.co coming soon - Melbourne IT advises companies to register.co domains early
Announcement posted by Melbourne IT 26 Mar 2010
Melbourne, Australia – 26 March 2010 - Melbourne IT today advised companies to prepare now to secure their brand names in the re-launch of the .co domain as the application period for existing trademark owners opens in one month before the ‘Landrush’ begins on June 21.
.co is the country code top level domain (ccTLD) name space for the Republic of Colombia. Previously, .co was only used as a third level domain for Colombian companies (eg. www.brand.com.co or www.brand.net.co). However, newly liberalised policies and the appointment of a new registry manager mean that .co will soon be made available as a second level domain (eg. www.brand.co) to applicants around the globe in 2010.
The Sunrise period for holders of trademarks of national effect anywhere in the world to secure their domain name runs from April 26 to June 10. From June 21 the Landrush period begins, which will be open until 13 July 2010 to anyone wishing to register domain names which have not been registered during the previous periods.
“The impending launch of .co provides an excellent opportunity for companies who may have missed out on their preferred .com domain name to seek to register for a recognisable alternative in the form of the new .co domain. Research has shown that people identify ‘company’ with .co so it is a credible alternative to .com and of course is actually the most used second level domain for companies in countries such as the UK (.co.uk) , Japan (.co.jp) and New Zealand (.co.nz),” Melbourne IT’s Executive Vice President of Digital Brand Services, Kanchan Mhatre, said.
“The fact it is so recognisable also means that existing global trademark holders should attempt to secure their domain names in .co as soon as the Sunrise period opens to avoid disappointment. As .co is also very similar to existing domains such as .com and .co.uk, for example, there is also an element of brand protection to consider in making sure companies secure their .co domain names immediately when available.”
Melbourne IT is one of only ten international domain registrars which have been accredited by the managers of the .co registry, .CO Internet S.A.S., to sell .co domain names. .CO Internet S.A.S. is a joint venture between Arcelandia S.A., a wholly-owned Colombian company, and Neustar, Inc., a leading provider of global registry and managed DNS services for top-level domains.
During the Sunrise and Landrush phases, applications for domain names will not be allocated on a first-come, first served basis. Instead, applications will be accepted and in the event there are multiple valid applicants for the same domain name, an auction will be conducted and the name awarded to the highest bidder.
General availability of the .co domain is set to begin on July 20 when applications for domain names will be awarded on a first come, first served basis around the world.
Organisations seeking more information on .co and how to apply for .co domain names should contact their local Melbourne IT office – a full list of contact details is available online at http://corporate.melbourneit.com.au/about/offices.php.
ENDS.
About Melbourne IT
Melbourne IT (ASX: MLB) helps organisations of all sizes to successfully do business online. Our complete portfolio of Internet-based technology services drives business effectiveness and profitability for more than 350,000 customers around the world.
The breadth of Melbourne IT’s offering extends from helping small businesses build an online presence through to managing the complex technology environments of large enterprises and governments – including Internet domain name services, web hosting, online brand protection and promotion, video content delivery, managed IT services and more.
Melbourne IT’s culture of integrity, innovation, collaboration and customer centricity has been built by more than 700 employees spread across 18 offices in 10 countries. Our customers include Volvo, GlaxoSmithKline, LEGO, Queensland Department of Education and Training, Socit Gnrale, Aurecon Asia-Pacific, Coca-Cola Amatil and Twitter. For more information, visit www.melbourneit.com
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