The auDA 2017 Policy Review Panel (PRP) has today released an issues paper on the potential implementation of direct registrations in Australia. The full announcement is on the auDA website.
Your comments are vital, so if you feel strongly one way or the other about how this could or should be done, you need to make a written submission on the issues paper. Deadline is the 10th November – but my advice is not to dilly dally! Get them in; and they will be posted on the auDA website (unless you specify confidentiality).
The Questions
1. What date should be chosen as the cut-off date for determining registrant eligibility for priority registration of the second level domain name, and why?
2. Should registrants of domain names at the fourth level within edu.au and gov.au be eligible for priority registration? If so, what rules should apply?
3. What process should be implemented to resolve competing claims to the same .au name and why? Should registrants whose claim is unsuccessful be given priority to register another second level domain name?
4. How much time should priority registrants have to exercise their right to register the matching second level name before it is made available to the public for registration?
5. Should certain names be reserved for future use as 2LDs? Please indicate which names and why they should be reserved as future 2LDs?
6. Are there names whose use is not prohibited at law that should be reserved?
7. Should names that are potentially confusing or misleading when registered at the second level be reserved (ie not available for registration)?
8. Should names that are a deliberate misspelling of the existing 2LDs be prohibited from being registered at the second level?
9. Should direct registration be implemented in .au using a staged process or concurrent reservation and open availability process, and why?
10. Should other registrants or rights holders be given priority during the landrush or reservation period to register a second level domain name (trademark owners)?
How To Make A Submission
You don’t have to comment on every single issue or question if you don’t want to – just comment on what’s important to you.
Submissions can be emailed to policy.review@auda.org.au ; or posted to:
Policy Review Panel
c/o .au Domain Administration Ltd
PO Box 18315
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
Remember there will be at least two public consultations. Submissions are what will sway the ultimate decision making process. Just remember what happened with Nominet!
My Disclaimer
♦ I am a member of this Panel, and have given my commitment as to the confidentiality of the process. Therefore, whilst you are welcome to make comments, I will not be doing so!
♦ Please note that there will be Minutes published of each PRP meeting. As this is an independent panel, these should be fairly prompt compared to what one normally expects with auDA!
Disclaimer
AuDA has an obligation to send this to every .au registrant with full facts,figures,what it means for existing registrants, what extra costs .au registrants may incur,how much auDA and the wholesales registry sub contractor will make from every additional .au registration,renewal,change of registrant fee.
This will be no more than a money grab by auda and registry
AUDA, WHERE IS THE DELOITTE REPORT???
Just convert all .com.au domains to .au
That would satisfy all issues bar supply side profits.
That would be a good solution for for Australian businesses & the community, just need to along period of time for people to change.
Obviously this idea would have no support with AUDA, registrars or the registry because there is no opportunity to double dip on renewal fees.
I have nothing against registries making a profit; I have a problem when a Not-For-Profit organisation like auDA earns more money from a domain registration than the registry that sold it.
We all know, auDA is the the Administrator of the .au DNS and endorsed by the Government. In order for this market to be well informed, sending an email about direct registrations to all registrants would not be consider spam or expensive. In doing so, auDA has fulfilled its obligation to include all Australians and can examine more closely a broader unbiased opinion about the conflicting views. After all, auDA only gets one shot at getting it right, there is no going back.
What is the reason behind this change, what are the benefits to the businesses and who is driving this change.
Has anyone done the analysis on what this is likely to cost vs whatever benefits it might have?
Update: AUDA is clearly angry at suggestions people should talk about the merits of .AU in their submissions and is now responding automatically to all responses with this, (I can confirm this is a completely different reponse to one week ago)
I would strongly suggest that people disregard AUDA’s advice and tell them exactly what you think of the of the .AU proposal. I choose to answer none of AUDA’s 12 questions because the merits of the proposal must be looked at rather than simply skipping to implementation.AUDA, where is the Deloitte report on .AU? Why won’t you publish it?