February 2010: New, more stringent regulations in place for new .CN registrations

The .CN registry (CNNIC) recently announced more stringent rules in place to register a .CN domain name. In addition to the online application, customers now need to submit the following no later than 5 calendar days after submitting the online application:

• The domain name registration application form (pdf), with an official business seal OR the signature of a representative from the business. IMPORTANT NOTE: The Admin contact ID, Technical contact ID, Payment contact ID and Representative (Registrant ID) on the hard copy application form MUST match the information provided in the fields during the online application for the domain name.
• A photocopy of a business license. Business license means the official document of the business, company or organization (such as company or organization registration).
• A photocopy of the applicant's personal ID. Acceptable personal ID may include copies of a driver's license, passport, resident card or ID

These documents must be submitted via email or fax no later than 5 calendar days after submitting the online application. Email the information to reaudit@cnnic.cn or fax to +86 10-58812666-2. An emailed PDF is the preferred method with a copy to Neustar Customer Service at Reg-Support@neustar.biz and to EnCirca at billing@encirca.com.

CNNIC can take up to 3 days to complete their audit of the submitted documentation. If an application is deleted due to supporting documentation not being provided or not passing audit, the name will have to be registered again and customers will need to re-submit all the appropriate and corrected supporting documentation again. If a .CN domain is deleted due to no documentation being provided, within the add grace period of five days, there is no registry fee, or the fee will be refunded.

At the current time, there is no way to track the status of an application. CNNIC is also currently unable to provide direct notification regarding the status of the application OR if an application does not pass CNNIC’s audit review. CNNIC expects to provide access to an online system to registrars sometime after mid-January, 2010.

New restrictions include:

• Overseas multi-national entities that have a China branch should to register a .CN or CNNIC managed CDN name through a CNNIC accredited oversea registrar.
  
  China Branch: means international companies, enterprises, and organizations established within mainland China (PRC), a wholly owned or share controlling entity: including a branch, a subsidiary or a representative office which is having the same "name" as the parent entity. The local entity must register with the relevant Chinese authorities. For example: IBM should use "IBM China" to register IBM.cn.
  
  Chinese employee: the person submitting the application on behalf of the registrant (the entity), must be a Chinese citizen and have a valid PRC personal ID.
  
  Note: the above do not include embassies, consulates, un-registered individual representatives, non-legal person organizations, and JV entities.
  
  
• Successful applications will subject to "serverhold" status if the name is not recorded in China's MIIT ICP Recording system. Users should record the name with MIIT ICP Recording system and provide the Record Number to EnCirca, which in turn submits the number to CNNIC. CNNIC will reset the status to "OK".

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GENERAL

1. Who is CNNIC?
   The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) was founded in 1997. It is a nonprofit organization of administration and service, performing duties of the National Internet Network Information Center. The management of CNNIC is handled by the Computers Network Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Science. CNNIC operates under the auspices of China's Ministry of Information Industry (MII), an agency that also oversees telecommunications, multimedia, broadcasting and satellite transmissions across China.

   Among its many duties, CNNIC provides domain name registration, IP address distribution and autonomous system (AS) codes distribution.
   

   
   

2. What is the relationship between EnCirca and CNNIC?
   CNNIC has accredited EnCirca to be an official Registrar for the .CN domain. CNNIC is the administrator of the domain, setting policy and service levels, running the .CN Whois and generating the .CN zone file.

   
   

3. Who runs the Registry?
   CNNIC is the official administrator of the .CN Registry.

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POLICY

1. What is changing within .CN?
   Under recently announced policy, .CN domain names will be available for registration worldwide. Previously, only registrants located in China were able to register a .CN name. CNNIC is also moving to an EPP-based real-time registration system. CNNIC has also announced a new competitive registrar model. Previously, .CN sales agents accepted .CN registrations, but CNNIC acted as the exclusive Registrar and Registry.
   

2. Are .CN names available directly from the Registry?
   No. CN domain names are available only through .CN accredited Registrars.

   
   

3. Can Registrars market .CN names to registrants located in China?
   Yes. Registrars and resellers of .CN domain names are able to offer .CN domain names to registrants worldwide.

