.SG CDN launch started with a trademark phase on 19 January 2010

Ascio 21.01.2010
Over the coming months Chinese Domain Names (CDNs) will continue to be introduced under new suffixes. They already exist via certain suffixes such as .com and .cn  the idea is to provide internet users in China and Chinese language users with easier access and utilization of the internet.

As previously announced on the Ascio portal, the SGNIC will now allow for the registration of Chinese Domain Names (CDNs). Ascio will offer the following stages:

- Trademark Owners Applications 19 January 2010 - 10 February 2010
- Sunrise: 25 March 2010 - 6 May 2010
- Go Live: 10 June 2010 onwards

Important information for Trade Mark holders:
If you are a Trade Mark holder and wish to register a Chinese Domain Name with .sg you will be required to do the following:
•    Provide a copy of the Trademark certificate (which will be checked).
•    The Trademark must be in the same Chinese characters of the domain being applied for (if the ASCII words are registered it will fail).
•    It must be an active trademark, not pending.

A qualifying trademark is a trademark which is:
1.    Registered in Singapore with the Intellectual Property of Singapore (IPOS) for the name sought to be registered as the CDN Represented in the characters intended for the CDN.
2.    Not a device mark or numeral mark combined with a device mark or composite mark.
3.    Does not contain punctuation marks or spaces.
4.    Valid and subsisting in Singapore as of the date of application for the CDN.

Registrations are available in all the domain name categories, namely .sg, .com.sg, .org.sg, .net.sg, .edu.sg, .gov.sg, .per.sg.
Applications during the first two phases will be batch-processed, there is no priority based on the order that the application is received. However, Go Live applications will be on a first-come-first-served basis. Each phase will require a Queue code to ensure each application falls within the correct phase.

Premium domains, which consist of 1 character CDN and purely numeric domains, are also now available for ordering. Please contact your Account Manager for pricing details.

All Registration rules for ASCII .SG domains apply for CDN applications as well. Please refer to the TLD Kit for further details www.portal.ascio.com (login required)