Struggling for supremacy in the European domain
The EU is set to launch its own extension for web addresses-the .eu domain. This means that any company with its headquarters, administration or main office in the EU, organizations established in the EU or persons residing in the 25 member states can get their own web address ending in .eu.
The idea was first discussed in 1997 and by April 2002 the European Commission decided to pursue it as a way of developing e-commerce in Europe.
Belgian firm EURid was given license to set up the rules of attribution, which will be published in detail in the coming weeks. For the first four months, only some companies will be allowed to apply for domain names, particularly those that have registered trademarks, public bodies and organizations that deal with origin certifications, such as Champagne or Parma ham. After this 'sunrise period', the majority of domain names will be given out on a 'first come, first served' basis.
There is expected to be a major scramble for the coveted addresses, particularly those with a high commercial value, such as news.eu, business.eu, media.eu and sex.eu. Although these domain names are typically registered as .coms for a paltry fee of around E50 per year, their commercial value can run into the tens of millions.
When the .eu domain is launched later this year, some 500 million applications are expected. Any fees involved will be strictly governed by the actual costs, as the .eu regulations demand that the registry is a non-profit organization.
No web addresses have yet been allocated, but registering your .eu identity will be relatively straightforward.
Once a firm qualifies under the geographical criteria, it must choose a unique identity, which it then applies for via an accredited .eu registrar, a list of which will be announced soon.
A form is completed online and submitted and, once everything is an order, the new .eu identity is secured.
Currently, .com is the most common suffix on the web. It was originally designed to denote strictly commercial websites but this has since fallen by the wayside. The .eu domain is said to be stricter with its allocation criteria, and will only apply to those firms with a European identity.
The idea was first discussed in 1997 and by April 2002 the European Commission decided to pursue it as a way of developing e-commerce in Europe.
Belgian firm EURid was given license to set up the rules of attribution, which will be published in detail in the coming weeks. For the first four months, only some companies will be allowed to apply for domain names, particularly those that have registered trademarks, public bodies and organizations that deal with origin certifications, such as Champagne or Parma ham. After this 'sunrise period', the majority of domain names will be given out on a 'first come, first served' basis.
There is expected to be a major scramble for the coveted addresses, particularly those with a high commercial value, such as news.eu, business.eu, media.eu and sex.eu. Although these domain names are typically registered as .coms for a paltry fee of around E50 per year, their commercial value can run into the tens of millions.
When the .eu domain is launched later this year, some 500 million applications are expected. Any fees involved will be strictly governed by the actual costs, as the .eu regulations demand that the registry is a non-profit organization.
No web addresses have yet been allocated, but registering your .eu identity will be relatively straightforward.
Once a firm qualifies under the geographical criteria, it must choose a unique identity, which it then applies for via an accredited .eu registrar, a list of which will be announced soon.
A form is completed online and submitted and, once everything is an order, the new .eu identity is secured.
Currently, .com is the most common suffix on the web. It was originally designed to denote strictly commercial websites but this has since fallen by the wayside. The .eu domain is said to be stricter with its allocation criteria, and will only apply to those firms with a European identity.
