Dot EU is being introduced on a phased basis from 7th December 2005 in order to afford existing rights holders an opportunity to protect their names in advance of full and open registration. As an accredited .eu registrar, we can accept and queue applications for all launch phases including the April 7th Landrush. Our systems interface directly with the .eu registry servers and will dequeue pending applications within minutes of each phase starting.

The timetable for launch is:

The Sunrise I period which commenced on 7th December 2005 was a two month period when only public bodies and licensees or holders of national or community trademarks may apply for a .eu domain name. You may submit your application anytime during the following four months (including Sunrise II) however for the best chance of success we suggest that you submit your application as early as possible.

The Sunrise II period started on 7th February 2006 and allows any rights holders eligible in Sunrise I plus all other prior rights holders to apply for their names. This will consist mainly of registered company names plus all other business identifiers, trade names, unregistred marks and any other prior rights but only where they are protected under the laws of the individual member state.

The Landrush period begins on 7th April 2006. This is where registration is unrestricted and domains are allocated on a purely first-come first served basis. As competition for any remaining valuable names is expected to be especially intense, early application is essential. Once all the queued landrush applications have been processed, the registry will revert to normal operation where you can check for availability of your required domain name and register it online.

If you have rights to a name or mark AND you can prove these rights, then you can apply immediately under the Sunrise rules. If not, you may submit a queued application for the "Landrush" on April 7th.

Accredited registrars such as Irish Domains are allowed to take pre-registrations which are queued and presented to the registry at the start of each period. Pre-registration is a good idea to ensure that your application gets in as soon as possible, however, it is still possible that other registrars may have queued applications for identical domain names.

If you have rights to a particular name or mark that is protected under the law of an EU member state, then you can apply now during the sunrise period as indicated above. In this case, you will have to submit documentary evidence of your rights to the exact name being applied for.

The evidence must be sent directly by the applicant to the validation agent's office - details of this are contained in the EURid acknowledgement email that follows receipt of your application by the Registry. Supporting documentation must confirm to the .eu Sunrise Rules as defined on the EURid website and must be received by the registry validation agents within 40 days of your application. Documents should not be sent directly to Irish Domains Ltd.

If you are simply applying for a domain during the Landrush or subsequent open registration, then no evidence is required.

No. On the critical dates above, many registrars will be submitting large volumes of applications so there is no guarantee that yours will be received before any other competing application. Also, you will have to submit carefully prepared supporting documentation and it is possible (although costly) for other unsuccessful applicants to challenge your registration. That said, the earliest submitted properly formatted sunrise applications have the best chance of succeeding.

The application fee is not refundable once the application is received by EURid irrespective of whether or not the application succeeds, however applicants who fail to get their preferred domain during the sunrise period will be allowed apply for an alternative name during Landrush or open registration. Please note also that there is no guarantee that any particular Sunrise or Landrush application will be successful due to the possibility of competing applications, rejection by validation agents or dispute resolution procedures initiated by third parties.

The following links contain further information on .eu domain registration...

• EURid - The official .eu registry operator
• PWC Belgium- The Sunrise period validation agents
• ComReg- The Government validation point for Irish public bodies