What is .CO?
.CO is the country-code Top Level Domain for Colombia. Based on newly liberalized policies, established in consultation with the local Internet community, the new second level .CO domain is being marketed by the Colombian Registry as an "open-ccTLD" or "quasi- gtld".
Thanks to this re-opening, .CO is a now great alternative to the popular .COM extension. Associated globally with the words “COmpany,” “COrporation” and “COmmerce” .CO will allow registrants around the world to advertise a globally relevant business by holding and using a recognizable and credible domain name to build their businesses and brands.
To help all parties to benefit from this great opportunity, EuroDNS is now accepting Sunrise and Landrush applications for .CO Domain names. This document - which integrates EuroDNS' Terms & Conditions of Registration but does not wish to replace the Registry's official documentation available at http://www.cointernet.co/domain/policies-procedures - aims to answer your questions on the topic and help you understand the process, including so-called Sunrise Period, more clearly.
• Sunrise: from the 26th of April to June 10th, 2010 • LandRush: from the 21st of June 2010 to July 13th, 2010 • Open Registration: from July 20th, 2010
• Registration open to anyone: € 28/ year (ex. VAT) • Landrush Period, open to anyone: €260/year plus a €10 validation fee (ex. VAT) • "Sunrise", reserved to Trademark holders: €28/year plus a €260 validation fee (ex. VAT)
• Except in Sunrise and Landrush, .CO Registrations are subject to the “First Come, First Served” principle. • .CO Registrations are available to companies and individuals of each category without any Geographic restriction. • Getting and using .CO Domain Names is subject to specific conditions in addition to EuroDNS' Terms & Conditions. Registering one or more .CO Domain Name implies full acceptance of those Terms.
Disputes on Domain Names Registered during the Sunrise Period are subject to specific Rules established by the .CO Registry (http://www.cointernet.co/sites/default/files/documents/CO_Sunrise_Brochure%26FAQs.pdf)
Now !
Even though current applications cannot be submitted to .the .CO Registry, until April 26, 2010 (See .CO Internet S.A.S. site for complementary information: http://www.cointernet.co) for the so-called Sunrise Period reserved for holders of Trademarks – or before July 20th 2010 for applications opened to everyone else, you are advised to submit your applications as soon as possible: the date of your request alongside the related payment will determine the order in which EuroDNS will submit your application to .the .CO Registry for handling, potential Auction, and validation.
General conditions to get '.CO' Domain names
To obtain a .CO Domain name from .CO Internet S.A.S. during the Sunrise Period, the applicant (you!) must meet the criteria set-out by the Registry. However there is no specific requirement to register a .CO domain name after the Sunrise Period.
For the avoidance of doubt as well as for any aspect the Sunrise process not covered in this document, the Registrant or Holder agrees that he/she has read and understood the official Sunrise Policy Document provided by .CO Internet S.A.S. at: http://www.cointernet.co/domain/policies-procedures
What is the annual cost for a '.CO' Domain name?
EuroDNS will charge its customers € 28 per year for each .CO domain name registered on their behalf through .CO Internet S.A.S. with a minimum term of 1 year.
In order to protect companies and private individuals from abusive registration of .CO. Domain names which would infringe on their Trademarks, .CO Internet S.A.S. created a period defined as "Sunrise" to enable holders of such rights to register the corresponding .CO domain names on a priority basis. The "Sunrise" period is subject to a specific procedure and time restrictions, which will no longer apply for open registrations when the "Sunrise" period is over.
The Sunrise Period will last from April 26th to June 10th of 2010. In order to be protected under Sunrise, the Trademark has to be registered in any worldwide trademark office/registry. As a proof of such registration, Trademark holders must provide: • The name or description of the trademark on which the Sunrise application is based; • The country, region, locality wherein or the organization by whom the trademark has been registered ; • The registration number of the trademark; • The capacity of the Sunrise applicant (OWNER”, a “LICENSEE”, or an “ASSIGNEE)
• In order to be valid under the Sunrise, the Trademark must have been registered before July 30th of 2008.
• For registered trademarks that contain spaces between textual elements, the spaces may be omitted or replaced by a hyphen. The resulting text will be considered an acceptable match with the registered trademark. For example, for a registered trademark that contains the text “A B C D”, the domains: “A-B-C-D.co”, “ABCD.co”, “AB-CD.co”, etc.
