The Australian Domain Name Administrator (auDA) is changing the way in which expired and .au names drop from the registry.
The changes will come into effect on 18 April 2010 and we would recommend that all registrants of .au domain names familiarise themselves with the changes and take the appropriate steps to minimise the risks the changes may pose to their .au domain names.
The standard period for the registration of a .au domain name is two years. Upon the expiry date, which is automatically set at two years from the date of registration, the domain name licence period may be renewed for further two year periods.
Under both the current and the new policy, a .au domain name may be renewed at any time within 90 calendar days before the expiry date.
Where a domain name is not renewed on or before its expiry date, the domain name is removed from the DNS, which means it stops working on the internet. However, for 30 calendar days after the expiry date, it can be restored and renewed, and a third party is not able to register the domain name.
Under the old policy, if a .au domain name was not renewed within 30 calendar days after the expiry date, it was “purged” from the registry at some point during the next business day. Once “purged”, a domain name could be registered by a third party.
Under the new policy, if a .au domain name is not renewed, then the day before it is “purged”, it will be published on a “Domain Drop List”. Also, all “purges” will now occur daily at 1 pm AEST, including weekends and public holidays.
What this means is that third parties will have an easier way of monitoring which .au domain names have expired so that they themselves may register them as soon as they are “purged”. They will have a list to consult, and they will know the exact time a domain name on the list will be available for them to register.
If you have forgotten to renew a .au domain name, you will often be reminded when you receive a renewal notice from the registrar, or, if you have not received, or have ignored, the notice, when your website stops working because the domain name that points to it is removed from the DNS after the expiry date.
If, however, you hold a .au domain name that does not currently point to a website because it is a defensive or speculative registration, or intended for future use, and you have not received, or have ignored, a renewal notice, you may not be aware that the domain name has expired – you will not receive the stark reminder of a website that stops working.
To assist registrants with keeping track of their .au domain names, registrars will be able to offer a service allowing a registrant to change the expiry date of their .au domain name to a date that is less than two years from the date of registration (a service known as “domain sync”). A registrant with multiple domain names may wish to set a common expiry date for all its domain names, so it is easier to keep track of expiry dates.
To minimise the risk posed by the introduction of the Official Domain Drop List, you should consider the following:
- if you have multiple .au domain names, make use of a domain sync service; and
- keep your contact details up to date to ensure you receive renewal notices.
Careful domain name management is cost-effective and can avoid the inconvenience and uncertainty of having to take legal action to reclaim any lost domain names.
Please contact the authors if you require any assistance with your domain names.
Michael Sutton | Senior Associate
T +61 2 8233 9587
Scott Sloan | Partner
T +61 2 8233 9554
