Spain releases .es TLD to the public
As from November 2005, new regulations will take effect that remove all restrictions on the registration of .es domain names by Spaniards and non-nationals (the latter need only state that they have interests in Spain).
The previous registration procedures were intended to prevent cybersquatting, but due to the stringent requirements only a very small number of trademarks were registered, barely 90,000!
Prior to the new regulations coming into effect, there will be a Sunrise Period from 6th September to 20th October 2005. During this time owners of valid trademark registrations in Spain can register the corresponding .es domain name. Valid trademarks are considered to be registered Spanish marks, Community trademarks and International trademarks which designate Spain.
Owners of trademarks in Spain are advised to take advantage of the Sunrise Period as a defensive measure to prevent the registration of their trademark as an .es domain name by a competitor or cybersquatter. A dispute resolution modelled on that of ICANN will be introduced, but will be some time before its effectiveness can be assessed.
For more information contact Gareth Price or Carin Burchell at BRANDED!
