The long anticipated announcement of the release of .AU direct registrations from auDA came on 19 August 2021. In common with the third-level extensions, .AU domain names will only be available to those with a “verified Australian presence”, such as Australian businesses, associations, government entities, individuals or the holders of exact match Australian trademarks. auDA has recently tightened up the licensing rules with regard to eligibility (see our article on this topic in the September 2020 issue of Anchovy News) and intensified compliance checks, so registrants would do well to ensure that they meet the requirements before applying.
auDA CEO, Rosemary Sinclair said of the .AU launch,
“I am delighted to announce .au direct will be available from March 2022, providing consumers the opportunity to licence shorter, eye-catching names and bringing Australia in line with most other country code Top Level Domains including the United Kingdom (.uk), Canada (.ca), the USA (.us) and New Zealand (.nz).”
There will be a Priority Allocation period for .AU running between 24 March and 24 September 2022 during which time the holders of existing third-level domain names will be able to apply for Priority Status for their domain names.
The Priority Allocation process will also set the rules for cases where more than one applicant seeks to register the same domain name. The licence for such domain names will be allocated according to “priority categories”, which are determined by:
- the existing domain name creation date; and
- the Priority cut-off date of 4 February 2018, as outlined in auDA’s Priority Allocation Process.
Conflicts related to Priority Allocation will be resolved by direct negotiation between the relevant applicants. auDA’s complaints process under the .au Licensing Rules and the .au Dispute Resolution Process (auDRP) will also be available to parties.
The registrants of existing third-level domain names will have six months from the launch to apply for Priority Status with an accredited registrar. In the event that the registrants do not apply within that period, the corresponding domain names will be made available for registration by the public.
In a Media Release on the launch, auDA stated:
“The trusted, reliable and uniquely Australian .au domain has been supporting Australians online for more than 35 years and the launch of .au direct is an exciting innovation, delivering enhanced opportunities for Australian Internet users.”
With the launch date set and the rules for the Priority Allocation period defined, domain name holders should review their portfolios with a view to identifying which of their existing Australian domain names they would like to secure in .AU. Should you require assistance in applying for a .AU domain name, please do not hesitate to contact David Taylor or Jane Seager.
