Many would have seen the news reports on friday that people and businesses that own domains that end in .com.au will need to register the new .au domain.
The Priority Allocation Process – auDA
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Why do you need to do this ?
Owners of websites with.com.au, .net.au or similar domain names only have until next month to secure their equivalent address under the new .au domain — prompting warnings from the Small Business Ombudsman about the risk from cybersquatters or scammers taking their names.
The non-government regulator, the .au Domain Administration (auDA), introduced the new system on March 24 allowing anyone with a connection to Australia such as a business, association or individual to register using the new shorter category domain name.
For example, shoes.com.au could be shoes.au.
The auDA decided that Australian businesses with an existing domain name would only have until September 20 to reserve or register their equivalent .au domain name before it became available to the general public.
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson said in a statement on Friday that he has significant concerns about the plan to allow open slather sale of business internet names under the shortened version.
Mr Billson said that will all the challenges businesses were facing, “the last thing anyone needs is someone ripping off their domain name”.
Businesses only have until September 20 to secure their .au domain.
The consequences of not registering your existing business name by this deadline could be catastrophic for a business if a rival or someone else took their online name.
Domain names are very much the identity of a business and critical to their success.
Small businesses cannot afford to have their identity sold to someone else.
For businesses that have their domain registered with the AdelaideTechGuy , you can grab your .au domain now.