Help us build an even safer .au domain

Q1.   com.au and net.au allocation rules

When you register a com.au or net.au domain name, there needs to be a connection between your business and the domain name.

These connections include the name of a product, brand, service or event associated with your company.

Known as allocation rules, these rules aim to protect consumers (you know who you’re dealing with) and ensure fair trading (you can’t pass yourself off as another brand).

Q2.   The public interest test

The growing importance of the .au domain to the Australian economy and government service delivery means that it is an attractive target for cybercrime and espionage

After consulting with government and relevant law enforcement agencies auDA has added new rules to ensure that requests to cancel or suspend a domain name are being handled in the public interest - a concern common to the public at large or a significant portion of the public.

Australia believes in an open and free internet and these requests can impact a person's right to use the internet and transact online.

Now, each request must be made by an enforcement or intelligence agency and must meet one of the following public interest objectives:

Q3.   Subdomains

Registrants can create sub-domains of their .au domain registration.

e.g. as the registrant of forexample.com.au you can create subdomain.forexample.com.au.

Currently when auDA is aware of a subdomain of a .au domain being used against the rules or unlawfully, auDA can only take action based on the eligibility of the registrant of the parent domain.

If they are eligible to hold it, auDA has no power to take any action to stop the use of the sub- domain.

The new rules ensure sub-domains must comply with the same rules as the .au domains they’re attached to, meaning auDA can suspend or cancel a domain when a sub-domain is in breach of the rules.

 e.g shoes.forexample.com.au is used for fraudulent activity, so auDA can cancel forexample.com.au

Q4.   Sub-leasing

Sub leasing of domain names is currently forbidden in .au except between related bodies corporate (e.g. where agents or subsidiaries of a head company wish to make use of a domain licence which is held in the name of the head company).

Sub leasing causes potential issues when it comes to:

Q5.   Internationalised Domain Names

The new rules allow for names in the following scripts to be registered at the second level:

The next two questions relate to the implementation of second level domain names.

Second level domain names are names registered directly before the dot in .au such as forexample.au or auda.au.

Second level domains are planned to be introduced as a new additional option for Australian registrants in 2020.

When second level domains launch registrants of existing .au domains will be given priority to apply for the exact match of their name at the second level.

e.g. Tina holds the licence for getyour.com.au and can apply for priority to register getyour.au

Q6.   The cut-off date for .au priority

When second level .au domain names launch, existing registrants will have six months to apply for priority to register the exact match of their existing .au domain at the second level.

e.g. Tina holds the licence for getyour.com.au and can apply for priority to register getyour.au

In a small number of instances there will be more than one eligible applicant for a second level name.

E.g. Tina holds the licence for getyour.com.au, Gene holds the licence for getyour.net.au, both can apply for priority to register getyour.au

In these cases, registrants of existing names created on before the “cut-off date” of 4 February 2018 are given priority over registrants whose names were created after.

The priority cut-off date aimed to mitigate situations of profiteering by parties registering third level domain names that would be attractive to buyers at the second level.

Factors influencing the choice of 4 February 2018 as the date were:

A cut-off date set too far in advance of the launch may adversely affect new businesses, especially those that are unaware that direct registration is coming. A cut of date set too close to the launch may significantly increase the pool of contested names.

Q7.   Lockdown model

Where there are multiple eligible applicants for a second level name whose existing names were created before the "cut-off date" (currently 4/2/2018), the matching second level name is only allocated at the agreement of the applicants. This is known as the “lockdown model”.

e.g.
Louise has getyour.com.au created on 10/10/2016
Tina has getyour.net.au, created on 04/01/2017

Both can apply for the second level name getyour.au, but need to agree between themselves who gets it.

If no agreement is reached, the second level name remains 'locked'. Applicants are required to maintain their application via a yearly renewal.

The second level name remains 'locked' until only one applicant remains in the process.

A key princple of the .au domain is that domains are available on a on a first come, first served basis.

The lockdown model attempts to protect the interests of existing registrants to maintain public confidence and trust in .au, but as a result may negatively affect new entrants to the .au domain.

Thank you!

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