The ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) welcomes the success of .joburg (dotJoburg) in the initial evaluation stage of ICANN’s new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) project. The .joburg application was submitted by the ZA Central Registry (ZACR) alongside the dotAfrica (.africa) dotCapeTown (.capetown) and dotDurban (.durban) applications.
The initial evaluation success of the .joburg application follows that of .durban which passed the same evaluation phase three weeks ago.
ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers) is currently processing around 1 300 new gTLD applications. The applications are considered in the order determined by the prioritisation draw held in Los Angeles on 17 December 2012. The .durban application drew position 303, and passed its initial evaluation in May 2013. Joburg drew 566 and has now just been evaluated. Cape Town with position 761 has a little more time to wait.
“Joburg is a city with its own unique atmosphere and is undoubtedly Africa’s leading business and financial centre,” says Vika Mpisane, General Manager of ZADNA. “It’s fitting that it should have its own domain name that companies and organisations can use to convey a distinct association with the city. Once the Cape Town initial evaluation is completed, we will be on our way to giving our three major cities a sound platform on which to market themselves on the Internet,” he concludes.
“The .joburg project gives the City of Joburg many possibilities that will help us position the city as a tourist destination of choice for business and leisure”, says Phelisa Mangcu of the City of Joburg. “It aligns with our vision of taking the Joburg brand globally and marketing the city as a World Class African City”.
The Joburg metro municipality will receive priority when it comes to registering names for their entities and programs. Entities such as the City of Joburg, Joburg Tourism, Joburg Water, City Power, Soweto and Sandton can now have URLs such as city.joburg, tourism.joburg, travel.joburg, hotels.joburg, water.joburg, citypower.joburg, soweto.joburg and sandton.joburg. South African government will also be given an opportunity to reserve its department and entity names, and names of national interest such as heritage names.
These measures compliment those set by ICANN that require the new TLDs to give trademark owners an opportunity to register their trademarks in a database that will be used by TLD operators to ensure that names that are applied for do not infringe in trademarks.
Preparations for the launch of the .joburg namespace are underway following a progress report workshop that ZADNA and ZACR held with the representatives of the 3 cities on 31 May 2013. The workshop gave the cities an opportunity to understand first-hand the plans for the launch and operation of the 3 city TLDs. It also kicked off an iterative consultation process that will allow the cities to influence policy and operation of the 3 namespaces.
About ZADNA
ZADNA was established in terms of the ECT Act 25 of 2002 to manage, administer and regulate .ZA – South Africa’s Internet namespace. It regulates operators of .ZA second level domains such as ac.za, co.za, gov.za and org.za.
About ZACR
Formerly UniForum SA and well-known for running co.za, ZACR was appointed to serve as the Central Registry for .ZA second level domains. In addition to co.za, ZACR will soon be re-launching and making available domain names in net.za, org.za and web.za.
About Joburg
Joburg, Jozi or Egoli – Africa’s most vibrant and enigmatic city, a city of dreams, potential and unbridled possibilities. Joburg is home to well over three million people and spirited host to an ever-increasing number of visitors every year. Visitors are captivated by Joburg’s charm, energy and versatility, the vibrancy and warmth of our people, the countless cultures they represent and the infinite choices the city offers its citizens and visitors.
As Africa’s second largest city, Joburg is growing at an unprecedented rate, constantly and continuously transforming itself. Joburg’s legendary shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife is complimented by fabulous weather as well as an astonishing array of facilities like spectacular golf courses, gyms, spas and wellness centres, which all add to its appeal as a destination.
From sight-seeing, shopping, wining and dining in areas as diverse as Sandton and Soweto – to rediscovering the historic heart of Joburg’s boomtown era in the old CBD, currently undergoing an astounding transformation – Joburg boasts layer upon layer of cultural, heritage, lifestyle, entertainment and sporting attractions. This includes the rejuvenation of entire districts or precincts, along with the development of public street art, pedestrianised zones, heritage sites and lifestyle activities like the Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein and the Sunday market at Arts on Main.
For more info visit:
http://joburg.registry.net.za
http://www.registry.net.za/
