IP Bite: BACK IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN - Australians urged to comment on plans to modernise the domain name space

The administrator of .au domain names (auDA) has recently closed public consultation on proposals to modernise the two-decade-old domain name administration and licensing system.

The proposals are outlined in the .au Licensing rules – consultation draft and are a response to the recommendations made in the Final Report on auDA Policy, which looked into the auDA's existing policies and implementation system.

Key proposals aim to protect consumers so they know who they are dealing with online, and seek to ensure fair trading and the protection of brands.  These proposals concentrate on issues such as who can have a domain name, what name they can have and what they can do with it.

The proposals also address the rules being developed for the new, shortened domain names (eg ashurst.au), which are anticipated to launch in 2020.

If the proposals are implemented, the changes have the potential to create a uniform licensing regime - consolidating and simplifying more than 30 different domain name licensing rules.  The public consultations follow discussions with governments, companies and other internet groups.  All feedback is now in the process of being considered by the auDA's board – so watch this (web)space.