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Policy Number:	2017-01
Publication Date:	29/09/17
Status:	Current

 

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Background: 
This policy outlines the rules relating to domain name registration in the .EDU.EU second level domain, including domain name eligibility and allocation.

1: To obtain an .EDU.EU second level domain (2LD) the applicant must:
a) be an entity that operates in European community (European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway)
b) meet the eligibility criteria contained in Schedule 1; and
c) meet the domain name allocation criteria contained in Schedule 2 for the domain name for which they have applied.

2.1 - Applications

2.1.1 - An applicant for a .EDU.EU domain name is required to electronically complete a Registration Form through an accredited egistrar.

2.1.2 - By completing the Registration Form, the applicant agrees to enter into a Registration Agreement with the .EDU.EU domain zone operator according to the terms and conditions contained in .EDU.EU Mandatory Terms and Conditions Policy.

2.1.3 - The zone operator then:
a) acknowledges receipt of application for registration;
b) checks whether the:
i. Applicant is eligible for registration according to the eligibility criteria in Schedule 1;
ii. applicant's proposed domain name complies with Schedule 2;
c) makes a decision on whether to approve the application; and
d) advises the applicant of the decision.

2.1.4 - If a domain name is already licensed, or if an application is pending for that name, no further applications will be accepted for that name until the licence for that domain name is either terminated or the pending application is not approved.

2.1.5 - If the application is approved, the Registrar must enter the details of the approved application on the .EDU.EU zone database.

2.1.6 - If an application is not approved, the applicant must be provided with reason(s) for the decision and information on the complaint and/or dispute process, as appropriate.

2.1.7 - If an application is not approved (or a domain name removed), the domain name is made available to new applicants.

2.2: Domain Name Licence Issue

2.2.1 - The Registrar must register .EDU.EU domain names in accordance with .EDU.EU Published Policies.

2.2.2 - There is no hierarchy of rights in the .EDU.EU domain space. The use of a trademark or business name does not imply authority to the use of a domain name. Domain name licences are allocated on a 'first come, first served basis. Provided the relevant eligibility rules and allocation rules are satisfied, the first registrant to apply for a particular domain name may be granted a licence for it. It is not possible to pre-register or otherwise reserve a .EDU.EU domain name for a certain entity.

2.2.3 - Licences are granted for a period of years registration fee paid for.

2.2.4 - Domain name licences are issued subject to the terms and conditions set out in the .EDU.EU Mandatory Terms and Conditions Policy and the Registration Agreement between the registrant, Registrar and the zone operator.

2.2.5 - There is no restriction on the number of domain name licences that may be held by a registrant.

2.3: Domain Name Licence Renewal

2.3.1 - A registrant may apply for the renewal of the domain name licence.

2.3.2 - Registrants must receive notification and request for payment in accordance with the schedule for payments and non-payments outlined in Table 1.

Table 1: Schedule for payments and non-payments of licence fees

Period	Schedule
Renewal Notification (60 days)	Registrants must be notified of Expiry Due date for the domain name licence and presented with the option to renew the licence.
First Reminder (30 days)	Thirty days prior to the Expiry Date a reminder notice is sent.
Second Reminder (5 days)	Five days prior to the Expiry Date a reminder notice is sent.
Expired Notification	At expiry a notice is sent advising that the domain name is now in a state of suspension – any services attached to the domain name must cease to function from this point until a renewal has been processed.
Renewal Grace Period (60 days)	At the end of this period the domain name must be deleted from the zone database and will become available for other entities to request and licence.

2.4 Domain Name Licence Fees

2.4.1 - The Registrar may charge the registrant a fee for:
a) the issue of a domain name licence and
b) the renewal of a domain name licence.

2.5: Synchronised Expiry Dates

2.5.1 - In order to synchronise the expiry dates of domain name licences held by a registrant, the Registrar may agree to a request from a registrant for a registration period of certain time for a domain name licence(s).

