DigitalBrandNews

dotMasr the Egyptian IDN registry announces sunrise for  مصر (.Egypt)

Beginning August 22, 2010 the Egyptian IDN registry will launch the Sunrise phase for مصر (.Egypt).  During Sunrise only applications from businesses and organizations will be issued domain names in Arabic.

Based on limited information there will be two Sunrise phases followed by a Landrush phase

Sunrise:
Applicants will be required to submit the following documentation during the first Sunrise:
1.  Commercial Registration Certificate in Egypt  or A copy of the certificate of registration of a valid trademark (Must be Arabic character Trademark)
2.  Legalized Power of Attorney

The registry posted that in the second Sunrise phase, only one of the documents will be required.  No time frame has been provided regarding the second phase.

Landrush (no date specified):
The current information is that anyone can apply for an Egyptian IDN during Landrush. The only documentation required will be a legalized power of attorney.  However, the policy committee has not finalized the details and these could change.
Timing for  امارات. (.EMARAT) posted by  .ae Domain Administration (aeDA)

aeDA has announced proposed dates for the four launch phases of the IDN امارات. (.EMARAT).  Other than the proposed timing, no other information has been provided at this time.

Phase 1 (Government Phase):       opened 30 May 2010
Phase 2 (Trademark Owners in the UAE and other GCC countries):   from 27 September 2010
Phase 3 (Exclusive and Special Names):      from 15 November 2010
Phase 4 (General Availability):       from 11 December  2010

Landrush for .co  has started and will extend from June 21 through July 13. All trademark restrictions have been removed, allowing anyone to apply for available .co names. Duplicate applications will be decided by auction.

Single character .co domain names have been getting significant attention.  Twitter acquired t.co and will be developing this as their proprietary domain name shortener.  Ten bidders initially participated in the auction for e.co which was ultimately sold for $81,000. 
 
There are still opportunities to apply for prime keyword domain names to create memorable URLs for   micro-sites and advertising opportunity.

The launch of .co began March 1 with a Grandfather phase followed by a Sunrise Local A phase for holders of trademarks registered in Colombia. The Sunrise Global B phase for global trademark holders begins April 26 and extends through June 10.

In addition to being common abbreviation for company and corporation, a .co domain name can help increase website traffic. Using proprietary typographical analysis our research indicates that on average a .co domain name can generate 7% of the traffic of the equivalent .com domain name. In many cases this will make it well worth the cost of adding a number of .co domains to your portfolio. The estimates are based on website averages for domain name type-in behavior and analysis of typographical errors.

Due to the resemblance to .com and other popular associations companies may need to consider securing their brand as a defensive registration since .co will become available to the general public in the landrush and general availability phases.

Companies interested in application for any phase can submit their domain name requests now and we’ll handle submission for the appropriate phase. For more information and terms and conditions, contact your client services manager.

Launch Details:

• Sunrise phase B: 26 April 2010 through 10 June 2010. Applicants must have an active trademark registered in a trademark office or registry that corresponds to a state or entity described in the WIPO Standard ST.3 code on or before 30 July 2008. Applications for domains with multiple qualified applicants will go to auction.
• Landrush phase: 21 June 2010 through 13 July 2010. During landrush, applications are open to the general public. Multiple applications for the same domain will go to auction.
• General availability: commences 20 July 2010. Domains will be available on a first-come first-serve basis.

The launch of .co began March 1 with a Grandfather phase for existing third level domain holders. This phase has ended and now begins the Sunrise periods for trademark holders. Sunrise phase A begins April 1 and extends through April 20.

In addition to “co” being common abbreviation for company and corporation, having a .co domain name can help increase website traffic. Using proprietary typographical analysis, our research indicates that on average a .co domain name can generate 7% of the traffic of the equivalent .com domain name. In many cases this will make it well worth the cost of adding a number of .co domains to your portfolio. The estimates are based on website averages for domain name type-in behavior and analysis of typographical errors.

Due to the resemblance to .com and other popular associations, companies may want to consider securing their brand as a defensive registration since .co will become available to the general public in the landrush and general availability phases. Companies interested in application for any phase can submit their domain name requests now and we’ll handle submission for the appropriate phase.