(openPR) - The country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .CO of Colombia is operated by a new registry called Cointernet (cointernet.co/) since February. Cointernet has released a detailed plan for the release of .CO second-level domains. Previously only third-level internet addresses with endings like .COM.CO or .NET.CO could be registered. Owners of such domains can now exclusively save their corresponding .CO domains beginning in March. At the end of June the registration of a .CO domain will be possible for everyone. Until that time trademark owners can register their .CO brand domains In two launch phases. The complete .CO introduction process is divided into five launch phases. Key-Systems offers its customers access to each of the launch phases for the registration of .CO domains.

Zweibrücken, 10-02-23. As done before in the implementation of several new TLDs, Key-Systems now offers its expertise to customers in the introduction of .CO. For example, within the .TEL domain sunrise in 2008, the success rate of the pre-registrations for Key-Systems' customers was 98 percent. As a registrar Key-Systems now also takes part in the introduction of the TLD .CO and offers its customers access to each of the launch phases for the registration of .CO domains. Internet users worldwide associate the top-level domain .CO with the terms “Company,” “Corporation” and “Commerce”. Furthermore, buzzwords like “Communities“, “Content“, “Connect“, “Communicate“ or “Collaborate“ can be added.

In the first phase of the .CO introduction called “Grandfathering“ (March 2010) registrants of existing third-level domains (registered before 08-07-30) with the unrestricted extensions .COM.CO, .NET.CO and .NOM.CO can apply for the corresponding domain names under .CO. In the “Sunrise A“ (April 2010), owners of Colombian trademarks can register those as a second-level domain. Other trademark owners get their registration opportunity in “Sunrise B“ (April – June 2010): Companies and organizations worldwide can then save their brands under .CO. If several registrants want to purchase the same domain within one of the two “Sunrise” phases, the domain will be auctioned.

Numerous companies and organizations present their trademarks on the Internet with .COM domain names. Domains under similar TLDs like .CO will presumably attract visitors, who actually wanted to access the corresponding web site with the ending .COM. This is caused by typos in the browser entry. For protecting the traffic on the .COM web site, it's recommended to protect the trademarks under .CO during one of the two “Sunrise“ phases. The same applies to memorable domain names under .COM, which do not match a brand. Owners of these can try to register their domain names with the ending .CO in the so-called “Landrush“. Also companies, which are present on the Latin American market and especially present in Colombia, should consider registering .CO domains in the “Landrush“ for encouraging their local presence.

During the “Landrush“ (June – July 2010) everyone interested may apply for a .CO domain. The registrations are collected – in case of multiple registration applications, a domain will be auctioned. Presumably in the third quarter 2010, .CO domains will be available to everybody following the “first-come, first-served“ principle. Key-Systems already accepts subscriptions for the “Landrush“ from March 1 on.

The domain registrar Key-Systems currently manages more than 2.6 million domains and is one of the 15 largest domain registrars worldwide according to domain info-portals like Registrarstats.com. The company with 45 employees has direct access to the registries of more than 200 domain endings like .DE or .COM.

About Key-Systems
Key-Systems GmbH located in Zweibrücken, Germany, was founded by Alexander Siffrin in 1998. The company has grown from an academic sideline to a successful international ICANN accredited registrar for internet addresses. Areas such as a fully automated reseller-system and web hosting completed the success story. Today with more than 2.6 million domains under its management, the company has reached a leading market position, selling domain names, web hosting and DNS services to customers all over the world. The latest product BrandShelter.com offers companies and institutions special services related to domain administration including services to get their own top-level domain (TLD) as this opportunity unfolds in the near future. As of May 2009, Key-Systems also has a US branch: Key-Systems USA, Inc. is located in Leesburg, Virginia.

Key-Systems GmbH
Dorothea Marx
Public Relations
Prager Ring 4-12
66482 Zweibrücken
Phone: +49 6332 79-1902
Fax: +49 6332 79-1851
eMail: dmarx@key-systems.net
Web: www.key-systems.net
twitter.com/Key_systems
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Key-Systems USA
Bonnie Wittenburg
Executive Vice President, US
604 S. King Street
Leesburg, Virginia 20175
USA
Phone: +1 703 574 3831
Fax: +1 201 596 1433
eMail: bwittenburg@key-systems.net
Web: www.key-systems.net