The new ".asia" top level domain is to be launched from October 2007. The ".asia" domain is designed for use by individuals or organisations with a presence or interest in the Asia-Pacific community, covering over 70 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. To be eligible for a ".asia" domain, applicants must be registered within the Asia-Pacific region or be able to list an administrative contact who is registered in or is a citizen of a country in the Asia-Pacific region.
Competition for ".asia" domain names is expected to be intense, since use of ".asia" domain names could become a key means for organisations to effectively target their Asia-based clients. Organisations seeking to maximise their brand value in the Asian market should consider applying for ".asia" domain names to protect their brands from competitors, cyber squatters and counterfeiters.
".asia" domain names will be released to different groups of applicants through the following prioritised registration periods:
|
Phase |
Period |
Application Data Available |
|
1 |
9 October 2007 |
Government bodies |
|
2a |
9 October 2007 – |
Trade mark owners with registered trade marks applied for on or before 16 March 2004 |
|
2b |
13 November 2007 – |
Trade mark owners with registered trade marks applied for on or before 6 December 2006 |
|
2c |
13 November 2007 – |
Extended protection for registered marks combined with words taken from the class description of the relevant trade mark registration |
|
3 |
13 November 2007 – |
Companies, societies or other organisations registered in an Asia-Pacific country on or before 6 December 2006 |
Generally, applications will be dealt with in the order they are received. However, online auctions will be conducted for domain names applied for by multiple parties within the same registration period.
Trade mark owners or organisations with a presence in the Asia-Pacific market should consider applying for domain names during the initial registration stages.