Domain Name News: “Portugal’s ccTLD gets “liberalized” and as a result .PT now open to everyone” plus 1 more

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Portugal’s ccTLD gets “liberalized” and as a result .PT now open to everyone Posted: 02 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT FCCN, the Portuguese registry operator of .PT domains earlier this year finalized and approved less restrictive requirements for registrations of the ccTLD domain name at the second level. During a special 2 month sunrise period (March through end of April) any business, organization or individual was able to register .PT domains using their already registered words or figurative trademarks in any jurisdiction worldwide and not just Portugal, as well as already owned/corresponding domain names in other top level domain extensions. The Foundation for National Scientific Computing (FCCN) announced a total of 17,513 new .PT domains registered in the sunrise period, two months after the original announcement of the liberalization plans. A total of 28,984 new domains were registered in the first week of May in which the liberalization came into effect. Any person or company was able to register a .PT domain without the need to have a registered trademark. Pedro Veiga, Chairman of FCCN said: “On May 1 we recorded 18,220 new domains, values greater than we anticipated and that, once again, show the desirability and relevance of this measure. From now on, we are aligned with the international standards in terms of domain registration, either in the field of ccTLD’s and of the gTLD’s as well. Now that ICANN has opened doors to the registration of new generic domain, ccTLD’s have to remain competitive and, if possible, take role of ex libris in each of the countries that they correspond. In this line, and by way of example, it makes sense that a Portuguese company has its domain under .pt”. As of May 1st 2012, domain name registrants were no longer required to submit any company documents and proof of a company name or trademark to register .PT domains which resulted in thousands of domains being registered by individuals living in Portugal, domain investors, etc. The latest move by the .PT registry operators was put in effect to remove all local contact requirements from the ccTLD domain, and to further open up the ccTLD to everyone. The month of May 2012 saw a total of 38,584 new registrations for the newly liberalized ccTLD. The number was more than that of January through April’s total’s combined. As of this writing, there are approximately 471,000 domains registered total under .com.pt, .pt, and the various other second level domains offered by the FCCN. To find a participating registrar that is offering .PT domain registrations you can visit the official registrars list at DNS.pt. Related posts: .CO ccTLD management open for tender Cyrillic ccTLD Launch Overshadowed by Legal Dispute IDN ccTLD Request From Yemen Successfully Passes String Evaluation China re-opens it’s ccTLD domain to individual registrations.. Finally! .ES Passes 1 Million Mark

Afilias joins Facebook as an “observer member” at GNI Posted: 02 Jun 2012 09:18 AM PDT Ireland based Afilias Limited, a global provider of registry services for top-level internet domains has announced that it is the first European company to gain observer status with the Global Network Initiative organization (GNI). The GNI is a multi-stakeholder initiative comprised of companies and other stakeholders in the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry that are committed to protecting and advancing online freedom of expression and privacy. Afilias currently provides various gTLD’s and ccTLD’s with global registry services and/or dns services. Their clients include  .info, .org, .mobi, .asia, .aero, .pro, .ag, .bz, .gi, .hn, .in, .lc, .me, .mn, .sc and .vc. The company is one of the world’s leading provider of internet infrastructure solutions. Desiree Miloshevic, Senior Public Policy and International Affairs Advisor at Afilias said: “We are delighted to join the Global Network Initiative as an observer member. At Afilias, we believe that GNI’s goals and principles, such as multi-stakeholder collaboration, freedom of expression and privacy, are integral to maintaining an open Internet ecosystem." Afilias is only the second company to gain observer status with GNI, following Facebook who became an observer a few weeks ago. The observer status lasts for one non-renewable 12 month term. Observers participate in dedicated policy and learning sessions organized by GNI, and engage with current GNI participants and staff which include Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. GNI Executive Director Susan Morgan said: "Gaining a European company with a global footprint and extensive expertise on the technical side of Internet governance as an observer of GNI is another important step in increasing the international reach of GNI, which is critically important as we work to develop a corporate standard on free expression and privacy" GNI Independent Chair Jermyn Brooks added: “GNI has grown substantially in the past year, adding new members and completing the first independent assessments of its founding companies, and the addition of Afilias as an observer builds on this success. We hope to see more international companies engage with GNI in the near future.” The current board of directors at GNI is composed of 8 representatives from companies, 4 from non-governmental organizations, 2 from the academic community, 2 from the investor community, and an independent Chair. Each board member may also designate an alternate board member from within its organization or constituency. The following organizations are all current participants of the Global Network Initiative according to their website. Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University Boston Common Asset Management Calvert Group Center for Democracy & Technology Centre for Internet & Society Centro de Estudios en Libertad de Expresión Church of Sweden Committee to Protect Journalists Domini Social Investments Electronic Frontier Foundation Evoca F&C Asset Management Folksam Google Inc. Human Rights First Human Rights in China Human Rights Watch Index on Censorship International Media Support Internews Microsoft Movements.org Rebecca MacKinnon, New America Foundation Research Center for Information Law, University of St. Gallen Trillium Asset Management University of California, Berkeley School of Information Websense World Press Freedom Committee Yahoo Afilias Limited is an Irish based company with it’s international headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. In addition Afilias maintains sales offices in London, England and Vancouver, Canada. Afilias also has a number of global wholly owned subsidiaries including: Afilias Canada Corp. which houses its operational facilities in Toronto, Ontario; Afilias USA Inc. which maintains administrative and operational offices in the U.S. near Philadelphia, PA; and Afilias India Pvt. Ltd which houses operational offices in New Delhi, India. About The Global Network Initiative (GNI) GNI was founded in 2008 and is a multi-stakeholder group of companies, civil society organizations (including human rights and press freedom groups), investors and academics, who have created a collaborative approach to protect and advance freedom of expression and privacy in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. GNI provides resources for ICT companies to help them address difficult issues related to freedom of expression and privacy that they may face anywhere in the world. GNI has created a framework of principles and a confidential, collaborative approach to working through challenges of corporate responsibility in the ICT sector. Related posts: Afilias Introduces Its New Managed DNS Service Afilias Offers .INFO Domains in Spanish Tucows Sells Stake in Afilias for $7.4 Million Afilias to Consider Proposals for Allocation of 1 & 2 Letter INFO Domains Afilias buys the .MOBI Registry for an Undisclosed Amount

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