Almost one in eight (12.3%) of .EU registrations in the second quarter of 1011 were now for multiyear registrations following the registry’s implementation of this option, EURid announced in their quarterly report. On the fifth birthday for .EU in April 2011, registrants were given the option for registering domain names for up to ten years. To promote multiyear registrations, EURid introduced a promotional offer (that was valid until 31 May) where registrars received a 50 per cent discount on all new .EU registrations of two, five and ten years. “It is one of our duties as the .EU registry to continually add value to the services we offer registrars. Extending the length of time .EU domain names can be registered for is one such service and I am encouraged by how well .EU multiyear registrations were received during the second quarter,” said Marc Van Wesemael, EURid’s General Manager. During the quarter, registrations for .EU domains decreased by 1.2 per cent to 3.35 million, making .EU the fifth largest ccTLD. The number one ccTLD in terms of active registrations is .DE (Germany), currently with 14.577 million registrations followed by .UK (United Kingdom – 9.559m), .NL (Netherlands – 4.641m) and .RU (Russia – 3.410m). The decrease in registrations came about due to every April a large number of registrations are not renewed, coinciding with the anniversary of .EU’s launch. In addition, two countries, Cyprus and Luxembourg, reported reduced volumes as some registrars did not renew large sections of their .EU portfolios. However year-on-year there was a 4.2 per cent increase in registration numbers. EURid’s full report for Q2 2011 is available for download at: link.eurid.eu/reports . To register your .EU domain name, check out Europe Registry here .

Vietnamese internet users in rural areas have taken to the Vietnamese language internationalised domain name, making up a large proportion of the 320,000 Vietnamese language domains that have been registered since 28 April. “Internet users in rural areas were especially fond of using Vietnamese-language domain names since they used Vietnamese almost exclusively on the internet. The meaning of Vietnamese domain names was also clearer and more understandable to Vietnamese users,” said Tran Minh Tan, deputy director of the VNNIC, part of the Ministry of Information and Communications. “The Vietnamese IDNs represent a concerted effort on the part of VNNIC and Dot VN to reach the whole of the Vietnamese population and not just those that reside in major cities. While many online services have focused almost exclusively on urban users in major cities, those users represent but a small fraction of the over 89 million people that make up the population of Vietnam.” said Dot VN President Lee Johnson. “We hope to be a leader in the development of services for the as yet underserved majority of existing and potential internet users. The Vietnamese IDN resonates with the whole of Vietnamese Society in a fundamental way and engages Vietnamese users in their native speech in a way that is far superior to standard Vietnamese domain names. We believe that it is this connection that will allow us to reach countless millions of new Vietnamese users with a depth and scope not yet achieved through the power of their native language. As VNNIC’s partner in the IDN project we will continue to dedicate ourselves to reaching all corners of Vietnam from the cities to the fields with the very best products and services.” Up until early this year, there were strict limitations on the allocation of .VN domain names. But on 10 January the regulations changed. To assist on their uptake, .VN domains are allocated to Vietnamese and foreign organisations and individuals on a first-come, first-served basis according to VNS report. The allocation of free .VN domains commenced on 28 April. To register your .VN domain name, check out Europe Registry here , although more information on .VN domains is available from dotVN here .

