It was the last year soap opera: “ the rights on names” disappears progressively from .Fr! DomaiNews, who informed it regularly. It’s happy to begin 2004 pointed them the official standards in use from January 5, and that they are applied on the majority of trade marks.

Until now, if you want to register directly on .Fr, trade marks should be entirely in the index: after the society that have the trade mark “I sell domain names” only had the right on the name “jevendsdesnomsdedomaines.fr”iselldomainnames.fr. From now the justifying of the National Institute about Copy Right (INPI)- will be verified automatically by the Afnic on an electronic base of datum of ICIMarques- - the society will be able to register exactly a certain part in .fr, without having to evade the free field of K-Bis. In our example, then, the society will see itself with the automatically assignation of “nomdedomaine.fr” ( domainname.fr), if it is still available. This change will imply for sure the disappearing, in a certain time of the subcategory “Tm.Fr” reserved to those marks that can accede to .fr on the first level.

Even if this stage is important, “the right of French name” will last until May, 2004. Only after this, the whole entity or physical person “French or residents in France” will be able to pretend to register each chain of disposal characters in .Fr without relation with a mark or trade name. This new freedom should go with the reconnaissance by a “Nomination Letter” on procedures ad-hoc by Law suit Resolutions. More details in the press conference must celebrate by Afnic on January 20. Let’s see the continuation then! See www.afnic.fr

JCV & SB