National domain zone UA
All domain zones operating in the world can be divided into groups according to several criteria - international and national, closed and open, general and thematic, first or second level.
Thus, international domains are not tied to any point on the map, while national domain zones belong to specific states. Registration conditions for each national zone are different. Some are open for free use worldwide, others are available only to residents.
The Ukrainian domain zone UA has some of the strictest registration rules, but this is what enhances its image in the eyes of users. After all, you can get a domain in it only for a Ukrainian trademark of the same name, or for an international one that is protected in Ukraine.
The domain zone has existed since 1992. It includes the UA top-level zone and second-level domains, such as com.ua, org.ua, biz.ua , and regional domains that have the names of regional centers — lviv.ua, kyiv.ua , lugansk.ua, etc. Second-level domains have simpler requirements, are open to private registration, and are cheaper than UA domains.
According to the most recent statistics, in July 2022 (at the time of writing) there are 571,541 addresses in the zone (including second-level domains), of which 25,768 addresses have the UA extension.
Domains in the Ukrainian UA zone have only officially registered trademarks — most often these are product manufacturers, retail chains, transport companies, mass media, etc. But not only that - a UA domain can also be owned by an individual who has registered his own trademark.
Also Read: How to Increase Domain Authority: Checking and Improving DA Score .
How to register a UA domain
The administrator of the national domain zone is "Hostmeister" LLC, which has developed REGULATIONS for the features of registration of second-level private domain names in the .UA domain . It contains the following point:
That is, if you registered a trademark called "Dobro", you can only get the dobro.ua domain. An address of the same name for the site can be registered only by the owner or right holder of a TM protected in Ukraine (this applies to both Ukrainian and international companies), or a person who is legally entitled to use the trademark and register a domain for it. A trademark can be both a brand and the name of a public figure (singer, fashion designer, chef, etc.).
And now let's consider the registration procedures for Ukrainian and international trademarks.
For Ukrainian trademarks
Registration of the UA domain for Ukrainian trademarks is practically no different from the usual registration of an address for a website. You check whether the domain is free, fill out the order form, in which you need to enter the number of the Certificate for the mark for goods and services (TM), enter the data of the owner and wait for the administrator to check the information. The regulation provides for 14 days for verification, but it is usually done faster. When applying, you will need to pay the cost of the domain right away. If everything is in order, the order will be confirmed and you will receive the desired address. If the application is rejected, the registrar will return the money back.
It is important to know that data about the owner must be entered in clear accordance with the documents. If it is a legal entity, then the application contains information about the company that will own the domain.
For international TMs
You can also register a UA domain to an international TM that needs an online representation in Ukraine. This is possible in the presence of a Certificate of International TM Registration, which states that the trademark is protected in Ukraine.
The procedure itself is no different from the one we described above. The domain owner is always the company or individual under whose trademark the domain was registered. But, if there is a dealer or official representative in the country, he can register the domain for himself under certain conditions.
For dealers and official representatives of foreign TMs
Structures or natural persons in Ukraine to whom the right to use the TM has been delegated can register the UA domain under a license agreement.
Important: the license agreement for the use of the TM must contain a clause in which the owner of the mark entrusts the dealer or representative with the registration of the domain of the same name. In addition, the document must specify exactly which domain is trusted to issue, and the agreement itself must be registered with the State Intellectual Property Service of Ukraine.
The procedure for obtaining a domain is the same as described above, but in addition to the state TM registration number, you also need to enter license data.
Is it possible to get a UA domain if the TM is not yet registered
No, you can get such a domain only after completing the registration procedure, already having a Certificate for a mark for goods and services. When purchasing an address for the site, you must enter the number of this certificate.
There is no guarantee that you will get a UA domain with the appropriate TM. Unfortunately, there is no reservation procedure or pre-registration of domains.
TMs are registered in 45 classes, in each of them there may be different trademarks with the same names. For example, there may be a cosmetics company, a kindergarten, and a yogurt production company called Natalka, and these will be separate trademarks, not related to each other in any way. The solution to this problem can only be finding a unique name for your business. If you come up with an unusual name for your business, the chances of getting the right domain will increase significantly.
Another step is to carefully check the trademark registries to ensure that the name already exists. However, it may happen that some entrepreneur will apply for TM registration immediately after you and will receive the certificate earlier by choosing accelerated registration. After all, there are two procedures - the usual one takes 22-24 months, and the accelerated one - 7-9 months. So, if the domain is important to you, then you should give preference to accelerated registration.
What if you need to make a website for your business right now, and you can't wait for those months of registration?
To begin with, you can use a domain in the second-level zone, for example, register com.ua and create a site on it. After receiving the UA domain, you can transfer the site to a new address and create a redirection (redirect) from the old domain to the new one. After customers get used to the new site address, the old domain can be disabled.
How to register a trademark to get the desired domain
The rules of "Hostmaster" provide specific conditions for obtaining a domain and methods of its formation in accordance with the TM name. Simply put, when you submit a registration request, it checks the domain, checks it against the trademark and approves if all the rules are met. If not, he can recommend which domain really meets all the regulations and is available for you.
For example, we have created imaginary brands and logos (any coincidence with real brands is coincidental) to illustrate the basic principles of address generation.
The first principle is that all letter designations present in the trademark must be recorded in the domain .
For example, in this logo, two letters D are encrypted - the first is schematically depicted at the top, and the second begins with the name of the brand itself. Having a TM, part of which is a graphic element, the client can get only a domain in which all letters are transferred, including images that look like letters - ddino.ua or d-dino.ua.
Another important condition for obtaining a UA domain will be the unambiguous reading of the image of the trademark, if it is registered with a graphic element. For example, in this logo for the imaginary company Color, the first letter may appear to be a d, especially when viewed from a distance or at a glance. This word can be read as dor rather than as color. So, in order to get such a domain as needed, it is worth creating a logo with the only possible reading of the text written on it.
If the TM name is written in Cyrillic, it is necessary to take into account the established rules of transliteration of the name of the trademark , which contains Cyrillic characters. For example, you have TM "Idyllia". It may seem that you yourself choose how to transliterate the name - Idilia, Idylia, Idilija or something else. No, the only possible option is formed according to the rules, and you can get only such a domain — idylija.ua.
TM names sometimes contain not only letters, but also other symbols — @, &, quotes, slashes, and others. But only letters and Arabic numbers can be used in the domain. There are also recommendations in the regulation to solve this issue.
Two solution options are offered:
Replace the sign with the appropriate word;
Ignore this sign when creating a domain name.
For example, if the company is called Day/Night, then you can choose the domain daynight.ua or dayslashnight.ua.
If there are Roman numerals in the name, they can be written in letters or Arabic numerals. So, if XXI Century company representatives wanted to get a UA domain, they could choose twenty-first-century.ua or 21century.ua
A company for which the sound of a UA domain is important takes into account all the nuances of these rules before registering a TM and creates a name with which there is a chance to get exactly the domain you need. You can also consult in advance with the registrar with whom you plan to work in the future.
Read also: How to register a domain for free? »
Obtaining a domain in the UA zone is a difficult procedure that requires attention and compliance with all the rules of the regulation. But the presence of this address demonstrates a high level of responsibility and the scope of the case. After all, you need to register TM, then get a domain, pay for it a little more expensive than ordinary domains. Therefore, when the client sees the UA extension in the address bar, he understands that before him is a serious structure that works officially on the Ukrainian market and inspires trust.
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