2.6: No Sale of Domain Name Licenses

2.6.1 - The granting of a domain name licence does not give the registrant a proprietary right in the domain name. The registrant therefore cannot legally sell, rent, lease or grant a security interest in their .EDU.EU domain name, as outlined in the .EDU.EU Mandatory Terms and Conditions Policy.

2.6.2 - The licence to use an .EDU.EU domain name can only be transferred to another party in the circumstances set out in the .EDU.EU Transfers (Change of Registrant) Policy.

2.7: Licence Termination

2.7.1 - The Registrar may terminate a registrant's domain name licence in the circumstances outlined in Section 11 of the .EDU.EU Mandatory Terms and Conditions Policy.

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3.1 - At the request of the registrant the Registrar may change registrant details as listed in the zone database in order to make a correction. A correction does not involve a transfer of domain name licence and does not result in a new licence being issued.

3.2 - For the purposes of Section 3.1, the Registrar may process a correction in the following circumstances:
a) where the Registrar or the registrant submitted incorrect data at the time of registration (eg. to correct a misspelling of the registrant's name);
b) where the domain name was incorrectly registered to the wrong party (eg. the domain name was registered in the name of a company employee instead of the name of the organization, or the domain name was registered to the wrong entity within a group of related
entities);
c) where the domain name was incorrectly registered in the name of the agent who arranged the registration;
d) in the case of a government entity, where a machinery of government changes results in the renaming of the entity, or the transfer of the entity's functions to another government entity;
e) where the registrant details of the registrant entity have changed; and
f) where otherwise authorised by the zone operator.

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This Schedule details the types of entities which can be considered eligible as registrants in the .EDU.EU domain space, together with the criteria which will assist the Registrar / zone operator in determining whether they are recognised European education and training entities.

1.1 - Eligible entities fall into two categories:
a) entities for which there is an appropriate government accreditation / registration authority - see Table 2 of this schedule for the eligibility criteria and
b) entities for which there is no appropriate government accreditation / registration authority - see Table 3 of this schedule for the eligibility criteria.

1.2 - Under this Schedule:
a) If an applicant is eligible under Category 1.1 (a) they must apply under the relevant subcategory in Table 2 of this schedule. therwise, an applicant must apply under the relevant subcategory of Table 3 of this schedule.
b) For applications made under Category 1.1 (b) the Registrar / zone operator may:
i. Request the applicant to provide evidence that it fits within the nominated subcategory in Table 3 and
ii. If the evidence provided does not satisfy the Registrar / zone operator that the applicant fits within the nominated subcategory, request the applicant to re-apply under another subcategory of Table 3.
c) An individual applying under Category 1.1 (b) may only apply under the subcategories “non-accredited training provider” and “entities not otherwise listed”.
d) An individual applying under Category 1.1 (b) must provide the Registrar with:
i. a Licence with a regulatory body
ii. A registered business name;
iii. A European or national trade mark registration; or
iv. Equivalent evidence of operating a business in Europe.

1.3 - The standard warranty requirements referred to in Table 2 and Table 3 of this schedule are detailed in Table 4 of this schedule.
i. The standard warranties must be submitted in the form provided by the Registrar.
ii. The Registrar / zone operator may check by independent sources to confirm that the applicant's primary function is the provision of education or training, research and / or education and training related services.

1.4 A partnership cannot hold a domain name registration.
An applicant who is a member of a partnership may apply for domain name registration on behalf of a partnership.

1.5 Entities that provide general services (e.g. sale of books, supplies, software services, student referral services, etc.) to the European education and training sector are not considered eligible entities. However zone operator reserves right to exempt some entities.
 