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but the latest .AT Report shows how registrars are a registry’s best friend. And nic.at has 430 official registrars that look after over 95 per cent of the .AT domain names with the remaining 4.6 per cent having their domains managed by the registry directly. Two-thirds (67% or 290) of the 430 registrars that can register a .AT domain name are located in Austria, 22 per cent in Germany although Germans register 37 per cent of .AT domains and 11 per cent in the rest of the world. Interestingly, when looking at domain names registered through registrars, 15 per cent of Austrians use a German registrar. Conversely, German clients account for just 2 per cent of Austrian registrars’ .AT customers. The top ten registrars show an even breakdown between Austrian- and German-based with five based in each country and accounting for two-thirds (65%) of all .AT registrations. However among the top ten, Austrian registrars accounted for 245,571 .AT registrations while German registrars accounted for 195,732 registrations. Overall there were 1,061,729 active .AT domains as of the end of June 1,068,007 active domains as of 24 August. Registrants also have a strong link with their registrars, keeping them busy, with .AT registrants interacting with their registrar around 2,000 times each day. Of these interactions in the first six months of 2011, 187,077 were for data changes, 62,047 were for transfers between registrars and 105,813 were for new registrations. When asked how important .AT domains were for them, a total of close to two-thirds (64%) of all registrars indicated that the .AT TLD had a high or very high priority for them. When asked “How many registries are you accredited with?” the reasons become clear. Almost 80 per cent offer a maximum of ten TLDs, and just ten per cent have secured accreditation with more than 25 registries. For the majority of respondents .AT was one of the main extensions used in their domain registration business. The move into the new world of potentially unlimited generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) moved a step closer in June when ICANN approved its applicant guidebook, with applications being accepted in a three month window from 12 January 2012. Registrars were optimistic about the introduction of new gTLDs in a survey by ECO, the German internet association, and nic.at, with Austrian registrars showing greater optimism than German ones. Overall 42 per cent of registrars saw new gTLDs having a good to very good chance of taking off while just over a third (34% for Austrian registrars, 36% for German registrars) being optimistic about the likely success of geographic gTLDs. There was even greater support for generic gTLDs being successful with 42 per cent of registrars in both countries believing they would succeed. Brand name gTLDs were viewed as being the least successful with around one in five (22% and 18%) thinking they would succeed, however the lack of optimism here might be because registrars would play a very limited, if any, role in their introduction. The latest .at report is available in German and English . To register your .AT domain name, check out Europe Registry here .

Melbourne IT’s half year results for the six months ending 30 June, released this week, show an 11 per cent year-on-year decreased in revenue to $87.6 million and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of $7.0 million, down 30% year-on-year. But the organisation predicts brighter days ahead with 17 companies confirming they will apply for a new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) in 2012. It was a disappointing result for the internet-based technology services company, severely impacted by the high currency valuation of the Australian dollar, that assists more than 350,000 customers around the world, including domain name registration services. “We remain confident of a much improved second half. The domain name industry’s decision to allow companies to register a wave of new, high-value, Top Level Domains provides a significant opportunity for Melbourne IT DBS, and we also expect improved performances from our Enterprise Services (ES) and ForTheRecord (FTR) divisions,” Melbourne IT CEO and Managing Director, Theo Hnarakis said. Melbourne IT say 17 customers have already signed to apply for their gTLD when ICANN opens the three month application window on 12 January and that more than 230 expressions of interest from large companies have been received in relation to obtaining a ‘.brand’ domain. New customers added in the six months to 30 June included Virgin Enterprises Limited, The Body Shop Australia, Australian Red Cross and Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, and one or more of these companies could be included in the 17. In an interview with ZDNet , Hnarakis said “That [figure] doesn’t include all the other things we can charge for in the future.” “We believe that we can generate a reasonable amount of applications [for gTLDs] and I’ve indicated pricing is between $45,000 and $75,000. That doesn’t include management or any other activities. “Even a modest number of applications will bring a substantial impact.” Hnarkis, however, was playing full revenue forecasts for TLD sales close to his chest in his ZDNet interview, indicating only that they would be in the millions. “I don’t want to give you the absolute detail. We are in a competitive environment. We don’t want to be sharing this with our competitors,” he said. On the drop in earnings, Hnarakis said “Melbourne IT’s first half result was disappointing, being particularly severely impacted by the succession of post-float highs registered by the Australian Dollar in the past six months and continued soft conditions in the United States and Europe. On a constant currency basis using 2010 foreign exchange rates, revenues were down 6% to $92.1 million and deferred revenues down 4% to $52.1 million.” The full Melbourne IT announcement is available from: www.melbourneit.info/assets/announcements/Melbourne-IT-H111-Results-Release-230811.pdf

Dispute resolution procedures for .XXX domains has been unveiled, promising to make life difficult for cybersquatters, reports Domain Incite. The Rapid Evaluation Service, as it is known, is basically a souped-up version of the familiar UDRP that tilts the overall balance in favour of legitimate trademark holders, the report says. Further, the scheme is designed for companies or individuals who don’t want to be associated with .xxx domain names, and has the remedies to match. To read the detailed Domain Incite report, check out domainincite.com/icm-reveals-tough-xxx-cybersquatting-rules . Meanwhile, to register your .XXX domain name, check out America Registry here .