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4. Are there any unusual features of the .CN End User Agreement (compared with other gTLD contracts)?
   The .CN end-user agreement is under development. You can expect the agreement to be very similar to most registrant agreements.

   
   

5. Are there any unusual features of the .CN Registry Gateway agreement (compared with other gTLD contracts)?
   The Registry Gateway Agreement is under development. The agreement will be similar to typical Registry-Registrar agreements. The agreement will be posted to the .CN website at www.neustar.com.cn.

   
   

6. Is there a Nexus requirement for Registrants?
   No. Under recently announced .CN policy, registrars may accept .CN registrations from users worldwide.

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7. You say there are "no policy restrictions" on third-level .CN names. What does that mean, exactly?
   After launch, any business or organization, worldwide, can register a .CN name under a new liberalized policy that no longer restricts .CN registrations to Chinese entities.

8. Does a company or organization need a subsidiary in China in order to acquire a .CN name?
   No.

9. Are second-level registrations (.CN) being offered in addition to third-level (.com.cn, .net.cn, .org.cn) registrations?
   Not at the present time, although CNNIC intends to accept second-level .CN registrations under a new policy in the near future. Additional details will be provided as they become available.

10. Is ICANN accreditation a requirement in order to become a .CN registrar?
    No.
    
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) PROTECTION / NAME RESTRICTIONS

1. What are the rules governing intellectual property (IP) disputes in the .CN domain?
   CNNIC has posted a policy regarding intellectual property disputes on its website. The policy is very similar to the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) common in other Web domains. Visit http://www.cnnic.net.cn/doc/e-10.shtml to read more.
   

2. Will there be a Sunrise Period for IP protection for .CN?
   No.

   
   

3. Are there any restrictions on content for the .CN domain?
   Please refer to the China Internet Domain Name Regulations, found online on the CNNIC website (http://www.cnnic.net.cn/doc/e-8.shtml).

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MARKETING

1. Why should an international business secure a .CN name?
   As the next frontier of global e-business, .CN presents companies everywhere with an unprecedented opportunity to succeed in the Chinese marketplace. China's recent accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is proof that the Chinese economy is taking great strides toward accessibility. Now is an ideal time for companies to protect their brand identities in .CN, and to begin making inroads into the Chinese marketplace.

2. Who will buy .CN names?
   We anticipate that the majority of .CN buyers will be small- and medium-sized businesses from around the world, concentrated mainly in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region.

3. Who will make the purchase decision for a .CN name?
   We anticipate that a CEO, marketing director, Webmaster or product manager will make most companies' .CN purchasing decisions.

4. Where are these .CN buyers located?
   .CN buyers will be distributed world-wide with a concentration in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region. Countries of interest include Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan—all of which are top trade partners with China.

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5. What is the .CN value proposition?
   .CN offers registrants the protection of a well-established brand name in what is certain to become one of the most lucrative marketplaces in the world. Further, .CN can put Chinese customers at ease, giving them the security of dealing with businesses that have a substantial, "localized" Chinese presence as well as an international one. Finally, .CN enjoys widespread notoriety and recognition among the Chinese population.

6. What is unique about .CN?
   All .CN names (.com.cn, .net.cn and .org.cn) are now available for the first time globally; now, registrants do not need to be residents of China to take advantage of these addresses.

7. What volumes do you forecast?
   China has the world's largest population and one of the world's fastest growing economies. Chinese companies already have over 350,000 joint ventures with foreign firms. We believe that businesses worldwide that are interested in participating in the opportunity will want to have a Chinese identity on the Web.

8. How fast is the Internet growing in China?
   Please refer to The .CN Guide for International Businesspeople. This is a document issued to provide a snapshot of the state of Chinese business (particularly as it pertains to online commerce), as well as some starting points for the businessperson wishing to incorporate a .com.cn address into his or her overall business strategy.

9. Are .CN names restricted to the Chinese market only, or it is possible to offer .CN domains to European customers also?
   As mentioned above, any business or organization, located anywhere in the world, can register a .CN domain name under the new liberalized policy.

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