Net 4 India to sell '.IN' domain names

BANGALORE: Net 4 India Ltd., a leading IP communications company, has been appointed as the registrar for '.IN' domain names by NIXI (National Internet Exchange of India). The company will be authorized to sell the in-country domain names from January 1, 2005. The applicants can apply for .IN domain name online through the company's Website www.net4india.co.in or www.net4domains.co.in.

As per the regulations, the applicants will be required to apply through an accredited registrar. The owners of registered Indian trademarks or service marks who wish to protect their trade names will be given first preference to apply for a .IN domain name. The regulatory body has provided a Sunrise Period of 21 days starting from January 1 - January 21, 2005, to the preferred applicants. In case the applicants are not able to book their .IN domain name in the specified period, the domain name will be made available to the general public. This may result in an organization losing on the in-country domain name on the World Wide Web.

Speaking on the occasion, Jasjit Sawhney, CEO, Net 4 India, said, "In today's global environment it has become imperative for companies to have a web presence. Countries like USA, China, Australia already have their country specific domain names. It is the right time for us to use '.IN' domain names to bring an international brand identity to the Indian companies."

In addition to the .IN domain name, Net 4 India plans to sell .IN extensions such as .CO.IN; .FIRM.IN; .GEN.IN; .NET.IN; .ORG.IN; .IND.IN. In India, there are around half a million trademarks registered with the registry of India, which positions Net 4 India well to extend their leadership position.

"We have a strong presence in 11 major cities which offers an opportunity to the applicants to apply directly to the registrar, instead of going through a long registration cycle," added Jasjit.