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LAUNCH OF .ASIA TOP LEVEL DOMAIN
The highly anticipated .asia top-level domain is scheduled for launch. Similar to .eu for Europe, .asia is intended for the Pan-Asia and Asia-Pacific regions.
The first phase of the launch is the unique .asia Pioneer Domains Program, which offers an early opportunity to obtain .asia domain names. The Pioneer Domains Program has two main categories of Pioneers. A Community Pioneer may be awarded valuable generic or descriptive domain names, such as music.asia, movies.asia, beer.asia, or shopping.asia. For more information on becoming a Community Pioneer, click here. A Global Brand Pioneer has an early opportunity to obtain domain names that correspond to their well-known brand. Proactive trade mark owners who are concerned they may not secure their preferred domain name in the Sunrise auctions (described below) may consider this option if they have trade mark registrations in multiple countries and can show significant sales and advertising investment. For more information on becoming a Global Brand Pioneer, click here. The submission deadline to become a .asia Pioneer is August 31, 2007.
The next phases of the launch are the various Sunrise periods, including two Sunrise periods for trade mark holders. The .asia Registry has set the initial Sunrise Period for registered trade mark holders to begin October 9, 2007. Trade mark holders are expected to bid in an auction to obtain .asia domain names. The auction process is a novel approach. To participate in the auction, trade mark holders must have applied for registration of their mark in a Trade mark Office in a country listed in Annex A of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Standard ST.3. For more information regarding the Sunrise Auctions, please click here.
Foreign companies may register .asia domain names. However, to obtain registration, either the administrative, technical, billing or registrant contact must be a legal entity in the Asia, Australia and the Pacific region, as defined by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
To visit the official .asia website, click here.
Global Community Pioneers may obtain Generic or Descriptive Domain Names
music.asia … movies.asia … beer.asia … shopping.asia
The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2007.
Community Pioneers may apply for generic or descriptive words as .asia domain names. A prospective list of Community Pioneer domain names is click here.
A submission to become a Community Pioneer must outline:
- Business and Marketing Plan: describing the concept and proposed scheme for the .Asia domain, along with activities and ideas for promoting the domain;
- Operations and Financial Support: resources and support available for viability of the initiative and to execute on the proposed plans; and,
- Community and Social Considerations: commercial and social benefits to the community
If awarded a domain name, the Pioneer must pay a USD$10,000 "marketing commitment" deposit, in addition to the requirements above. The deposit will be refunded upon proof of $10,000 worth of marketing expenditures (excluding website development costs).
To visit the official .asia Community Pioneer page, please click here.
Protecting Your Trade mark By Being a Global Brand Pioneer
gmail.asia … prudential.asia …. iphone.asia
Proactive brand owners may apply for domain names that correspond to their well-established brands.
Deadline: August 31, 2007
In order to qualify as a Global Brand Pioneer, a brand owner must have or demonstrate:
- Trade mark registrations in multiple countries and/or regions, with at least one in Asia;
- Significant investment into the development and promotion of the corresponding brand online and offline; and,
- Substantial sales threshold in connection with goods and services associated with the mark.
If awarded a domain name, the Pioneer must pay a USD$10,000 "marketing commitment" deposit, in addition to the requirements above. The deposit will be refunded upon proof of $10,000 worth of marketing expenditures (excluding website development costs).
To visit the official .asia Global Brand Pioneer page, please click here.
The Sunrises on the Auction for Trade mark Owners
To participate in an auction for a .asia domain name, trade mark holders must have applied for registration of a trade mark that corresponds to the domain name in a Trade marks Office in a country listed in Annex A of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Standard ST.3 (PDF). Canadian and U.S. Trade Marks Offices are included.
To be eligible for the Sunrise period that begins October 9, 2007, trade mark owners must have applied for registration of the trade mark before March 16, 2004. The applicant must be able to demonstrate use of their mark in the jurisdiction in which it is registered.
There is a second Sunrise period that is set to begin November 13, 2007 for holders of registered marks and registered entity names that were applied for registration before December 6, 2006. Those trade mark holders that otherwise qualify for the Sunrise periods may also apply for domain names that contain their mark and a word from the Class description of the associated goods or services (according to the Nice Classification) in this Sunrise period.
To download the official .asia Sunrise PDF, please click here.
Dispute Resolution
There will be a resolution process available for trade mark holders to dispute third party registration of their marks as domain names. The Universal Dispute Resolution Policy has been adopted as the default governing policy. However, the .asia Registry is considering developing a local policy.
Despite the availability of the dispute resolution process, we recommend trade mark holders proactively register their trade marks as domain name on the .asia top-level domain.
First Come, First Serve & Go Live
It is anticipated that .asia domain names will be available for public purchase on a "first come, first serve" basis by February 2008, and .asia aims to go live March 2008.
For more information, please contact Catherine Lovrics at clovrics@bereskinparr.com or 416 957 1163.
Please note, some of the links in this bulletin are to external webpages of the .asia Registry, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers & the World Intellectual Property Organization. Please note that we do not monitor or control the content that appears on these sites and such content may change.
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