With the launch of ".eu" Internet domain names just weeks away, European companies are in a rush to register their names and ensure that prestigious brands can figure on their Web address. According to the European Commission, firms will be able to register their names of choice by early December and become part of "a real European identity in cyberspace."
"There are plenty of signs of interest," said Pierre Geoffroy, director of France's One2net which has around a thousand clients using the ".fr" domain name.
Pascal Muche of Proximedia, with around 8,500 clients in Belgium using the ".be" suffix, estimated that almost 25 percent of them would switch to ".eu".
The project dates back to the 1990s but has taken several years to realize. Once it comes into effect, those with product brands and public institutions will have a two-month "sunrise" period in which to register their names.
In the two months that follow, companies, non-brand names or even art works will be accepted. Individuals will have to wait until the second quarter of next year before trying to get access to their veritable European piece of the net.
Since June, Eurid, the consortium charged by the EU's executive arm to supervise the domain name until 2010, has accredited around 400 registry offices in several countries. For the most impatient, some of the offices are accepting pre-registrations for firms anxious to ensure their name of choice is not taken.
Nothing is assured however. There may be competition between the offices. If several companies, whether small or large, register the name "Hermes", there is little to guarantee that the "real" brand will be allocated "hermes.eu".
Eurid acknowledges that "we don't know what's going to happen. It will be the first among all those to have registered, even if it's only by a fraction of a second."
Those out of luck will find it a difficult pill to swallow, according to Benjamin Gevers from Gevers and Partners. However, he agrees with the first in, first served policy because "the company that is the oldest is not necessarily the biggest and vice-versa."
Eurid expects things to move quickly and does not rule out getting a million ".eu" registrations in the first year, given there are around 9 million users for ".de" in Germany.
"I think its going to be a big hit with big companies that have already taken steps to protect their brands," Geoffroy said, adding that small and medium-sized enterprises "do not appear convinced."
Eric Lantonnet, head of Namebay, said he thinks that firms without a ".com" domain will be "very tempted by `.eu' so they can present themselves as being part of a much bigger market."
In the long run, said Geoffroy, "the `.eu' name could become a competitor for `.com' because many companies involved in the export sector will want to look like a European player."
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS