A National, Benelux or Community trademark holder headquartered in the EU may apply for a .eu domain name based on their registered mark during either of the two Sunrise periods (commencing 7th December 2005, ending 6th April 2006). Applications may be queued with accredited registrars prior to and during this four month period, affording holders an early chance to protect their marks before open and unrestricted registration begins in April.

• Download and read the information leaflet (above).
• Download and complete the application form (above).
• Send completed application & payment by post or fax to Irish Domains

• Irish Domains submit your application to EURid
• You receive an acknowledgement from EURid
• You prepare your supporting documentation (see below)
• You download & sign EURid cover sheet
• You send cover sheet & docs to scanning centre (to arrive within 40 days)
• EURid checks applications in order of receipt of original application.
• If all is OK, EURid will accept your application and register the domain to you
  
• If there are no challenges to your registration, it activates after 40 days.

You can check the status of your application on www.whois.eu anytime.

It is recommended that where possible the trademark holder should be the applicant for the domain name that corresponds to their mark. However other organizations or individuals that are formally licensed by the holder to use a particular trade mark may apply to register the corresponding domain instead of the mark holder. In this case, there must be a formal licensing agreement between the holder (licensor) and the registrant (licensee). As part of the supporting documentation for the application, it will be necessary submit a License Declaration form signed by both parties. This form is downloadable from the registry website www.eurid.eu

Update: As of 1st February 2006, EURid and the EU Commision have decided to allow licensees to register .eu domain names furing both Sunrise periods, previously the rules were interpreted as allowing licensees only register during Sunrise I.

In general, .eu domain names may not be registered by an organization that does not have its registered office, central administration or principal place of business in an EU member state even if they hold a valid national or community trademark. However it is often possible for one of their EU based subsidiaries or branches to register the domain name instead by submitting a License Declaration form as outlined above (during Sunrise I only).

Supporting documentation is not required at time of application. However it must be received by the registry processing agents within 40 days of the acknowledgement of the application by EURid. Documents should not be sent to Irish Domains. The acknowledgement email will contain a link to download a cover page to accompany the documentation - this will contain the address to send the documents to. For trademark based applications, an extract from the trademark register or printout from an official online database will be deemed sufficient provided it shows clearly that the proposed registrant is in fact the holder of the trademark. The Sunrise rules do not clearly state what to do if the registrant address is different from that in the trademark register - we recommend that if possible you update the trademark register entry or else include a stamped copy of the CRO change of registered office form with your documentation.

The fee charged by Irish Domains for submitting each .eu Sunrise I or II application by a trademark holder or licensee is EUR 99 + VAT. This fee includes all registry processing fees and also includes the registration of the domain for 1 year if successful. This fee must accompany the application unless otherwise arranged.

The application fee is not refundable once the application is received by EURid irrespective of whether or not the application succeeds. 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. However if you fail to register your domain, a credit will be applied allowing you to register another .eu name during open registration.

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

• EURid - The official .eu registry operator
• PWC Belgium- The Sunrise period validation agents