I’ve been nagging the IE Domain Registry about this policy for quite some time (see my rant here) and several months ago they started a consultation process with their resellers (there being no official registrars at the moment). It was all agreed in principle and was given plenty of coverage in the media. Unfortunately the coverage was a little premature, as the policy hadn’t been changed.
As of today, however, we now have a timeline for the policy change – think of it as a sunrise of sorts!
The IE domain registry issued a press release and documentation covering the new policy:
The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the managed registry
for Ireland’s
dot-ie domain names, today announced the relaxation of the rules for
registering personal dot-ie domain names for individuals. This policy
relaxation comes into effect following full consultation with the dot-ie
reseller community and industry organisations.
Registration of personal domains will be available
to individuals from Wednesday,
31st October, 2007. This follows a seven week notice
period, to allow time for sole traders, professionals, politicians, trademark
holders who have not already registered their .ie Internet address, to do so under
existing non-personal domain categories.
The introduction of personal dot-ie domain names is
a result of the increased popularity of social networking and
blogging sites and the increasing number of individuals who are coming online.
The registration of personal domain names will be open
to all individuals who can authenticate a claim to the domain name and who have
a real and substantive connection to the island of Ireland.
To authenticate a claim, a copy of an identification document is required, for
example an Irish utility bill or driving licence. The name on the document
supplied must match exactly the domain name applied for. This requirement
ensures that the status of Ireland’s
dot-ie namespace, as the world’s second safest country code top level domain,
is maintained and protected in the future. Applications will be
time-stamped to ensure fairness and transparency of the process.
Commenting on the
introduction of dot-ie personal domain names, Mr. David Curtin, Chief Executive
of the IE Domain Registry said, “The IEDR is pleased to
announce the relaxation of rules for personal dot-ie domain names. To maintain the integrity of the dot-ie domain
namespace, which has negligible levels of cyber squatting and cyber crime, applicants
will need to authenticate their claim by providing matching supporting documentation
such as an Irish passport or utility bill.
This limited registration
policy relaxation comes into effect following consultation with dot-ie
resellers. The introduction of personal domain names was first proposed to
internet service providers three years ago, but there was little interest due
to expected low levels of demand. Since then the broadband take-up and
popularity of social networking has created a desire for a personal presence on
the Internet, which in turn will have a positive effect on the level of demand
for personal dot-ie domain names. The IEDR has also significantly reduced its
prices, which have fallen by 50% since 2003 and introduced key system changes that
facilitate fast, automated and real time registration, which has reduced
resellers’ process costs.”