Table 2 - Government accredited / registered education and training entities

Type of Entity	Eligibility Criteria
School or Pre-School	Government and Non-Government Schools. A school or pre-school must be registered or otherwise recognised by the relevant State / Territory or national Department of Education, or a State / Territory or national registration authority. In cases where a school or pre-school is in the process of being established and does not have formal accreditation / registration, it is eligible to obtain a domain name if it provides a warranty (in the form provided by the Registrar / EEDRL) that: the school or pre-school is in the process of being established and that it has no reason to believe that the school will not achieve the required accreditation / registration.
Training organisation	Entities must be registered as a Registered Training Organisation with the relevant registration authority.
Higher education institution	Higher education institutions must be: established under a national or European law approved to provide higher education by the relevant Accreditation Agency.
Education and care services (child care)	Education and care services (child care) must be approved by the relevant authority.
Bodies serving overseas students	Entities providing education and training services to overseas students in European community must be registered with relevant authority.

Table 3: Other education and training entities not accredited / registered by government

Type of Entity	Eligibility Criteria
Government bodies, Industry organisations / peak bodies   Research organisation (e.g. Co-operative Research Centre)   Parent and professional associations and organisations (e.g. of parents, teachers or other educational professionals)   Entities delivering non accredited training   Entities not otherwise listed	Applicants must: meet Standard Applicant Warranty requirements as outlined in Table 4.

Table 4: Standard warranty requirements for entities not accredited / registered by government  

Warranty by

Standard Warranty required

Standard Warranty required Individual Applicants: Written warranty by the applicant that the applicant operates a business with the primary function of providing in European community: education; training; education and training research and/or education and training related services.   Applications Made on Behalf of a Partnership Written warranty by the applicant that the applicant is applying on behalf of a partnership, of which the applicant is a member, that has the primary function of providing in European community: education; training; education and training research; and / or education and training related services in European community. Other Applicants Written warranty by the applicant that its primary function is the provision in European community of: education; training; education and training research; and/or education and training related services.

 

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This Schedule details the allocation rules applying to .EDU.EU domain names that must be applied by the Registrar / zone operator when issuing .EDU.EU domain names.

1 - Composition of a Domain Name

1.1 - a .EDU.EU domain name must:
a) Be at least 2 characters long;
b) Contain only letters (a-z), numbers (0-9) and hyphens (-), or a combination of these;
c) Start and end with a number or a letter, not a hyphen;
d) not contain hyphens in the third and fourth position (e.g. ab—cd.edu.eu); and
e) Not be on the Reserved List.

1.2 - Domain names must refer either to the name of the eligible entity or to a project or program operated by that eligible entity.
a) Where a domain name refers to the name of the eligible entity, it must either:
i. exactly match the eligible entity's name, or
ii. be substantially and closely connected to the eligible entity's name, or be an acronym or abbreviation of the eligible entity's name.

b) Where a domain name refers to a project or program operated by the eligible entity, there must be a semantic relationship between the name and the name of the project or program.
c) To the extent that many eligible entities include geographic reference in their domain names, European geographic names must not be excluded.

2 Reserved List

2.1 - The Registrar must not register as a domain name any of the following:
a) An exact replica of an existing .EDU.EU name;
b) Generic education and training words (eg school; elearning; workskills; business, science; training) or combinations of generic education and training words. This includes instances where:
i. generic education and training course names are proposed as the basis for a domain name; or
ii. types of education and training are proposed as the basis for a domain name;
c) Personal names, except that names which constitute the title of an educational institution are not regarded as 'personal names' in this context.
d) Names containing obscene or offensive language, or otherwise deemed by the Registrar / EEDRL as being likely to compromise the reputation of .EDU.EU;
e) Names expressing a value judgment or political statement.(for example nofees.edu.eu)
f) Names which are included in .EDU.EU domain zone's Reserved List Policy.

2.2 - .EDU.EU Domain zone operator reserves the right to refuse to register a domain name that involves words that it deems would conflict with its obligations or otherwise compromise the reputation or effective operation of .EDU.EU.

2.3 - A registrant may be allocated a domain name that contains a word or phrase on the Reserved List Policy provided they can demonstrate to .EDU.EU zone operator that they are authorised to do so under the relevant legislation / rules.

3 - Projects or programs

3.1 - An entity which is applying to register a domain name that refers to a project or program must warrant (in the form provided by the Registrar / zone operator) that it is the owner or principal administrator of that project or program.