.CO.NL Registrations: Now open !

EuroDNS is one of the first Registrars officially accredited by the .CO.NL Operator to allow private individuals and companies to apply for .CO.NL Domain names. This document - which integrates EuroDNS' Terms & Conditions of Registration but does not wish to replace the Operator's official documentation available at http://domain.CO.NL- aims to answer your questions on the topic and help you understand the process, including so-called Sunrise Period, more clearly.

Summary

1/ Schedule

• Grandfather: from November 18 of 2008 to January 15 of 2009
• Sunrise: from February 10 of 2009 to February 26 of 2009
• Landrush: from March 17 of 2009 to March 31 of 2009
• Open Registration: from April 15 of 2009

2/ Fees

• Landrush Period: € 18 on top of the usual Registration fee of € 14/ year (2 years minimum ex. VAT)
• "Sunrise Period", reserved to Trademark holders: €98 on top of the usual Registration fee of
  € 14/ year (2 years minimum ex. VAT)
• "Grandfather Period", reserved to .NL domain holders € 84 on top of the usual Registration fee of
  € 14/ year (2 years minimum ex. VAT)

3/ General Rules

• Except during the Grandfather period, every application will be processed according to the “First Come First Served” principle
• .CO.NL Registrations are available to companies and individuals without any Geographic restriction
• Getting and using .CO.NL Domain Names is subject to specific conditions in addition to EuroDNS' Terms & Conditions. Registering one or more .CO.NL Domain Name implies full acceptance of those Terms.

4/ Disputes

• Disputes on Domain Names Registered during the Sunrise and Grandfather Period are subject to specific Rules of Reconsideration established by .the .CO.NL Operator and Deloitte.
• Disputes on Domain Names Registered during the Landrush Period and the Open Registration are subject to ADR rules set in place by the Czech Arbitration Court (http://www.adr.eu/adr/adr_rules/index.php).

I. Generalities

General conditions to get 'CO.NL' Domain names

To obtain a 'CO.NL' Domain name from the CO.NL Operator during the Grandfather Period or the Sunrise Period, the applicant (you!) must meet the criteria set-out by the Operator. However there is no specific requirement to register a CO.NL domain name after the Sunrise Period. Please note: For the avoidance of doubt as well as for any aspect of 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 the Operator at http://domain.co.nl/en/sunrise-policy.html

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

EuroDNS will charge its customers €14 per year for each 'CO.NL' domain name registered on their behalf through the Operator.

II Specific Situations - "Grandfather" period for .NL domain names holders

1/ What is the Grandfather Period

In order to allow .NL domain name holder to protect their rights, the Operator has put in place a process whereby holders of a domain name registered in the .NL ccTLD are entitled to apply for the corresponding registration in .CO.NL within the Grandfather Period. The "Grandfather" period is subject to a specific procedure and time restrictions, which will no longer apply for open registrations when the "Grandfather" period is over.

2/ How to benefit from the Grandfather Period

The Grandfather Period will start at 09:00 am GMT on the 18th of November 2008 and close at 09:00 am GMT on the 15th of January 2009. In order to be protected under Grandfather, the .NL domain name has to be registered prior to the beginning of the Grandfather Period. As a proof of such registration, the .NL Domain Name holder must: Provide the .NL domain name he is holding including the .NL extension Apply for the exact same CO.NL domain name Use the same details as displayed in the .NL Registry whois Ensure that the Administrative Contact of .the NL domain name is reachable through the details provided in the .NL Registry whois

No documentary evidence will be asked of the Customer to support the Grandfather request, the accuracy of the data will be enough by itself in most cases. However the .CO.NL Operator 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 the .CO.NL Operator

4/ Costs

Due to its specific level of protection, Grandfather Registration is subject to an increased price, directly determined by the .CO.NL Operator. This is why a minimum two years registration is mandatory and a non refundable € 90 validation fee will be charged.

5/ Disputes on a Grandfather Registration

Should you believe a Grandfather Registration is infringing on your legitimate rights, or that a .CO.NL was wrongly awarded, you can initiate a Grandfather Reconsideration Process through the .CO.NL Operator as described in the Sunrise Policy.

III 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 'CO.NL'. Domain names which would infringe on their Trademarks, The CO.NL Operator created a period defined as "Sunrise" to enable holders of such rights to register the corresponding 'CO.NL' 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 Sunrise Period will start at 09:00 am GMT on the 10th of February 2009 and close at 09:00 am GMT on the 26th of February 2009.
In order to be protected under Sunrise, the Trademark has to be registered in any worldwide trademark office/Operator. As a proof of such registration, Trademark holders must provide: Their specific trademark at least 2 (two) characters long, in unaccented ASCII characters. The Trademark or serial number from the Trademark Operator
The Trademark registration date (when the TM has come into full force and effect) as recorded by the Trademark Operator.
The Country or Locality in which the Trademark has been registered.
The capacity of the Sunrise applicant (“OWNER”, or an “ASSIGNEE”).

b) Points to note

Inorder 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 (http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/scit/en/standards/pdf/03-03-01.pdf.) 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 ») 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, The CO.NL Operator 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 The CO.NL Operator

3/ Costs

Due to its premium character and the validation work implied, Sunrise Registration is subject to an increased price, directly determined by the .CO.NL Operator. This is why a minimum of two years registration is mandatory and a non refundable €120 validation fee will be charged.

4/ Disputes on a Sunrise Registration

Should you believe a Sunrise Registration is infringing on your legitimate rights, or that a .CO.NL was wrongly awarded, you can initiate a Sunrise Reconsideration Process through the .CO.NL Operator as described in the Sunrise Policy.

IV Specific Situations - "Landrush" open to anyone

1/ What is the Landrush Period

In order to allow companies and private individuals from all over the world to obtain the very .CO.NL domain name they want. The CO.NL Operator has established a specific period allowing any applicant to obtain its .CO.NL on a priority basis in exchange of a premium fee.

2/ How to benefit from the Landrush Period

The Landrush Period open at 2:00 pm GMT on the 17th of March 2009 and close at 2:00 pm GMT on the 31st of March 2009. 
There is no specific requirements to apply for a .CO.NL domain name during this period.
Registrations during Landrush are subject to the standard registration conditions reachable at : http://domain.co.nl/en/domain-name-charter.html

3/ Costs

Due to its premium character, Landrush Registration is subject to an increased price, directly determined by .the .CO.NL Operator. This is why a minimum of two years registration is mandatory and a non refundable €16 premium fee will be charged.

V. Registering a .CO.NL Domain Name

1/ General Principle

Go to the EuroDNS homepage and select ".CO.NL Domain Name".

Input the domain name you wish to Register and the Period for which you wish to get it: Grandfather, Sunrise, Landrush.
 The costs for the Registration will be displayed in your cart, including the applicable 2 years minimum.
 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 The CO.NL Operator, once the Operator opens for the submission of registrations.
 This submission will be made as quickly as possible reflecting the access limitations applied by The CO.NL Operator, and the sequence in which your paid application was accepted on our Website.

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 .CO.NL identity on the Internet.

Yours sincerely,
The EuroDNS Management Team