.eu Domain Names - Total Registrations

Yes. We will accept Sunrise and Landrush pre-registrations for .EU domain names. See the "Sunrise" and "Landrush" sections of this FAQ for more details.

When can I pre-register my .EU domains at Total Registrations?

Our pre-registration service will be opened in early September. A firm timetable will be announced on the www.totalregistrations.com site and via our mailing list. If you wish to be kept informed about the .EU launch please click here to join our mailing list.

When can I register a .EU domain?

The timetable for the launch of the .EU domain has yet to be formalised, but the registry have released the following tentative timetable:

3rd Quarter 2005 The registry will publish the Terms and Conditions for registering .EU domains in all official EU languages.

4th Quarter 2005 Phase 1 of the Sunrise period. This will last for 2 months.

Phase 2 of the Sunrise period will begin 2 months after the start of Phase 1 and will continue for an additional 2 months.

Open registrations will begin 4 months after the start of Phase 1 of the Sunrise period.

Are there any registration restrictions?

Yes. Applicants for .EU domain names must be companies, organisations or individuals that fall into any of the following categories:

Undertakings having their registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the European Community; or

Organisations established within the European Community without prejudice to the application of national law; or

Natural persons resident within the European Community.

TECHNICAL

SUNRISE

What is the Sunrise period?

The Sunrise Period is a fixed time window whereupon public bodies and holders of "prior rights" to a name can apply for the corresponding .EU domain name.

In the case of the .EU launch, the Sunrise Period is split into two phases lasting two months each.

Phase 1 is due to begin in the 4th Quarter 2005 and will be solely for registered trademark holders and public bodies.

Phase 2 is scheduled to begin two months after the start of Phase 1 and will be open to entities that qualify under the Phase 1 rules as well as entities that are holders of "other prior rights".

For non-exhaustive definitions of the criteria for both phases see the answer to question <Do I qualify to make a Sunrise application?>

Will Total Registrations take pre-registrations for the Sunrise period?

Yes. Click here for mor information.

How long does the Sunrise period last?

The Sunrise Period is scheduled to begin in 4th quarter 2005, is split into two phases and will run for a concurrent four month period.

Should I submit my application/s early?

It is strongly advised to submit your applications as early as possible because the registry will accept the Sunrise submissions on a first-come first-served basis and Total Registrations will only accept 1 application for any given domain name.

Do I qualify to make a Sunrise application?

In order to qualify to make a Sunrise Period application under the terms of the two phases your application would need to fulfil either of the following criteria in conjunction with the standard registration restrictions located at < Are there any registration restrictions? >.

Phase 1:

Registered Trademark - The application must coincide with the exact Registered National Trademark within the EC or a Registered European Community Trademark. If the registered trademark is more than one word, an applicant may opt to apply for the domain name as a one word string or incorporate a hyphen/s between the word/s of the trademark.

Public bodies - The application must match that of the full name of a public body; or the acronym by which a public body is commonly known; or if applicable, the territory which is governed by a public body. Public bodies shall include: institutions and bodies of the community, national and local governments, governmental bodies, authorities, organisations and bodies governed by public law, and international and intergovernmental organisations. Only under these criteria may the public body or holder/licensee of the prior right concerned under Phase 1 of the Sunrise Period apply for an application.

Phase 2:

Any entity that is entitled to apply for a .EU domain under the criteria as denoted in the Phase 1, may also apply in Phase 2. In addition, entities that are holders of "other prior rights" that are protected under the national law of the Member State where they are held may apply in Phase 2. The "other prior rights" are as follows:

" Unregistered trademarks
" Trade names
" Company names
" Business identifiers
" Distinctive titles of protected literary and artistic works.

What documentation do I need to supply for a Sunrise application?

The full documentation required and format of the submission has yet to be formalised by EURid.

How will my Sunrise application documentation be validated?

The registry is still formally designing the process, however, in essence it is understood that the process will work in two stages.

The first is the electronic submission of your chosen domain/s. This will be actioned by Total Registrations when the registry opens for Sunrise applications. The registry operate a first-come first-served model so it is imperative that Total Registrations have your pre-registrations in good time so that we can send the applications to the registry as soon as possible otherwise you may be at the end of a large queue which the registry will process in chronological order. Therefore, although you may have rights to a domain, an entity that is above you in the queue may also have documentation that supports their claim and they may be awarded the domain.

The second process is the validation of the supporting documentation stage. Once your domain name application has been added to the registry database, the registry will allow a maximum of 40 days to supply the supporting documentation proving your right to the domain name. If the supporting documentation is in an incorrect format, missing relevant details or submitted late, your application will almost certainly fail.

An example of the full process would be as follows:

" Applicant A, B and C apply for business.eu.
" Registrar/s submit the applications to the registry.
" Registry receive the applications in the order B first, A second C third.
" Applicant B, therefore, is first in the queue and has 40 days to submit the supporting documentary evidence.
" The registry receives the supporting documents from applicant B within 40 days.
" Applicant B has their documents checked by the validation agents and they are found to be incorrect. Applicant B is now removed from the process.
" Registry now moves to the next applicant in the queue, which is applicant A.
" Applicant A supplies their documents to the registry within the 40 day window.
" The documents from applicant A are checked and deemed to support the registration.
" The domain business.eu is registered to applicant A.

