Domain name registration procedure

AuthorPaulovics, Ivett
Pages37-59
STUDY ON EVALUATION OF PRACTICES FOR COMBATING SPECULATIVE AND ABUSIVE DOMAIN NAME
REGISTRATIONS
37
9. DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION PROCEDURE
This section will analyse the registration procedure of .eu domain names and compare it
with the pr ocedure of the identified ccTLDs with a view to f inding whether a simplification
is aimed at facilitating the registration of domain names is opportune, also to avoid
speculative and abusive registrations, in particular with regards to SMEs.
9.1 General overview of the .eu domain name
Rules and regulations
The regulatory framework of the .eu domain name is represented by the Regulations
mentioned in section 4 of the Study. The .eu domain name is also regulated by the .eu
Registry’s terms and conditions (Terms and Conditions)63 and the registration policy
(Registration Policy)64.
Number of registrations
According to EURid’s Q1 2020 Progress Report, issued on 5 May 2020, the total number
of the registrations amounted to 3.623.050 at the end of Q1 202065. The registrations in
such period increased from the end of Q4 2019 when they amounted to 3.606.31166. In
Q1 2020 190.011 new registrations were made. The average renewal rate during Q1 2020
was 80,7%. The top country for growth in the quarter was Portugal with 64,4%, followed
by Norway with 8,1% and Latvia with 6,5%.
Mission
EURid has stated that its mission is to create a trusted .eu space for the end-users in a
sustainable way through operational excellence, all the while offering outstanding quality
of service to its accredited registrars. Thus, in these past few years the focus has been
put on quality instead of quantity.
Eligibility criteria
The eligibility criteria for .eu domain name registration were recently amended by
Regulation (EU) 2019/517. As of 19 October 2019, the registration of .eu domain names
can be requested by any of the following:
An EU citizen, independently of the place of residence;
A natural person who is not an EU citizen and who is a resident of a Member
State;
An undertaking that is established in the EU;
An organisation that is established in the EU, without prejudice to the application
of national law.
Further to .eu (Latin script) and . (Cyrillic script), since 14 November 2019 it is possible
to register domain names under . (Greek script).
Reserved and blocked names
Pursuant to Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) No 733/2002 and Article 9 of Commission
Regulation (EC) No 874/2004, several domain names are reserved to the EU institutions
and bodies or the Member States (broadly-recognised names with regard to geographical
and/or geopolitical concepts affecting Member States’ political or territorial organisation).
63 https://eurid.eu/d/7556497/Terms_and_Conditions_EN.pdf
64 https://eurid.eu/d/7568041/Registration_Policy_EN.pdf
65 https://eurid.eu/media/filer_public/83/87/8387d2d7-1e16-4b30-ada4-6fa0e813df4f/quarterly_report_q12020.pdf
66 https://eurid.eu/media/filer_public/28/8c/288c7ed6-01ee-48f8-b6d8-1f118acf4a23/q4_2019.pdf
STUDY ON EVALUATION OF PRACTICES FOR COMBATING SPECULATIVE AND ABUSIVE DOMAIN NAME
REGISTRATIONS
38
Their list is published on EURid’s website.67 Moreover, a list of the blocked names is also
published on EURid’s website.68
Obligation to ensure correctness of the registration data
EURid shall ensure the correctness of the data that it receives and holds from registrar. In
this regard, EURid carries out verifications.
European Commission’s bi-annual report
The report from the Commission to the European Parliament and Council on the
implementation, functioning and effectiveness of the .eu Top-Level Domain from April
2017 to April 2019, dated 19 February 2020, has found that the .eu domain continues
functioning in an effective way, facilitating access to the Digital Single Market in a secure
and trustworthy way and allowing Europeans to display their European identity online.69
9.2 The .eu domain name registration procedure
Registrars
Domain names can only be registered with the .eu Registry through a registrar accredited
by the .eu Registry. Filing a request for domain name registration directly with the .eu
Registry is not allowed. Therefore, the accredited registrars, via contract with EURid70,
provide domain name registration services to the registrants. At the end of 2019, 715
registrars were accredited.71
Registration procedure
The registration procedure in a nutshell is as follows:
1. EURid accredits registrars;
2. Accredited registrars offer registration services to end users;
3. End users choose a registrar and check, directly or through the registrar, the
availability of the requested domain name;
4. End users register t he requested domain names on a “first come, first-served”
basis and accept the Terms and Conditions at the registration via the registrar and
the registrar technically registers the domain name with the .eu Registry.
Length of registration procedure
The domain name is registered in real time and the confirmation of the registration is
immediate.
Cost of registration
The cost of the .eu domain registration varies from registrar to registrar.
Accredited registrars set their own prices for registrations and related services. The
registration fee that a registrar pays to EURid is Euro 4. Registrars subscribing to the
“Reduction Scheme” pay a fee of Euro 1,75 per annum. T he Reduction Scheme is an
initiative that EURid started over six years ago to support new .eu registrations. At the
67 https://eurid.eu/media/filer_public/5f/a4/5fa47d77-9857-49c5-a698-
104ce71bc4e3/2018_reserveddomainleaflet_final.pdf; https://eurid.eu/media/filer_public/fe/7c/fe7c35a8-73a5-44a6-
8d11-531f3f960ad0/1654_2005_en_0.pdf; https://eurid.eu/media/filer_public/9a/51/9a51a8be-ba92-4c5c-a489-
873ef7183a1d/560_2009_en.pdf; https://eurid.eu/media/filer_public/99/cf/99cf38ca-47fd-4377-b36a-
3cb857bb8f07/560_2009_corr.pdf; https://eurid.eu/d/3913/List%20of%20Reserved%20Names.%20Merged.pdf
68 https://eurid.eu/en/register-a-eu-domain/rules-for-eu-domains/list-blocked-names/
69 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52020DC0063
70 https://eurid.eu/d/7583416/Registrar_agreement_en.pdf
71 https://eurid.eu/en/find-a-registrar/

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