Domains Cyprus

GENERAL POLICY FOR REGISTRATION OF CYPRIOT DOMAIN NAMES

General Information

Registrant of a Cypriot domain name (.CY) does not have proprietary rights to a domain name but a licence to use a domain name for a particular period of time and under certain terms and conditions.

Thy Cypriot COM.CY domain name licence is assigned on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, provided that all relevant eligibility and allocation requirements are met. Some second-level domains under .CY are restricted.

For detailed information regarding Cypriot domains and Local Presence services offered by Web Solutions, please contact our Support Team at support@web-solutions.eu or via phone on +44 (0) 20 4571 1971.

Registration of the following .CY domains is restricted to:

.CY – Cyprus registered companies and Cyprus permanent residents only
COM.CY – Public domain available for general registration
TM.CY – Trademarks officially registered at the Registrar of Trademarks
BIZ.CY – Any other business which have been registered with the Registrar of Companies
ORG.CY – Not for profit associations or societies registered at the Registrar of Associations and Societies
AC.CY – Academic and research institutions
NET.CY – Internet or Network service providers
GOV.CY – Government institutions/departments/organisations at the international level
PRO.CY – Professional organisations and associations
NAME.CY – Names of natural persons
EKLOGEX.CY – Organisations or individuals affiliated with elections
LTD.CY – Private and Public companies with limited liability registered with the Registrar of Companies
PRESS.CY – Press related organisations and entities
PARLIAMENT.CY – Cyprus House of Parliament and related entities.

In addition to .COM.CY domain registration, Registrant is required to register the domain in a category related to the activity.

.CY Domain name selection rules

The following conditions must be met when applying for .CY domain name:

• The domain name has not already been registered by a third party and an application for the same domain name filed by a third party is not pending;
• The domain name is registered according to the “first come, first served” principle however, registrants who carry on business in Cyprus are granted preference;
• The domain name must not contain any obscene words and names containing vulgarities or names that violate the Laws of Cyprus;
• The domain name does not refer to politicians or political or historical activities or other activities that require permission from a competent Cyprus Authority unless such permission is provided;
• The domain name is not generic, sectoral or a fundamental name identifying a group, activity, branch, professional or business sector (to avoid unfairly implying certain or exclusive rights appertaining to it);
• The domain name is not barred by the Laws of Cyprus (including Intellectual Property law, international treaties ratified by the Republic of Cyprus as well as the ICANN Dispute Policy);
• The domain name consists of the minimum of three alphanumeric characters (0-9, a-z) and a dash (-). A dash (-) may not be used at the beginning or the end of the domain name.
• Domain names denoting geographic names that relate to geographical locations as they appear on official maps can be issued only to the relevant local authority. Applications for domain names consisting of trade marks, corporate names, etc. and which include a real geographical name must incorporate the name of the entity in the domain name.
• A third-level domain name must not be identical to any already existing top level domain name at the time of application.
• A legal person may apply for ten (10) .CY domain names. Exceptions may be allowed upon demonstration of a need for additional domain names.
• A natural person may apply for one (1) .CY domain name. Exceptions may be allowed in case of individuals who are also members of an organization. In such a case, the applicant is allowed to register an additional domain name on behalf of the organisation.
• Registrants applying for the restricted second-level domains such as AC.CY, NET.CY, GOV.CY, ORG.CY, BIZ.CY, PRO.CY, NAME.CY, ECLOGES.CY, TM.CY, LTD.CY, PRESS.CY and PARLIAMENT.CY must provide evidence that they are entitled to use the particular domain name.

.CY domain registration rules

Registration of the .CY domain name does not imply rights pertaining to a name or a trademark. Registrant is responsible for ensuring that the domain name applied for does not infringe on third parties’ trademarks, copyright, famous names, or any other intellectual property rights or the Laws of Cyprus and ICANN Dispute Policy. Registration of .CY domain name is not an acknowledgement of the registrant’s rights in the domain name nor can it be perceived as authorisation to use the domain name in the course of trade.

Cypriot Domain Authority shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages resulting from the registrant’s use or inability to use the domain name or for the costs of obtaining substitute services, any loss of revenue, profit or any other type of economic loss (direct or indirect) including:

• loss or liability resulting from access interruptions or delays;
• loss or liability resulting from non-delivery or deliverymen’s of data;
• loss or liability resulting from natural causes;
• loss or liability resulting from the misuse or unauthorized use of your domain account data;
• loss or liability resulting from errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in domain name application;
• loss or liability resulting from domain service interruptions;
• loss of registration and or use of the domain name or for any indirect, purposeful, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind (including loss of profits) regardless of the form of legal action (including negligence) and despite reported possibility of such damages;
• loss or interruption of business;
• loss of anticipated resources or goodwill.

License to use a Domain Name

The license to use a Cypriot domain name is issued to the Registrant of the domain and not to persons offering the name server support.

The license to use the Cypriot domain name is only valid during the License period.