A Latin American law firm has established a division for policy advice and regulation of TLDs along with domain name issues and IP numbers in general. The practise was established by Iriarte & Asociados , based in Peru, but with wide connections throughout Latin America and the world more generally. Its principle, Erick Iriarte, has had a long engagement with domain names including being the General Manager of LACTLD (ccTLDs Association of Latin American), as well as a member of the Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum, a member of Team Accountability and Transparency Review of ICANN, web editor of LatinoamerICANN Project and consultant for several ccTLDs in LAC. This new division will focus on ccTLDs and gTLDs assist directly in both the development of policies, Delegation Dispute Resolution and relationship with governments, private sector and civil society. In the same way, this division will generate reports on international trends in the different areas related to TLDs (internet governance, intellectual property, dispute resolution, law enforcement, among other topics). This division arose from the experience in Project LatinoamerICANN , the experience of active participation of Alfa-Redi in regional areas and global Internet governance and professional experience in the field of intellectual property, particularly a special dispute resolution of domain names. One of the first challenges that this division will face is the process of new gTLDs to ICANN and its implications, especially in regard to intellectual property and trademark law. As new trends in the international dialogue on the ownership of domain names. The law firm Iriarte & Asociados is a group of lawyers specialising in the interrelation between law and the Information Society, being the areas of policy and regulatory framework for information society, our main strength, along with the so-called right of new technologies and intellectual property. More Information: web: www.iriartelaw.com email: contacto@iriartelaw.com twitter: @ ialaw

The latest Dashboard report from the Public Interest Registry shows the TLD continues rapid growth with an increase in active registrations of 10.1 per cent year on year, and four per cent or over 350,000, in the six months, to the end of June. The growth sees .ORG registrations total 9.2 million at the end of June with North America (63%) and the European Union (23%) accounting for the regions with the most registrations. In 2011, Italy and Japan entered the list of the top ten countries from where registrations originated. Other countries in the top ten are Germany, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Netherlands, Spain and China. In total 11 per cent of registrations come from the Asia pacific, two per cent from Latin America and the Caribbean one per cent from Africa. “Yet again, we’re seeing significant growth of the .ORG domain as web users worldwide continue to see the value in using a trusted, secure domain to educate, mobilize and empower their communities,” said Brian Cute, CEO of .ORG, The Public Interest Registry. “By June 2011, the .ORG domain reached 9.2 million domains under management, a monumental figure compared to the 3.9 million in 2005. These numbers are clear indicators that .ORG is well-positioned to take advantage of the Internet growth that we continue to see occur.” As part of its most recent Dashboard report, the Public Interest Registry commissioned research on the health and status of traditional websites versus corporate social media. The study indicated that 81 per cent of web surfers still chose an organisation’s website – over Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn – as the most trustworthy place to find information. Moreover, almost half of all respondents – 47 per cent – would choose .ORG over other domain extensions to post information on a cause they are passionate about. And during a time of crisis, 39 per cent of Americans turn to a .ORG website for information first. As predicted when asked which word people most commonly associate with the .ORG domain, the most common response was “non profits” with 52 per cent of responses. Other responses were: 12 per cent associate .ORG with “trusted” 4 per cent associate .ORG with “exclusive” 21 per cent associate .ORG with all of the above 9 per cent associate it with none of the above. To download the full report, see: pir.org/pdf/dashboard_1H_2011.pdf To register your .ORG domain name, check out America Registry here .