Issue 186 - 6th May 2005

.eu in the root

EURid, the non-profit organisation concerned with overseeing .eu's implementation, have announced that the forthcoming .eu Top Level Domain (TLD) is in place in the Internet root. This means that although it is too soon to register .eu, the capacity is there for .eu web and email addresses to work. A case in point is the EURid website, which now can be viewed at www.eurid.eu.

It is still too soon to pre-register .eu - EURid's next job is to publish a list of accredited registrars. A sunrise period for trademark holders is scheduled for the last quarter of this year. We will keep you up to date with developments.

.nz (New Zealand) to use UK model for dispute resolution

It has recently been reported in online media that InternetNZ, the non-profit organisation that sets policy for the .nz TLD, are considering adopting (the UK registry) Nominet's model for resolution of domain name disputes. There is currently no official mechanism for settling .nz complaints - it is achieved either through direct negotiation or via potentially expensive litigation in the courts.

The Nominet model uses both free mediation and arbitration by an expert panel - the latter costing (the complainant), but in general significantly less than court action. There is also provision for appeal.

Malicious websites using misspellings of Google

The Register recently reported that hackers have set up a number of websites hosting malware (e.g. Trojans and spyware) based around domains which are misspellings of Google, the well-known search engine company. An example is googkle.com - we strongly recommend that you do not visit this website, as it is likely that your machine will become infected due to the aforementioned malware.

This further illustrates the importance of proactively considering common misspellings of one's brand when protecting one's online intellectual property. NetNames Platinum Service can provide this level of protection and much more - see www.netnames.com for more info.