Do you own a .EU domain name?
Key Contact: Cordelia Payne
If you are a UK entity or resident, you need to act now.
.eu is the country code Top Level Domain for the European Union introduced in 2005 for entities or individuals based in the EU. With Brexit and the transition period coming to an end on 31st December 2020 signalling the final disunion between the UK and remaining EU27 member states, UK entities and individuals will not only no longer be able to apply for this type of domain name but their existing registrations shall be revoked.
Despite widespread criticism, the European Commission has given EURid, the registry that manages .eu Top Level Domain Names, the power to revoke .eu domain names where the proprietor does not meet new, post-Brexit, eligibility criteria which excludes UK undertakings and residents.
This means that hundreds of thousands of .eu domain names are now at risk of being withdrawn.
What can you do?
If you are connected with an entity or individual that will remain within the EU from 1st January 2021 and can transfer your domain name to them, you should do this before 31st December 2020 to maintain your registration.
If you are wholly UK based and cannot satisfy the new eligibility criteria for ownership, we suggest that you look to register a new domain name with the name but a different domain extension and re-direct traffic to it from your .eu domain whilst you can if only to re-educate customers and for SEO.
Should you have any queries about the matters raised in this article or any other queries as to your intellectual property rights, please do not hesitate to contact our IP Partner, Cordelia Payne cordelia.payne@acuitylaw.com.
