The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC The LK Domain Gihan V. Dias LK Domain Registrar APRICOT 2004 – Kuala Lumpur

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC History l Started in 1990 l Housed at the Dept of Computer Science & Eng., University of Moratuwa since then l Policy and finance handled by Council for Information Technology (CINTEC) from

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Current Status l LK Domain Registry set up as a non- profit organisation l Board has representatives of –ICT Agency –Telecom Regulatory Commission –ISP Association –Internet Society –and nominated experts

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Status (cont) l LK Domain Registry responsible for policy and finance l Operations carried out at CSE Dept. University of Moratuwa

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC The Structure of the LK domain l Registrations at two levels l Under the Top-Level Domain (TLD) –at 2nd level –e.g.: myco.lk l Under 2nd-Level Domains (2LD) –at 3rd level –e.g.: myco.com.lk

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Registrations under Top-Level Domain l Carried out for past 12 years –no major changes l Handled directly by LKNIC –Agents may register on behalf of clients l No distinctions based on – Type of organisation – Location

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Registrations under TLD (cont.) l Suitable for corporate organisations –registration fee is higher l Suitable for protecting trademarks, etc. –registration under.lk also blocks registration in open 2LDs under.lk (unless name is already registered in a 2LD) –will not block under closed 2LDs l Each name must be approved by lknic

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Criteria for Approval l Names in the following categories will generally be registered with no delay –Tradenames (registered or unregistered) used in Sri Lanka –Company name or a reasonable abbreviation thereof –A name which is adequately explained by the rationale in the application

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Disallowed names under.lk l The name Sri Lanka, or any abbrev. l Words not allowed in a company name l “Generic” names –e.g. doctor.lk (except by appropiate body) l Names of provinces and towns l Names which may mislead the public

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Disallowed names (cont.) l Obscene or offensive names l Single-letter names l Names reserved by LKNIC for future expansion

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Panel l All other names will be referred to the LKNIC panel who will generally give a decision within 7 working days

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Name Registration Policy l Names are assigned on a first-come first served basis l Applicant’s responsibility to avoid trademark conflicts l If the name is similar to a name used by another organisation the applicant may be required to make a declaration that it is entitled to use the name

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Domain Registration procedure l Two steps – reservation – registration l Anyone may reserve a name, l A presence in Sri Lanka is required to register the name –Unique policy?

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Name Reservation l A signed letter from the name “owner” – contact person – contact info l Payment of Rs – for 1 year – renewable at the current rate

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Registration Methods l By – form available at l On the Web – l May be submitted by agent

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC 2nd-Level Domains l Some 2nd level domains are open and others are closed. l Open registrations under 2nd-level are easier and cheaper than directly under.lk

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Closed 2nd-Level domains l Closed 2nd levels are handled directly by lknic as well as through agents l Each closed 2LD has its own registration criteria l Only organisations meeting the criteria can register in that 2LD l Each registration must be approved by lknic

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Closed 2nd-Level Domains l.gov.lk- Govt. organisations l.net.lk- licenced service providers l.sch.lk- registered schools open for recommendations for new closed 2LDs

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Open 2nd-Level Domains l Open to anyone l Registration only through agents l 3LD available only if corresponding 2LD is not registered l LKNIC makes suggestions on suitable types of organisation for each 2nd-level –not checked or enforced –relaxed policy on acceptable names

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Open 2LDs (cont.) l.com.lk- commercial organisations l.org.lk- non-commercial organisations l.web.lk- web sites (general) l edu.lk- educational institutes l shop.lk- shops l group.lk - groups of companies etc.

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Registration Agents l Registrations in open 2LDs via agents –may do direct registrations too in initial period l Agents may be ISP or Web Designers / Hosters l Agents interface with customer

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Registration Procedure l LKNIC provides web-based interface l SSL secured l Each agent has a passworded account l Registrations usually in one working day –Regs. provisional for 7 working days –may (very rarely) be cancelled in this time

The Sri Lanka Domain Registry - LKNIC Contact Info l l Web: