Eligible applicants will have six months to apply for priority status 4 min read
Further to our last update, new .au direct domain names (eg 'allens.au' instead of 'allens.com.au') have officially launched today. Eligible applicants will have a six month window to apply for priority status to register a .au direct domain name that matches their existing .au domain name, before registration becomes open to the general public from 20 September 2022.
What action can be taken now?
All businesses with an existing .au domain name (eg a .com.au or .net.au domain name) should consider applying for priority status to register the matching .au direct domain name as soon as possible, before the end of the six month priority window. Even if there is no intention to use the new .au direct domain name, a defensive registration will be useful to prevent third parties from securing the same .au direct domain name after expiry of the priority period.
Who has priority?
You can use auDA's priority status tool to check:
- what existing domain names are matches for a new .au direct domain name;
- whether an existing domain name falls in Priority Category 1 (ie registered on or before 4 February 2018) or Priority Category 2 (ie registered after 4 February 2018); and
- whether any applications have been made for a new .au direct domain name.
Existing domain names in Priority Category 1 will have priority over those in Priority Category 2.
If there is more than one existing domain name in Priority Category 1 which are owned by different registrants, all of them will need to agree as to who will be entitled to register the matching .au direct domain name. Until such agreement is reached, the new domain name will not be allocated to anyone. If a registrant has more than one relevant existing domain name in Priority Category 1, it must apply for the matching .au direct domain name on the basis of only one of them, and submit a form to 'decline to apply' on the basis of any of the others, otherwise it will end up in an automatic dispute process with itself and the new domain name will not be allocated.
If there is more than one domain name in Priority Category 2, the domain name which has the earliest registration date will have priority.
Contact us
If you have any questions or would like any assistance relating to the new .au direct domain names regime, please get in touch with our team.