.free
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| Status: | Proposed |
| Type: | Generic |
More information: 
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.free is a generic top-level domain name managed and operated by the dotFree Group s.r.o., a start-up services provider offering software development, internet and free domain name registration from the Czech Republic.[1]
.free is offered at no cost to all interested companies, individuals and organizations around the world. The pre-registration for the .Free domain started in October, 2010; and it is one of the few companies accepting pre-registrations while awaiting the approval of its application from ICANN to be included in the DNS root system. More than 160 thousand registrants have already reserved their desired domain names.
Objective
The main objective of the .free gTLD is to improve the information exchange and interaction among individuals and to promote development and innovation in the Internet community worldwide. Furthermore, the .free domain also aims to give individuals and companies the opportunity to create their own trademark without spending a cent.
Launch Procedure
.free implements a 4-step procedure to ensure that users will have equal opportunity to claim their desired domain names and to protect their trademarks and intellectual property rights. The launch procedure adheres to the latest industry standards and the dotFree Group s.r.o makes sure that their procedure is regularly updated to be able to offer the highest quality services to their users. [2]
1.Preregistration Period- The preregistration period is ongoing, however registrants will not be able to claim premium domain names and trademarks. Premium domain names and trademarks will be open for registration during the Sunrise and Landrush period. Domains that have been preregistered many times will be resolved and allocated during the Landrush period.
2.Sunrise Period- This is a priority registration period when brand owners are able to register their trademarks to avoid cybersquatting, which is considered a form of internet piracy.[3] During the Sunrise Period, users are certain that their trademark and intellectual property rights are fully protected and .free will include a dispute resolution mechanism on this period.
3.Landrush Period- This follows the Sunrise and it will be open for everybody who preregistered their desired domain. All domains that had been preregistered multiple times by different users will be open for bidding.
4.General Availability- .free domains will be open to the public worldwide and it will be granted on a first come per serve basis through the dotFree registration, an ICANN accredited websites, and .free domain authorized resellers after the Sunrise and Landrush periods, with an exception for the premium domains.