• Punctuations and special characters in a registered trademark may also be omitted or replaced by hyphens. In the case of a sequence of punctuation or special characters, they may be eliminated or replaced by one or more hyphens. The resulting text will be considered an acceptable match with the registered trademark. For example “AB.co” will be considered an acceptable match for “A+B”, “A--B”, “A-B”; “A--B.co” will also be considered an acceptable match for “A==B”.
• Punctuations and special characters may also be spelled out in full utilizing LDH (Letter Digit Hyphen) characters with appropriate word(s) describing the character. For example, “A+B” can be written as “AandB.co” or “AplusB.co”. Both will be considered an acceptable match. The appropriateness of the replacement word will be determined by the Validation Agents with additional information sought from the Applicant should further clarification be required.
• Registered trademarks that contain elements beyond the LDH (Letter Digit Hyphen) repertoire as technically accepted by the DNS (without IDN provisions) may replace those characters with corresponding LDH characters for which the additional element is removed or for which the characters are decoupled. For example, characters such as “ä”, “é”, “ñ”, “ø” “æ” or “œ”, may be replaced by “a”, “e”, “n”, “o”, “ae” or “oe” respectively. The resulting text will be considered an acceptable match with the corresponding registered trademark.
• However, the following accented and combined characters commonly used in the Spanish language are permitted and do not have to be replaced, such as á é í ó ú ü and ñ.
• The country in which the Trademark has been registered must be entered using the relevant Code (see https://www.wipo.int/scit/en/standards/pdf/03-03-01.pdf).
• No documentary evidence will be asked of the Customer to support the Sunrise request, the accuracy of the data will be enough by itself in most cases. However, the Validation Agent may have to make a posteriori checks. In that case, you will be directly contacted by said Validation Agent through the email address you will have appointed for the Administrative Contact of your application.
Due to its specific level of protection, Sunrise Registration is subject to an increased price, directly determined by the Registry. This is why a non refundable € 260 validation fee will be charged.
While the First Come First served principle will apply for Open Registration, .CO Internet S.A.S. elected to allow for applicants to compete without being tied to mere timing. Using the Auction process, a Registrant whose information has been successfully pre-approved can bid for a particular Domain name. If the bid is successful, the Registrant will then be awarded the .CO Domain Name. For more information, the complete and detailed Auction Process can be downloaded on the .CO Registry website.
In case the Validation Agents determines that your Application does not meet the Sunrise requirements, you will be offered the possibility to file a request for reconsideration within 10 days of the publication of the .CO Registry’s decision by completing the form available at the following address: http://www.cointernet.co/sites/default/files/documents/CO-Reconsideration%20Request%20-Template-%202010_2.pdf.
Upon receipt of the reconsideration request and the corresponding fee, the Validation Agents will re-examine the Application, and notify you.
In order to allow companies and private individuals from all over the world to obtain the very the '.CO' domain name they want .CO Internet S.A.S. has established a specific period allowing any applicant to obtain his .CO domain(s) on a priority basis in exchange of a premium fee.
The Premium Period open on 21 June 2010 and close on 13 July 2010. There is no specific requirements to apply for a .CO domain name during this period. Registrations during Landrush are subject to the standard registration conditions reachable at : http://www.cointernet.co/domain/policies-procedures
Due to its early-bird status, Landrush Registration is subject to an increased price, directly determined by the Registry. This is why a yearly premium registration fee of € 260 will be charged on top of the non refundable €10 validation fee.
Go to the EuroDNS homepage - http://www.eurodns.com - and select ".CO Domain Name". Input the domain name you wish to Register and the Period for which you wish to get it: Sunrise, Landrush or Go-Live. The costs for the Registration will be displayed in your cart, including the applicable setup fee for the elected period. You can modify your request or go directly to payment of the complete sum displayed on the page. Once the payment has been processed, your request will be dated and recorded in our system and in your EuroDNS Customer account area. It will then be transmitted .CO Internet S.A.S., once the Registry opens for the submission of registrations. This submission will be made as quickly as possible reflecting the access limitations applied by .CO Internet S.A.S., and the sequence in which your paid application was accepted on our Website..
We at EuroDNS are committed to support you throughout this important process, bringing you the highest quality of service. Be sure we will help you to make the most of your .CO identity on the Internet.
Yours sincerely, The EuroDNS Management Team
All companies and private users are allowed to register .co domain without any restrictions.
