South Africa is the first African country to launch city specific Top Level Domains (TLDs).
.Joburg, .Durban and .CapeTown launched on 17 June 2014 although the registry will only start accepting applications in a few days time.
Lexsynergy will, however, start accepting applications from today via email so send your registration requests to [email protected].
More information about each TLD can be found at the TLD links below. We recommend watching the ZA cities explanatory video . Please take note that the registry operator has advised that the launch dates provided may change.
The Sunrise (reserved for trade mark rights holders) and the Landrush (premium priced domains) phases start today. The Sunrise will have priority over the Landrush phase.
The Sunrise phase requires the applicant to have a verified trade mark either through the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) or Mark Validation System (MVS).
The MVS does allow for unregistered trade marks to be validated although a TMCH validation has priority over a MVS validation.
If you conduct business in South Africa, have a South African trade mark or own a .ZA domain name it is advisable to secure your matching .joburg, .durban and .capetown domain name.
Costs
3 year Sunrise application: £99 or R1881
1 year Landrush application: £99 or R1881
Lexsynergy is a TMCH and MVS agent and can assist with your trade mark validation submissions. Email [email protected] for assistance.