Posted on September 27, 2022
If you own a business, have ever Googled a business, or have ever used the internet – this update is for you.
As of 24 March 2022, Australian websites can now be created with the ending ‘.au’.
Why does this matter?
Besides being an interesting conversation starter, being aware of this change is more important than you might think.
As a business owner, there was a period in which all website owners could register their websites to the new ’.au’ via a priority process. That period is now ending.
What this means is that from 4 October 2022 anyone and everyone (who meets the eligibility criteria in the .au Licensing Rules) is now able to purchase any available website name ending in ‘.au’.
If you haven’t reserved your website name yet – then it is available, and any and every eligible person can register your website name. For example, if you had a business selling websites, and your website name was ‘website.com.au’, then that name is still taken (and still operational), but ‘website.au’ is available. And so, any other eligible person is able to register a website with your business name in it, but with a slightly different website ending.
Sound confusing? It could be for your customers.
As a customer this change means that you have to be more conscious of the links you are clicking. If you bank with Bank A, and you are used to clicking on ‘BankA.com.au’, but instead you click on ‘BankAcom.au’ or even ‘BankA.au’ – it may not be a legitimate website owned by Bank A (that is, if Bank A hasn’t registered their new name but rather someone else with fraudulent intentions has!).
What should you do?
- Register you domain name with an accredited registrar. auDA has a list of the businesses who are authorised to assist you with this;
- Be conscious of these changes when you are clicking on website links; and
- Consider telling your friends.
Our team at Scanlan Carroll Lawyers provide legal advice to clients every day, as we have been for over 30 years. If you are seeking assistance with your business – new or existing, please do not hesitate to contact our experienced team members on (03) 9853 0311. We would be happy to assist.
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