A BBC report shows the value of getting your 'sunrise' domain name application in first, and that every second counts.
In the battle for polo.eu, Volkswagen beat off competition from Nestle (the mint with a hole) and Ralph Lauren to take the name, all three companies apparently applying within five minutes of each other.
The 'sunrise' period is an opportunity for those with established rights in brand names to register domains, but for trade marks like 'polo' where several brand owners each have registered the same word mark but for different goods and services, it is still a case of first come first served. Domain name registrar NetNames reports that in the case of over 44,000 .eu domain name applications filed within the sunrise period two or more applications have claimed rights in the same name.
The 'sunrise' period for .eu domains commenced in December and runs until 7 April, when .eu names become available for anyone to register.
Whilst many are skeptical about the value of yet another category of domain, for brand owners it is cheaper to register first, rather than be involved in a potentially expensive battle to recover the domain name through the relevant dispute resolution procedure if it is registered first by a third party.
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