Alert 360 - UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt - Non-Latin Domain Names Accepted


In Alert No 344 November 2009, we commented on ICANN’s proposed introduction of internationalised domain names (IDNs) in non-Latin script.

At that point, countries wishing to be considered for IDN ccTLDs (country code Top-Level Domains) were asked to register their interest, with a view that successful fast-tracked applications would be launched during 2010.

On 5 May 2010, ICANN (the Internet Corporation on Assigned Names and Numbers) announced that the IDN ccTLD proposals filed on behalf of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had been accepted and that the underlying IDN ccTLDs could be progressed.

The IDN ccTLDs are:

Egypt: مصر (dotMISR)
Saudi Arabia: السعودية (dotAlSaudiah)
United Arab Emirates: امارات (dotEmarat)

To date, only the Saudi authorities have published information on the registration requirements for its IDN ccTLD.

At the time of writing, the UAE registry was still finalising its launch, but said that its website www.aeda.ae should be monitored for further information.

The Egyptian registry has yet to release information, other than the appointment of three registrars. Developments in Egypt should also be monitored.

Saudi Arabia IDN ccTLD: السعودية

As with other recent domain name launches, the registry in Saudi Arabia is launching with a Sunrise period for new applications.

The Sunrise period opens on 31 May 2010 and will close on 12 July 2010. During this period, Government or Official bodies can apply to register their required domain names. Holders of registered trade marks or trade names in Saudi Arabia may also apply, providing they are entitled to.

For brand owners to qualify to file, they must have a Saudi trade mark registration for their brand in Arabic. A registration in Latin characters (or other non-Arabic characters) will not be able to support a Sunrise filing.

Once the Sunrise period closes, there will be a general Landrush launch on 27 September 2010. At this date, any qualifying entity wishing to register a domain name in the Saudi IDN ccTLD may do so. However, in order to qualify for general registration, the applicant must meet with one of the following criteria:

- they are an entity physically located in Saudi Arabia;
- they are a Saudi national, with appropriate ID issued by the Ministry of Interior;
- they are a registered entity with a valid registration or licence issued by a pertinent authority in Saudi Arabia;
- they are the owner of a trade mark or trade name registered in Saudi Arabia.

If you currently hold Saudi trade mark registrations or trade name registrations for your brand in Arabic, then you will be able to consider registration of your Arabic domain name in the Saudi IDN ccTLD. If you do not yet own an Arabic Saudi trade mark or trade name, you will only be able to consider registration once the Landrush opens, assuming you meet one of the qualifying criteria.

Other developments

We still wait to hear whether the IDNs for the UAE and Egypt will launch with Sunrise periods and the qualifying requirements for applicants. It is highly likely that both will be launched with Sunrise periods. Furthermore, it is possible that the Egyptian IDN ccTLD may also have ownership restrictions in the same way that .com.eg does.

However, for the UAE IDN ccTLD, it is possible that the general registration requirements will be less onerous than those for Saudi, since the ‘.ae’ domain name does not have any ownership restrictions. It is expected that the UAE IDN ccTLD will follow suit.

In addition to the three countries listed, Jordan has also proposed an IDN ccTLD – الاردن (dotAlJordan). ICANN announced on 26 April that the Jordanian application had successfully passed the String Evaluation, the second part of the Fast Track process. The proposed Jordanian IDN ccTLD will now undergo the String Delegation process. This process is likely to take a few months to be completed and so interested parties are advised to monitor the ICANN website for further information regarding the launch of the Jordanian IDN ccTLD.