Out-Law News 4 min. read

Buying a .biz or .info name: why, when, where, how


There is confusion over the new .biz and .info domain names. Applications can now be made for .biz domain names, and from next month, for .info names. But the names are not being allocated yet. Today is the last day for trade mark owners to stake an early claim to their .biz rights, but this claims service is arguably both complicated and of limited value. This article sets out the basics of both services.
OUT-LAW Update, 7th August, 2001: NeuLevel, the .biz registry, has today extended the deadline for the IP Claim Service until 4.59am GMT, 9th August, 2001. The date change is the latest of several in the rolling-out of the new domain names.

Where the names .biz and .info came from

For many years, internet domain names ending in .com, .org and .net have been available. Following many years of debate, seven new domain name extensions are being made available, the first of which are .biz and .info.

Should you buy .biz and .info names?

The new names will be attractive to those who missed out on a catchy .com name. Businesses have to decide now if or when to stake their claims for these new names. If you already use a .com or .co.uk name, you must decide whether you also want the new names. The most common reason to register them will be to stop anyone else getting them. For example, Lastminute.com’s Managing Director Helen Baker told Computing magazine (2nd August 2001), that the e-tail company sees no real business benefit in investing in new domain suffixes, but is doing so to protect its brand, “to make sure no one else is going to use them.”

You have to ask yourself how much this matters to you against the cost of taking the names – expected to be around $35 each for two years. The cost becomes more significant when you register every possible variation of a name or where you have multiple brands or company names.

Who can apply for a .biz name?

Anyone can now apply for a .biz name. The names are not actually “live” at this stage, so cannot be used with a web site. If more than one business claims the same .biz name at this stage, in most cases, one lucky applicant is chosen at random. The only exception is if one applicant staked a claim in the first phase – which means dispute resolution proceedings may follow. The names are expected to go live on 1st October. Although intended only for business purposes, anyone can register a .biz name, For more information on .biz names, see neulevel.com, the official registry.

Is it a lottery?

In the hope of securing a .biz name, some applicants file multiple applications, increasing their chances in a random draw. This triggered a lawsuit which has been raised in California against those selling .biz domain names, alleging that this method of sale amounts to an illegal lottery. NeuLevel, the official .biz registry, denies it is operating an illegal lottery under California law.

Where and when can I buy a .biz or .info name?

You can apply for a .biz now. You can apply for a .info name from 12th September. The full list of those registrars taking .biz applications now is available at this page of neulevel's site.

Among these are four UK registrars:

  • Netbenefit.com
  • Easyspace.com
  • TotalRegistrations
  • Virtual Internet

The full list of those registrars taking .info applications from next month is available on the site of afilias, the .info registry, at this page.

If you want to apply for a .biz name, you can submit your application via one of these sites. We tried using Netbenefit’s service to apply for out-law.biz. It was the second registrar we tried; on the first one we tried, it was impossible to find how to submit a .biz application. We decided against submitting a claim to the .biz IP Claim Service because we consider its advantages are minimal (see Confusing problems with .biz domain names, OUT-LAW News, 19/06/2001).

The application form, at this page of Netbenefit's site invited us to choose one of four packages. For £60 + VAT, we can get the “Standard Domain Application” which includes the application fee and 2 years’ registration fees - if successful. If the application is unsuccessful, there is a “full refund less £10 administration charge.”

Among the other options is, at £400 + VAT, the “Multiple Application Service” which includes 100 applications for the same domain (fees included) and 2 years’ registration. If this shot-gun application is unsuccessful, there is a refund of £160.

We opted for the basic service for out-law.biz, which came to £70.50. After payment, the site told us that “the selection process takes between 26th September and 30th September. We will find out if our application was successful "in due course."

Forms on the Netbenefit site implied that we could also register a .info name, which is not the case. Instead, the site is only inviting applications for the .info “sunrise period” for trade mark owners – which is not the same thing. The .info “sunrise period”, open until 27th August, is a similar system to the .biz IP Claim Service, described below. The application process does not open until 12th September – although different sites give different dates.

The IP Claim Service and the .biz deadline

The Intellectual Property (IP) Claim Service, was intended to give trade mark owners special protection before they even apply for their names. In fact, this stage of protection, which ends today, August 6th, offers little more protection than the rights already given to trade mark owners under other rules.

Trade mark owners were invited to pay $90 to stake their claims to a .biz name. An applicant must identify its trade mark, whether it’s a registered trade mark or what’s known as a common law trade mark – which could be the case for a business that has built a reputation in its name without registering the name as a trade mark. For every word or phrase a business wants to protect, it must pay $90. For a critical overview of the IP Claim Service, see the story referred to above, Confusing problems with .biz domain names, OUT-LAW News, 19/06/2001.

Applying for .info names

As mentioned, a “sunrise period” is open until 27th August. The application process for .info names is expected to open to all on 12th September. More information can be found at afilias.com. Under the sunrise period, trade mark owners can register the name they want. If there are several applications for the same .info name, a winner is chosen at random, although the rules favour early applicants. Again, there are procedures for challenging someone else’s application. After this 30 day period, there is a 15 day period for dispute resolution, after which, on September 12th, the names go on sale on a first come, first served basis. On September 19th, the .info names go live.

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