No sex.eu please, we're British

October 2004

UK companies may find it tricky to register generic .eu domain names during the sunrise period next year, but there is a way around it if you adopt the continental approach

When the .eu domain goes live, now expected to happen sometime late next year, it is likely that the generic domain names will be among the most hotly contested.

Sex.eu is a prime example, said experts on Wednesday, of a domain name that is likely to attract a large number of applications from people hoping to take advantage of different country rules.

EURid, the consortium of three European registries that has won the deal to operate the domain, is planning a four-month sunrise period to help organizations win .eu domains that correspond to their registered trademarks. EURid hopes to avoid the debacle that blighted the launch of the .info domain in 2001, where organizational problems meant the sunrise period was not properly implemented.