CO - Squatting minefield

.CO is the county code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) assigned to Colombia. Besides serving the function of a ccTLD. It is also a popular branding tool since the two letters CO are the recognizable abbreviations for Company, Commerce and Communications and of course a misspelling of COM.

Due to its popularity (over 500 000 registered domains) CO is becoming a target for squatting activities and we therefore recommend that trade mark owners, as a defensive measure, register CO domain names that match their COM domain names.

Contact domains@lexsynergy.com or go to www.lexsynergy.tel for more contact information.

Changes to Saudi (.sa) Regulations

SaudiNIC has published amended domain name regulations. The most important changes include:

• an administrative contact that must be a natural person, based in Saudi Arabia.
• the introduction of the second Top Level Domain .sa in addition to com.sa.
• a registrant must be one of the following:

1. An entity physically located in Saudi Arabia
2. A natural person, not underage, with a Saudi national identification card or equivalent document issued by the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia;
3. An entity with a registration or license issued by a pertinent authority in Saudi Arabia
4. An owner of a trademark or trade name that is registered in Saudi Arabia.

Email domains@lexsynergy.com for the amended regulations.

Sri Lanka Domain - .lk

The island country of Sri Lanka, located south east of India, seems to have trade mark owners at heart when it deals with domain names as explained by the following example.

The registration of lexsynergy.lk automatically blocks the registration of the following .lk extensions:

lexsynergy.com.lk
lexsynergy.org.lk
lexsynergy.edu.lk
lexsynergy.ngo.lk
lexsynergy.soc.lk
lexsynergy.web.lk
lexsynergy.ltd.lk
lexsynergy.assn.lk
lexsynergy.grp.lk
lexsynergy.hotel.lk

This approach limits the number of domain names a trade mark owner needs to register ultimately reducing the costs associated with domain name registrations and renewals.
GET ONE, GET ALL.

If you need assistance registering domain names in Sri Lanka email domains@lexsynergy.com.

Domain Name Recovery

The vast number of registered domain names has made it increasingly difficult to find suitable domain names, making purchasing a domain name from a third party a viable option.

Negotiating the purchase of a domain name requires a strategy that will ensure the domain name is acquired at the lowest possible cost. Once the purchase price is agreed, the next step is payment and then transfer through an escrow agent.

It is crucial to ensure the domain name has been transferred and not merely updated as a transfer implies a transfer of control, while an update is merely a change of information without transfer of control.

We have developed a specialised online domain name recovery control panel that allows our clients to recover domain names with the support of domain name negotiation and resolution experts.

Visit www.RegainYourDomain.com for more information or call +442081331319.

.co General Availability Stage Begins 20 July 2010

The .co General Availability Stage begins on 20 July 2010, 20:00 (CEST).
During this phase registrations will be open to the general public irrespective of location on a first-come, first-served basis.

Lexsynergy will be accepting pre-registration applications until July 19, 2010, 16:00 (CEST).

Cost: £39 per year

.CO Landrush Period Extended

The .co registry has announced the extension of the .co Landrush Period until 16 July 2010 at 12:00 pm EDT.

On 20 July 2010 .co domain names will become available for registration on a first come, first served basis.

We wonder whether the extension of this Landrush Period is intended for the benefit of the Internet community or the coffers of the .co registry.

Saudi Arabia IDN Sunrise Phase Ends

The Sunrise Period for Arabic domain names in Saudi Arabia ended today (12 July 2010). The next phase (Landrush) will start on Monday 27 September 2010.

During the Landrush Phase applications will be accepted from members of the general public on a first come, first served basis.

General Rules
The registrant must fall under one of the following categories:
1. An entity physically located in Saudi Arabia;
2. A natural person, not underage, with a Saudi national identification card or equivalent document issued by the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia;
3. An entity with a registration or license issued by a pertinent authority in Saudi Arabia;
4. An owner of a trade mark or trade name that is registered in Saudi Arabia.

The administrative contact should be a natural person based in Saudi Arabia.

Contact us at domains@lexsynergy.com or www.lexsynergy.tel for more information.