.ME Registration Rules


.Me Registrations: Now open !
EuroDNS is one of the first Registrars officially accredited by . doMEn, d.o.o, the .ME Registry to allow private individuals and companies to apply for .ME Domain names. To help all parties benefit from this great opportunity, EuroDNS is now accepting General Sunrise applications for .ME 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://Domain.me - aims to answer your questions on the topic and help you understand the process, including so-called Sunrise Period, more clearly.

Summary

1/ Schedule

  • General Sunrise: from May 6th to May 20th 2008
  • LandRush: from June 6th to June 26th 2008
  • Open Registration: from July 17th 2008

2/ Fees

  • Registration open to anyone: € 24 /year (2 years minimum, ex. VAT)
  • "Landrush Period", open to anyone but with potential auction: €48/year (2 years minimum, ex. VAT)
  • "General Sunrise", reserved to Trademark holders but with potential auction €175/year (5 years minimum ex. VAT)

3/ General Rules/

  • Except in Sunrise and Landrush, .Me Registrations are subject to the "First Come, First Served" principle.
  • .Me Registrations are available to companies and individuals of each category without any Geographic restriction
  • Getting and using .Me Domain Names is subject to specific conditions in addition to EuroDNS' Terms & Conditions. Registering one or more .Me Domain Name implies full acceptance of those Terms.

4/ Disputes

I. Generalities When should we start?

Now !
Even though actual applications cannot be submitted to .ME Registry, until May 6th (See DoMEn d.o.o's site for complementary information: http://domain.me) for the so-called "General Sunrise" Period reserved for holders of Trademarks - or before June 6th 2008 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 .ME Registry for handling, potential Auction, and validation.

General conditions to get '.ME' Domain names
  • To obtain a '.ME' Domain name from DoMEn d.o.o during the General Sunrise Period, the applicant (you!) must meet the criteria set-out by the Registry.
  • However there is no specific requirement to register a .ME domain name after the General 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 DoMEn d.o.o at http://www.domen.me/cms/site_files/dotME_Sunrise_Challenge_Rules.pdf

What is the annual cost for a '.ME' Domain name?

EuroDNS will charge its customers € 24 per year for each '.ME' domain name registered on their behalf through DoMEn d.o.o with a minimum term of 2 years (minimum registration period offered by the Registry outside of Sunrise Period).

II Specific Situations - "Sunrise" period for Trademark holders

1/ What is the Sunrise Period

In order to protect companies and private individuals from abusive registration of '.ME'. Domain names which would infringe on their Trademarks, DoMEn d.o.o created a period defined as "Sunrise" to enable holders of such rights to register the corresponding '.ME' 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.

2/ How to benefit from the Sunrise Period

a) Principle
The General Sunrise Period will last from May 6th to May 20th 2008.
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:

  • Their specific trademark at least 3 (three) characters long, in unaccented ASCII characters.
  • The Trademark or serial number from the Trademark Registry
  • The Trademark application date (when the TM has been submitted for Registration) as recorded by the Trademark Registry.
  • The Trademark registration date (when the TM has come into full force and effect) as recorded by the Trademark Registry.
  • The Country or Locality in which the Trademark has been registered.
b) Points to note
  • In order to be valid under the Sunrise, the Trademark cannot be shorter than three characters. In addition, only selected characters are available for the trademark: letters, numbers, spaces, punctuations and special characters (which must be omitted or replaced by hyphen). Accented and combined characters must be replaced by their equivalent base character.
  • The country in which the Trademark has been registered must be entered using the relevant Code (see http://www.domain.me/cms/site_files/dotME_IPR-cc-locality_field.txt).
  • When asked to specify a date for the Trademark, use the following format: YYYY-MM-DD (i.e.: October 9th 2007 gives « 2007-10-09 »)
  • In order to be considered as valid under the Sunrise, Trademarks must have been filled before June 28th, 2006.
  • 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, . DoMEn d.o.o may have to make a posteriori checks. In that case, you will have to forward the documentary evidence to EuroDNS which will then send it to DoMEn d.o.o

3/ Auction Process

The following policies apply to both Sunrise and Landrush applications unless otherwise indicated.
While the First Come First served principle will apply for Open Registration, DoMEn d.o.o 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 .ME Domain Name.

For more information, the complete and detailed Auction Process can be reached at: http://www.domain.me/index.php?page=21

4/ Disputes on a Sunrise Registration

Should you believe a Sunrise Registration is infringing on your legitimate rights, or that a .ME was wrongly awarded, you can initiate a Sunrise Dispute Process through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as described in the Sunrise Challenge Policy and Sunrise Challenge Rules.

III. Registering a .ME Domain Name

1/ General Principle

Go to the EuroDNS homepage - http://www.eurodns.com - and select ".ME Domain Name". Input the domain name you wish to Register and the Period for which you wish to get it: General Sunrise, Landrush.
The costs for the Registration will be displayed in your cart, including the applicable 2 or 5 years minimum 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 to DoMEn d.o.o, once the Registry opens for the submission of registrations.
This submission will be made as quickly as possible reflecting the access limitations applied by DoMEn d.o.o, and the sequence in which your paid application was accepted on our Website. The Auction process should then end of the applicable period. You will then be informed of the outcome of the Auction.

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 .ME identity on the Internet.

Yours sincerely,
The EuroDNS Management Team