ccTLD Update – .EU domains, Brexit, and the launch of South Sudan’s TLD

Update on .EU domains and Brexit

Further to our newsflash on Wednesday 27 May 2020 regarding the Update on .EU domains and Brexit, EURid has just replaced their notice and the plan previously outlined is now on hold. They said:

“On 28 May 2020 EURid received a further communication from the European Commission about the measures to be implemented for new and existing registrations of UK registrants. Therefore, the plan we had published earlier this week is temporarily on hold. We thank you for your patience. We are liaising with the European Commission to provide you with an update in a timely manner.”

You can see the announcement here. We will monitor this closely and keep you advised of developments.

Launch of South Sudan’s TLD

The most recent ccTLD to be added to the root zone, .ss (South Sudan), has announced its launch on June 1, 2020. The schedule is as follows:

  • Sunrise: 1 June to 15 July
  • Landrush: 17 July to 17 August
  • Early Access Phase: 19 August to 29 August
  • General Availability (GA): 1 September

During Sunrise, only trade mark owners can apply for the domains. Trade mark owners will have to prove the right to register the domain during this period, for instance by providing a copy of the trade mark registration certificate. It seems that any trade mark is accepted, but we are clarifying further.

During the 30 day Landrush any applicant can apply for a domain before GA, but at a higher fee than the one in GA. If, during this period, there is more than one application an auction will be conducted to allocate the domain.

The domains can be registered under the following extensions:

  • .com.ss
  • .net.ss
  • .biz.ss
  • .me.ss

The regulations show that it will be an unrestricted TLD for the extensions mentioned; other extensions such as .org.ss, .edu.ss and .sch.ss are restricted. We are waiting for confirmation on the fees.

Should you wish to place an order, or require further information about .EU domains, Brexit, or the South Sudan TLD, please contact us or your Client Manager.