There’s a newcomer on the horizon for Australian Domain Names.
The Australian Domain Administration (auDA) will be opening the .AU namespace for registration in July 2021. When you consider that there have been well over 3 million .com.au domain name registrations, a shorter (and quicker to type – especially on mobiles, which now account for over 50% of internet usage) .AU Australian domain name extension is a huge change to the Australian domain name landscape.
However, unlike the existing .com.au and .net.au extensions which require evidence of a business entity operating in Australia, the .au extension only requires the registrant to hold Australian residency. For this reason, Roobix urges that you consider protecting your brand name and IP, by registering your brand’s .AU domain name before, potentially, someone else does first.
Existing .com.au / .net.au domain owners should note that the release of the new .au domain extension will not affect their existing domain(s) in any way. As auDa recognises that existing .com.au / .net.au domain owners may wish to register the equivalent domain with the new .au extension, there will be a priority registration system in place for the new extension.
Priority statuses for registrants will be placed as:
Category 1: Where the existing registered domain name (e.g. mybrand.com.au) was created before the cut-off date (currently proposed to be 4 February 2018)
Category 2: Where the existing registered domain name was created between the cut-off date and prior to the .au commencement date
General Availability: When there is no existing registered .com.au / .net.au domain name, these will be available at the .au commencement date, and on a first come, first served basis.
Roobix understands the importance of protecting your brand, and the impact the new .au domain extension will have – so why not contact us today to discuss as we can help you secure your name under the new .au domain name extension.
Reference: the full Draft Rules for the new .AU domain namespace can be found here.
You can register your interest in your .au domain with us by emailing enquiries@roobix.com.au, or by calling 13 30 40.
