exception
is if one applicant staked a claim in the first phase, which means
dispute resolution proceedings may follow. The names are expected
to go live on 1st October, shortly after the .info names, but
again, the date is uncertain.
Unlike .biz names, which are intended only for business
purposes, there will be no restrictions on who applies for the
.info names. If there are several applications for the same .info
name, a winner is chosen at random, although the rules favour early
applicants.
