ICANN Approves New Country-Code Domain for Russia
26 August 2009
ICANN, the Internet regulatory body that regulates domain names,
has approved a new Cyrillic country-code top-level domain (ccTLD)
for Russia: РФ.
РФ (pronounced "err eff") is the Cyrillic abbreviation for
"Russian Federation". Registration of an ".РФ" TLD must consist of
all-Cyrillic letters. Domain name registrations under this new TLD
are planned to begin this November. A four-month sunrise period
will give priority to owners of trademarks that are registered in
Russia, so that they may acquire the equivalent domain names in
Cyrillic. Registration will cost $285 US and its annual renewal
will cost only $18 US. Thereafter, registration will be on a
first-come, first-serve basis.
Franchisors who conduct business in Russia and have trademarks
registered in Russia may consider registering their
trademarks as Cyrillic domain names during the priority period,
which will most likely last until February or March 2010. It is
particularly important to take advantage of the priority period to
ensure that no third party will register and unfairly use an ".РФ"
domain name similar to a client's trademark.
For further information, please contact Chris Wormald or Mark Holah.