Explain .au registrations to me like I am 5

[helloworld]

Hey guys, it's been quite a while since my last post. I hope you are all doing well.

I manage a large number of domains on behalf of my clients and I am just trying to get my head around the .au registrations, I have been procrastinating.

This is what I know so far, I am trying to not fill my head with junk/spin.

*** .au registrations go live March 24 2022
***existing .com.au and .net.au variations will be unavailable to register to newcomers until pre-registration ends in September 2022
***end users wanting to pre register need to get a token ???
*** do I the seller need that token ?

 

[Bacon Farmer]

This might help but you might need to put the 5 year old through law school.

https://assets.auda.org.au/a/2022-01/auDA_au_direct_priority_allocation_process_dec21v3.pdf

 

[Bacon Farmer]

and https://www.auda.org.au/au-domain-names/au-direct/priority-allocation-process

 

[Erwin]

Have the application fees of all registrars for priority status been put forward to auDA or general public to view?

 

[OnlyDomains.com]

Hey guys, it's been quite a while since my last post. I hope you are all doing well.

I manage a large number of domains on behalf of my clients and I am just trying to get my head around the .au registrations, I have been procrastinating.

This is what I know so far, I am trying to not fill my head with junk/spin.

*** .au registrations go live March 24 2022
***existing .com.au and .net.au variations will be unavailable to register to newcomers until pre-registration ends in September 2022
***end users wanting to pre register need to get a token ???
*** do I the seller need that token ?

Heya helloworld,

Hope we can help with some of these:

*** .au registrations go live March 24 2022
Yes but you can also pre-order these

***existing .com.au and .net.au variations will be unavailable to register to newcomers until pre-registration ends in September 2022
They will be available for registration but existing 3rd level domain holders will get priority rights to these names until 20th Sept 2022. If they don't claim them by then, these names will become available on a first come first serve basis to everybody on 20th Sept.

***end users wanting to pre register need to get a token ???
No, you do not need a token to pre-register all .au domains.

If you are an existing 3rd level domain owner eg: helloworld.com.au and are preordering helloworld.au, you may be asked for a token for this. Auda will make these tokens available to registrants through a portal on the 23rd of March (a few hours before launch).
That said, if your 3rd level domain is already with us at onlydomains, you won't need to submit a token as registrars already have these tokens for domains under their management and can fetch them on your behalf.

*** do I the seller need that token ?
No, you do not.

The .au launch definitely has a lot of layers to it so we've tried to simplify some of it on https://www.onlydomains.com/blog/how-to-register-a-au-domain/. Hope it helps!

 

[trellian]

Can you advise what the terms are for the pre-order?

Are you checking if the name has Category 1 or Category 2 claims before accepting a pre-order of a .au as seems like a money grab when you know you will not likely fulfill such pre-orders....

What happens to orders that you do not fulfill, do you get a full refund and when and what is that process?

What happens if you have multiple pre-orders for the same domain from multiple clients? Who gets it, and if the 1st order, do you block others from making the same pre-order?


Lots of questions for buyers to beware till proper terms are clarified on their site.

 

[OnlyDomains.com]

Can you advise what the terms are for the pre-order?

Are you checking if the name has Category 1 or Category 2 claims before accepting a pre-order of a .au as seems like a money grab when you know you will not likely fulfill such pre-orders....

What happens to orders that you do not fulfill, do you get a full refund and when and what is that process?

What happens if you have multiple pre-orders for the same domain from multiple clients? Who gets it, and if the 1st order, do you block others from making the same pre-order?


Lots of questions for buyers to beware till proper terms are clarified on their site.

Hey trellian,

Are you checking if the name has Category 1 or Category 2 claims before accepting a pre-order of a .au as seems like a money grab when you know you will not likely fulfill such pre-orders....
Auda has made available a tool where customers can directly check the priority category they fall in: https://www.auda.org.au/tools/priority-status-tool. Through our purchase process, the customer needs to confirm if they already own the matching .au domain or not. Depending on their choice this is submitted as a fresh or a priority application.
https://www.auda.org.au/tools/priority-status-tool
There's also a chance that a category 1 applicant may not apply for the matching .au domain and the category 2 applicant claims the domain.

What happens to orders that you do not fulfill, do you get a full refund and when and what is that process?
The .au registry does not issue a refund for any order submitted in the priority status irrespective of its outcome - it's considered a processing fee, so we are not able to offer a refund on these. We will issue a refund for those that submit a fresh pre-order and do not get the domain. Our team is working out the refund process as we speak, we'll be happy to share more details when available.

What happens if you have multiple pre-orders for the same domain from multiple clients? Who gets it, and if the 1st order, do you block others from making the same pre-order?
The 1st customer pre-ordering the domain with us will get it unless someone has priority rights to the domain. We don't block the same pre-order as there are chances that a priority applicant may submit their order after a fresh pre-order has been submitted. We've also got an extensive list of FAQs to help users understand the details before pre-ordering their domain. Hope this helps!

Also, it's worth noting that the registry hasn't yet shared the reserved domain list. So if a domain is reserved at launch, none of the registrars will be able to register it.

 

[trellian]

I understand the whole process is complicated, the good news is that for most users that have the only Category 1 right, this will be easy, and these customers do not need to rush to pre-order as they have 6 months to secure their .au domain.

For those domains that are contested with multiple Category 1 rights, or if you have a Category 2 while someone else has a Category 1, ordering a pre-order is not recommended in our opinion. There are many scenarios placing a pre-order will be a total waste of money.

 

[Horshack]

My best domain names are all contested. I'm still trying to work out what is going to happen and how I actually let whoever it is in a higher place know that I might like to register the new extension.

 

[jamesau]

My best domain names are all contested. I'm still trying to work out what is going to happen and how I actually let whoever it is in a higher place know that I might like to register the new extension.

Strategy as far as I can tell is to wait until the final few days to submit an application so as not to give away your intent too early. You will also not waste any application fees as you can see if a higher priority applicant has applied.

As soon as a contestable application is lodged there will be marketing robots that go to work informing the competing domain owners.

 

[Horshack]

Can someone also tell me how it works if you are one of 2 competing Category 2 applicants but have the earliest creation date and so apparently receive the allocation. Do you have to contact the registry to inform them or is it automatically allocated?

 

[trellian]

You have to use your Token to register the domain which is then instantly allocated, which covers 1 year of domain registration.

If the 1st Category 2 holder does not apply for a Token but the 2nd one does, then in September you get the domain allocated to you and your registration starts from the date you ordered the Token.

 

[Horshack]

I've seen tokens mentioned previously but how do you get them. Is the username and password token automatically sent to all registrants that are eligible or do you have to apply somewhere?

 

[trellian]

Registrars received a list of tokens for all their domains names under management, so they can provide them to the respective clients.
Secondly there is a URL that will be made public shortly where domain registrants can request their token which is emailed to the registrants email address listed in the domain whois.