Shorter '.id' domain names introduced

The registry responsible for domain name registrations in Indonesia, PANDI, has announced that the registration of domain names directly under the ‘.id’ top-level domain name extension, such as ‘domain.id’, is now available. Previously, registrations were only available at the third level, for example under ‘.co.id’ or ‘.web.id’, and in both cases registrants either had to be based in Indonesia or be holders of registered Indonesian trademarks. 

The release of ‘.id’ domain names will be in three phases:

• Phase 1: sunrise period - this period runs for three months from January 20 2014 to April 17 2014. During this first phase, holders of Indonesian trademarks are eligible to apply for the corresponding term under the new ‘.id’ top-level domain name extension. The domain name being applied for will need to be an exact match of the trademark. Trademarks registered outside of Indonesia are not eligible. Should there be more than one application for the same domain name, an auction will be held between the competing applicants.
• Phase 2: grandfather period - this period will run from April 21 2014 to June 13 2014.  During this period, owners of active Indonesian domain names will be able to apply for the corresponding domain names under the new ‘.id’ domain name extension. For example, registrants of ‘domain.co.id’ or ‘domain.web.id’ will be able to apply for the corresponding ‘domain.id’ domain name. Should there be more than one application for the same domain name, an auction will be held between the competing applicants.
• Phase 3 - landrush period - this period will run from June 16 2014 to August 15 2014. During this period, the ‘.id’ domain names not registered during the sunrise and grandfather periods will be available for registration to Indonesian citizens and Indonesian institutions on a first-come, first-served basis.

On August 17 2014 Indonesia's Independence Day, top-level ‘.id’ domain names will be available to the Indonesian general public on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mr Andi Budimansyah, the Chairman of PANDI, has been quoted as saying that the top-level ‘.id’ domain name extension "has been long coveted by the people of Indonesia" and "we strongly support the public's demand".   

While the availability of domain names under the new ‘.id’ top-level domain name extension has the potential to overtake the ‘.co.id’ domain name extension in terms of popularity, it would appear that PANDI has no intention, at least for the moment, of liberalising Indonesian domain names completely and thus making them more easily available on an international level (an Indonesian trademark is still required for registrants outside of Indonesia, and a local Indonesian administrative contact is always required).

Increasing numbers of country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) registries have recently decided to allow registrations directly at the second level (see, eg, “Nominet set to release shorter '.uk' domain names” and “Registry considering whether to introduce domain names directly under '.nz'”). Presumably, the reason for this is partly linked to the potential release of over 1,000 new generic TLDs, thus giving consumers far more choice in future. As a result, many ccTLD registries are keen to remain competitive and attractive to domain name registrants, hence why they have decided to offer shorter registrations.

David Taylor and Tony Vitali, Hogan Lovells LLP, Paris