Archive for the 'France Domains .FR' Category

On September 10, France Domain Registry registered its 1,5 millionth .fr domain name. This domain was registered by a group of professional performers called Les Secoues du Vocal.

Its site, www.lessecouesduvocal.fr, draws back the curtain on the shows, singing lessons, workshops/ musical comedies etc. offered by these performers, who have decided to go for the .fr extension.

The main purpose of this company is organizing theatrical shows (mainly musical comedies), while also offering singing lessons, drama workshops and various musical creations jingles for adverts, music for films and events etc. In setting up this site, the founders were above all hoping to get their company better known and publicize their latest shows.

The .fr extension was a natural choice given that they are based in France, but also on account of how well known, effective and practical it is. As one of the co founders highlighted We decided that .fr was the right choice for us given our audience, which is mainly centered on the Haute Savoie region. Furthermore, our website is exclusively francophone”.

The .fr extension certainly seems to be on a roll, hitting the 100,000 mark in October 2002, the 500,000 mark in July 2006 and one million in January 2008. The .fr extension represents 80% of the net growth in the domain name market in France in 2008/2009, with a 25% increase in volume compared to 10% for the market as a whole.

This success can be readily explained by the simplicity, speed and affordability of registering .fr domain names. More than ever, .fr is the preferred extension for addressing a French audience in French.

When submitting a registration application, the holder of a domain name must designate “an administrative contact” and maintain this contact throughout the entire usage period of the domain name. This contact can be changed via the registrar. The administrative contact is, at the holder’s discretion, an individual or a corporate entity which may be external to the holder, for instance a registrar.

Second level domains can be broken down into:

• .tm.fr for holders of brands
• .asso.fr for associations
• .nom.fr for surnames
• .com.fr which is opened to any identified applicant, with no requirement to prove the requested name

Individuals or corporate entities in one of the following three categories can register a.fr first level domain name:

• Corporate entities whose headquarters are located in France or which have premises in France.
• Brand holders Individuals or corporate entities which hold a brand registered with the national institute of industrial property or which hold a registered community trademark or international brand targeted specifically at the French market and which can be identified from the ICIMARQUES (INPI) database.
• Individuals Adult individuals with an address in France.

Special rules within the .tm.fr second level descriptive domain

The .tm.fr extension is reserved for brand holders who wish to use their registered brand or part of the “brand field” as their domain name. The following proof is accepted by the Registry: a registration application approved by the INPI a final OHIM or WIPO certificate, provided that France appears as one of the countries affected by the registration With regard to .fr domain names created further to a registration application approved by the INPI, it is stipulated that:

• if the registration application for the brand sent to the INPI is rejected during the acceptance check and does not receive the status of “registered”, the Registry simply withdraws the domain name without notice and informs the registrar. The domain name then reverts to the public domain
• if the brand is not published in the BOPI (French official bulletin of industrial property) within the regulatory period of 6 (six) weeks by the INPI and does not obtain “published” status, the Registry blocks the domain name for a period of 30 (thirty) days. If the situation is not rectified or additional information provided, the domain name is withdrawn without notice or compensation and the registrar is informed
• if the brand has not been registered within the regulatory period of 6 (six)months by the INPI and does not obtain “registered” status, the Registry blocks the domain name for a period of 30 (thirty) days. If the situation is not rectified or additional information provided, the domain name is withdrawn without notice or compensation and the registrar is informed.

Choosing domain names

The applicant may select any term(s) of his/her choice as a domain name and bears sole responsibility for this choice. The applicant bears sole responsibility for checking the compliance of the requested domain name with the following (non exhaustive) list:

1. the terms must not appear in the list of “prohibited terms”
2. the terms must comply with syntax constraints
3. the terms must not infringe third party rights, in particular:
   • intellectual property (literary and artistic property and/or industrial property)
   • competitive rules and proper business conduct
   • the right to the last name, first name or alias of a person
4. the terms must not contravene public decency or order, and in particular must not include any word:
   • stipulated under the law of 29 July 1881 on the freedom of the press
   • likely to be detrimental to the physical, mental or moral development of minors.
5. the terms must not correspond with the name of a regional authority, as published by the INSEE, with the exception of holders of brands bearing this same name registered before 1985.

Principle of chronological processing of administrative acts

Administrative acts sent to the Registry by registrars are processed according to the “first come – first served” principle, in other words on the basis of the chronological order of receipt of applications. The technical installation of domain names takes place on the day on which the Registry processes the application, for administrative acts which are administratively and technically in line with the Registry naming charter.