Who will validate Sunrise applications?

EURid have appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers to be the validation agents for .EU domain name applications made during the Sunrise Period.

Can I track the status of my Sunrise application?

Yes. Total Registrations will provide you with updates on the status of your submission.

Will Total Registrations offer a managed solution for Sunrise applications?

Yes. Total Registrations offers the Sunrise Submission Service (SSS). For additional details on this service please click here

What is the cost of the Sunrise Submission Service managed solution?

The cost is £110+VAT per application in addition to domain name registration fees of £14+VAT. The domain name fees will be refunded should your application not be successful.

Why should I apply for .EU domain names via the Total Registrations Sunrise Submission Service?

Total Registrations are an ICANN Accredited Domain Name Registrar with over 5 years operational experience and several successful new domain launches under our belt. This experience has helped us to develop a pre-registration service that will maximise your chances of registering your chosen .EU domains.

Features of our Sunrise Submission Service pre-registration schedule are as follows -

We will only accept 1 application for any given domain name. This will enhance your chances of success as opposed to providers taking multiple applications for the same domain name.

Total Registrations offer a managed service. We understand that the procedures required to register domains under the Sunrise period can appear daunting, this is why we will provide you with a managed service. We will track and monitor your SSS applications and provide you with an intuitive web interface to guide you through the procedure.

We will provide refunds for failed pre-registrations. For details on our refund policy please see < What is the cost of the Sunrise Submission Service managed solution? >

Do I have right of appeal if I believe that a .EU domain has been issued during the Sunrise Period to an abusive or speculative application?

Yes. Any party may lodge a dispute through the registry approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) procedure, provided that the criteria for speculative and abusive registrations as denoted in Article 21 at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2004/l_162/l_16220040430en00400050.pdf has been fulfilled.

If the ADR panel uphold the complaint, the domain name maybe transferred to the complainant should they fulfil the Sunrise Period registration requirements for the disputed domain.

EURid is currently formulating the ADR policy.

LANDRUSH

What is the Landrush Period?

The Landrush Period is when the registry open up their systems under the "first-come first-served" principle.

How long does the Landrush Period last?

Once the Sunrise Period has ended, the Landrush Period will continue indefinitely. However, it is strongly advised that you apply for your chosen domain/s as soon as possible as the best domain names will likely be taken moments after the Landrush Period has opened.

Will Total Registrations take pre-registrations for the Landrush Period?

Yes. Total Registrations will take pre-registrations for the Landrush Period through our Landrush Submission Service (LSS). For additional details on the LSS please click here

Do I qualify to make a Landrush application?

In addition to accepting our Terms and Conditions, it is a necessity that you qualify under at least one of the following pre-requisites:

You have a registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the European Community; or

Your organisation is established within the European Community without prejudice to the application of national law; or

You are a natural person resident within the European Community.

What documentation do I need to supply for a Landrush application?

You do not have to submit any paper documentation for a Landrush application as opposed to a Sunrise application.

What is the cost to make a Landrush application?

The cost for a premium LSS pre-registration application is £100+VAT in addition to a £14+VAT domain name registration fee (one year only).

To apply for a standard domain under the pre-registration LSS will cost £10+VAT application fee and a £14+VAT domain name registration fee (one year only).

Should your premium or standard LSS pre-registration prove to be unsuccessful at the registry, we will refund your domain name registration fee.

Why should I apply for .EU domain names via the Total Registrations Landrush Submission Service?

Total Registrations is an ICANN Accredited Domain Name Registrar with over 5 years operational experience and several successful new domain launches under our belt. This experience has helped us to develop a pre-registration service that will maximise your chances of registering your chosen .EU domains.

Features of our Landrush Submission Service pre-registration schedule are as follows -

Premium Landrush Submission Service applicants receive preferential treatment. Official registry guidelines stipulate that Total Registrations must submit applications to the registry in the chronological order that they are received; therefore, we will only accept Premium applications for the first portion of the Sunrise Period. This means that Premium pre-registrations will be guaranteed the first spaces in our submission queue, again, increasing the chances of success.

We will only accept 1 application for any given domain name. This will enhance your chances of success as opposed to providers taking multiple applications for the same domain name.

We will provide refunds for failed pre-registrations. For details on our refund policy please see < What is the cost to make a Landrush application? >

DOMAINS

What are the technical registration requirements for .EU domains?

The registry has imposed a number of lists containing domain names that may not be registered. The non-exhaustive categories include:

" Geographic and/or geopolitical names
" Two letter terms representing country codes
" Registry related words
" EC related terms

Also, .EU domain names may not have the following syntax:

" A hyphen as first, third and fourth or last character of the domain
" Fewer than two characters or greater than 63
" Internationalised Domain characters