The license to use the Cypriot domain name is not transferable to third parties except for the following cases:

1) Right of succession of natural persons,

2) Collaboration, consolidation with other legal person or redeeming by other legal person.

It is not possible to reserve Cypriot domain names.

No changes can be made to the name of an existing Cypriot domain name.

Removal of a Domain Name from the registry is possible upon the Registrant’s written request.

Contacts

When applying for a license to use the Cypriot domain name, an applicant must provide the following contact information and promptly report any changes to the registrar so the information in the .CY Register is current, complete and accurate:

• Registrant Contact (the organisation/person’s name, the person legally responsible for the entity, e.g. organisation’s managing director or chairman of the board).
• Administrative Contact (the person acting on behalf of the Registrant; must be able to respond to non-technical questions regarding the Registrant’s plans for the .CY domain and represent the Registrant with regard to the use of the Domain Name).
• Technical Contact (the person assigned by the Registrant to answer technical questions about the .CY domain name and may include an Internet Service Provider).
• Billing Contact (the person responsible for the invoices).
• Changes/Modifications

Termination, Cancellation and Modification of the .CY Register

Registrant may request termination of the application for a license to use the Cypriot domain name by notice in writing.

The surrendered domain name shall be immediately cancelled and removed from the .CY Register.

Removal of a Cypriot domain name is allowed only if it is requested by the domain Registrant.

A Cypriot domain name may be cancelled in the event of any of the following:

1) The domain renewal fees are not paid;

2) The Registrant is in breach of the terms of the .CY domain name registration agreement;

3) Independent verification proves that the Registrant has provided inaccurate, unreliable or false Registrant contact information, or failed to keep the contact information up to date; or

4) The Registrant is in breach of the warranties of the .CY domain registration agreement or the .CY domain name is being administered in a manner that may endanger the operation of the .CY Domain Name System.

A Cypriot domain name registration may be terminated or amended in the event of any of the following:

1) The domain registrant has submitted written instructions to take such action;

2) A copy of an order by a competent Court requiring such action has been received, or the retention of a domain name by the Registrant would not be consistent with the terms of the received Court order or any other requirements under the Cyprus Law;

3) A copy of a decision of the Administrative Panel under the ICANN Dispute Resolution Policy is received.

4) Such changes are necessary to correct an error connected with the .CY domain name registration;

5) Such action is a result of a decision or an agreement reached between the parties and approved by Cypriot Domain Authority.

6) Upon receiving a copy of a decision of the Cypriot Domain Authority.

7) In case of liquidation of a legal person.

8) In case of bankruptcy or death of a natural person subject to the following provisions:

The license to use the Cypriot domain name is not transferable to third parties except for the following cases:

• Right of succession of natural persons,
• Collaboration, consolidation with other legal person or redeeming by other legal person.

Disclosure of Information

Registrant agrees to provide accurate domain name registration information and make it available on the .CY Register.

The .CY Register is a public register that includes Registrant’s name and postal address, telephone and fax number and e-mail address together with any other relevant details.

Obligations of Registrant

By applying for a Cypriot domain name, Registrant agrees to:

Select their .CY domain name for a bona fide use.

Provide a copy of the identification card in case of a natural person. An applicant must be at least 18 years old at the time of filing the application for a domain name and be a permanent resident of Cyprus. In case of a legal person, the main office must be registered in Cyprus.

Inform Web Solutions of any changes in the registration details in a promptly manner so the information is accurate and up to date, especially the postal address.

Inform Web Solutions in a timely manner of any court or arbitration proceedings brought in regards to the domain name

To process the .CY domain name application, additional information may be requested, such as a certificate from official Cyprus Government Institutions where the applied for domain name has been registered in Registrant’s name. (e.g. the Registrar of Companies, the Registrar of Associations and Societies, or the Registrar of Trademarks).

Warranties by Registrant

By entering into this agreement Registrant accepts that:

Registrant has obtained the consent of any individual whose personal information is to be stored in the Register;

The statements in the application form are true and correct and that any future additions or changes to Registrant’s information will be true and correct, and that they will be submitted in a timely manner.

The laws of Cyprus including international treaties ratified by the Republic of Cyprus from time to time relating to Intellectual Property issues (e.g. trademark, copyright and famous names issues), as well as the ICANN Dispute Policy, are not violated.

To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the .CY domain name license or the manner in which it is used (directly or indirectly) does not infringe the legal rights of a third party and the .CY domain name license is not being obtained for any unlawful purpose.

Cypriot Domain Name Authority will be held harmless against any claims, liabilities and losses arising directly or indirectly as a result of the breach of the .CY domain name registration agreement.

Domain Name Dispute Resolution

Domain name disputes are handled by the Domain Name Commission or any other third party qualified to deal with .CY domain name disputes and in accordance with the Dispute Policy.

The terms and conditions related to registration of .CY domain names conform to the Laws of Cyprus and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the relevant Courts of the Republic of Cyprus.