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Europeans line-up for `.eu'

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."
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