The Coordination Center for ccTLD .RU Council has ruled to introduce amendments to the registration procedures of domain names in the sunrise with regard to mass media applicants. In compliance with the decision, it will be only those mass media which were registered prior to the date of the coming into effect of The Procedures on Sunrise Period for Domain Names Registration, that is to 12 May 2010 (i.e. not later than 11 May 2010) that will be eligible to submit applications for the sunrise registration period.
As a reminder, on 12 June 2010 ANO “Coordination Center for ccTLD .RU” received a note from the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Communication, Information Technology and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor). Having considered the memorandum, the CC has conducted consultations with the agencies concerned, which resulted in inscribing on the agenda of an extraordinary meeting of the CC Council of an item of introduction of amendments to domain names registration procedures in the sunrise period in ccTLD .РФ with regard to mass media.
A dramatic surge in the number of applications submitted to Roscomnadzor for registration of electronic periodical media, in particular, of those submitted in bundles by the same applicant and containing most commonly used and highly demanded words, evoked serious concerns.
The CC views its mission in safeguarding of the new Cyrillic segment of the Internet from dishonest individuals, including cyber squatters. The sunrise period for domain names registration has been organize specifically to this effect. It is essential to strike a due balance between protection of interests of scrupulous rightholders of intellectual property and trademarks and shielding the Internet from cyber squatters who buy up popular domain names (common words) for a subsequent reselling.
The problem has no model solution. All old-established domains have been developing gradually. That’s why the principle First come – First served has been traditionally used for the domain names registration. In the event of launching the new Cyrillic national domain, a new principle has been adopted: to protect holders of rights for trademarks. Because of numerous requests by the community at-large, the list of potential applicants (by individual categories) has been expanded (including founders of mass media).
The CC has its policies based on the effective RF regulations and registration procedures (those for trademarks, legal entities, brand names, and mass media, among others). However, developed for the everyday life, the regulations are not always capable to withstand a squall of applications, many of which bearing the signs of abuse .
In order to preclude the flow of unscrupulous registrations and, at the same time, to ensure priority rights for existing and scrupulous mass media, the CC Council has ruled to specify the mass media eligibility criteria with regard to submission of applications for the sunrise period of domain names registration in ccTLD .РФ.
The Council members have unanimously voted for the following decision:
- To amend the Procedures on sunrise period of domain names registration in ccTLD .РФ for individual categories of registrants as follows: to embody section 1.4.5 of the Procedures as follows:
“founders of mass media registered prior to 12 May 2010 following the procedure set forth by the law of the Russian Federation whose product is intended for dissemination in the entire territory of the Russian Federation.”
- To make amendments to the Procedures on sunrise period of domain names registration in ccTLD .РФ for individual categories of registrants effective as of 15 July 2010.
