Verisign is pleased to announce the launch of our phased rollout of .닷컴 and .닷넷, the localized versions of the .com and .net top-level domains (TLDs) in Hangul script for the Korean market. The Sunrise Period is open from May 16, 2016 through June 19, 2016 for 닷컴, the .com you know, now in Korean, and .닷넷, the evolution of .net for Korea.

Millions of businesses and individuals around the world trust their websites to .com and .net, both brought to you by Verisign, and now their Hangul localizations, .닷컴 and .닷넷, can serve as credible homes for businesses online in Korea. The .닷컴 and .닷넷 internationalized domain name (IDN) TLDs represent a new way to connect with customers in native Korean script.

The .닷컴 and .닷넷 IDN TLDs will each have distinct registration periods, as described in further detail below. The Sunrise Period for .닷컴 and .닷넷 will be on a first come, first served basis, and prospective registrants must have a Signed Mark Data (SMD) file from the Trademark Clearinghouse to participate. During the Sunrise Period, these prospective registrants will be able to register each second-level domain name (SLD) in .닷컴 and .닷넷 that is an exact match of each SLD permitted by their SMD file. Both IDN and ASCII SLDs may be registered during the Sunrise Period.

Following the Sunrise Period, there will be a Priority Access Program for .닷컴 and .닷넷 that will last about two months. The Priority Access Program Period for .닷컴 will be an exclusive registration period during which existing registrants of .com domain names will be eligible to register in .닷컴 the identical SLD for which they are the current registrant in .com.

Similarly, during the Priority Access Program Period for .닷넷, existing registrants of .net domain names will be exclusively eligible to register in .닷넷 the identical SLD for which they are the current registrant in .net. Registrations of SLDs in .닷컴 and .닷넷 during the applicable Priority Access Program Period must be registered through the registrar that is the same registrar-of-record of the existing SLD registration in .com or .net, as the case may be, and must be by the same registrant of the existing SLD registration. All registrations during the Priority Access Program Period for .닷컴 and .닷넷 are subject to availability and the applicable registry policies and, as in the case of Sunrise, both IDN and ASCII SLDs may be registered.

For example:

A Landrush Program Period will follow the Priority Access Program Period and will be open to all potential registrants on a first come, first served basis. Landrush will last approximately two weeks and will be followed by General Availability.

IDNs are appealing to many Korean internet users as they provide the ability to use Korean native script in a more intuitive and memorable way. Don’t miss your opportunity to connect with this important audience by registering your .닷컴 and .닷넷 domain names.

The registration periods* for .닷컴 and .닷넷 are as follows:

• Sunrise Period: May 16 – June 19, 2016
• Priority Access Program Period: June 20 – Aug. 15, 2016
• Landrush Program Period: Aug. 16 – Aug. 29, 2016
• General Registration Period Start Date: Aug. 30, 2016
• Trademark Claims Period: Aug. 30 – Nov. 28, 2016

For more information about .닷넷, the .com you know, now in Korean, click here.
For more information about ??, the evolution of .net for Korea, click here.

* Please note that the information in this blog post regarding the registration periods for .닷컴 and .닷넷, including the corresponding dates, is for general information purposes only and is subject to change. See the most current registration periods, corresponding dates and other detailed information for .닷컴 at newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/sunrise-claims-periods/xn—mk1bu44c and for .닷넷 at newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/sunrise-claims-periods/xn—t60b56a.