Auda to auction rare .au domain names

Domain names that weren't previously available, such as shopping.com.au and sport.com.au, will be up for auction as part of the auDA's new Domain Name Policy.

auDA, the administrator of .au domain names, has launched an auction process for 3,006 domain names which were previously classified as generic, and therefore unavailable to businesses.

Stuff.com.au has been contracted to manage the application and auction process for auDA.

auDA CEO Chris Disspain said a market-based allocation system was seen to be the best option to prevent what he described as a landrush, and to make sure there was a fair and equitable outcome.

Closing date for applications is January 31 next year. Applicants are able to check whether a domain name is available at www.stuff.com.au/auda.asp. This list doesn't include geographic names, as the prohibition on their use remains in place until auDA completes a policy review next year.

Successful applicants will be able to use their domain names once the new domain name policy is introduced by auDA.

Staff writer Vivienne Fisher reported from Sydney.