If your business has a .com.au or .net.au domain name you should ACT NOW to secure the .au version of it because will currently have priority. However, after the 20th of September, anyone can register YOUR DOMAIN NAME with .au After the 20th anyone can legally register your domainname.au
Am I eligible for a new .au domain name?
- To be eligible you must have an “Australian presence”.
- If you already have a .au extension associated with a domain, you will have preference when registering the new .au extension associated with that domain. For example, if you already have “yourdomain.com.au” or “yourdomain.net.au”, you will have preference for “yourname.au”.
- If someone else also has an existing .au extension associated with the same domain as you, then there is a chance of a conflict. An example of this would be if you have “yourdomainname.com.au” and someone else has “yourdomainname.net.au”.
If someone registers your domain name .au they could benefit from all the goodwill you have built up in your brand.
What does an “Australian presence” mean regarding new .au domain names?
By being any one of the following:
- A Sole Trader, Partnership, Company, Charity, Association or Trust with a current ABN or ACN.
- A permanent Australian resident or citizen.
- You are a foreign business with an Australian trademark application or registration.
Conflict
If two or more eligible people apply to register for the same new .au, there will be a conflict. auDA, the governing body for .au domain names is finalising the conflict resolution process, but it looks likely that the two contesting parties will negotiate directly with each other to find the best resolution.
What are examples of existing .au domain extensions?
.com.au, .net.au, .org.au, asn.au, .id.au are the main domain extensions, but there are also domains available to government, educational and religious organisations like gov.au and edu. au, .nsw.gov.au, .vic.edu.au, catholic.edu.au etc.
How to apply
You will be able to apply for Priority Status via your registrar, or any other accredited registrar offering .au direct domain names, during the Priority Application Period.
There will be a fee for lodging an application and, like the prices of domain name registrations, this fee will vary between registrars.
You must ensure that you are eligible to hold the .au domain which forms the basis of your application. Your eligibility for your existing .au domain will be checked when you apply.
You will also need a priority token (or authorisation code) for your application to be accepted.
Once you lodge your Priority Status application you will be unable to update the registrant information associated with your existing domain name while your application is active. It is important to make sure it is up to date before you lodge your application.
MORE info: https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/au-direct/priority-allocation-process