.eu Focuses On Quality During Transition Phase For Domain Industry

BRUSSELS - July 8, 2013 - PRLog -- Brussels, 8 July 2013 - Ahead of the introduction of the new generic TLDs later this year, EURid, the registry for the .eu top-level domain, remains focused on improving the quality of .eu, according to the registry’s Q1 2013 progress report, available today.

“For us the quality of the .eu brand remains key,” says EURid general manager Marc Van Wesemael. “As EURid has no stake in the any of the new gTLDS, the fees you pay for your .eu domain name will continue to be used completely to improve the service and quality of .eu, not to subsidise the startup of another top-level domain.”

With its focus on quality, EURid has for some time actively screened random selections of newly registered domain names, checking for malicious registrations that are sometimes used for phishing purposes.

In the first quarter of 2013, the registry increased its efforts to check the registrant data of .eu domain names on a continuous basis. If the data for a particular domain name is found to be incorrect or incomplete, the registrar in charge of the name is requested to update it accordingly. In this way, registrations are transparent and .eu registrants contactable and accountable.

Q1 in numbers
The number of new .eu registrations per day was 2% higher in Q1 2013 than the average number of new registrations during the six previous years since the domain’s launch, resulting in a year-on-year growth of 3.6%. Renewal rates remained strong at an average of 79%, somewhat higher than the industry average.

For more information on Q1 2013, download the full quarterly report at link.eurid.eu/reports.
About .eu and EURid
The .eu domain ranks among the largest top-level domains in the world, connecting 500 million people in 28 EU countries to one Internet identity. More than 3.5 million .eu names have been registered since the domain opened for registration in 2005. Many companies and brands use a .eu website as a practical solution to convey a clear European identity and their business ambitions, including Fairtrade International, Foot Locker, Louis Vuitton, the MAN Group, Microsoft Corporation, Orangina and Toyota.

EURid is the not-for-profit organisation that operates the .eu top-level domain, following a tender process and appointment by the European Commission. EURid works with over 750 accredited registrars and provides support in the 24 official EU languages. EURid is registered by the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which is an expression of EURid’s environmental commitment. EURid has its headquarters in Brussels (Belgium), and regional offices in Pisa (Italy), Prague (the Czech Republic) and Stockholm (Sweden). More information at: http://www.eurid.eu.  

For media information, please contact:
Email: press@eurid.eu     Press room: http://www.eurid.eu/en/about-us/press-room