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The AFNIC protects the names of the French cities under .fr and .re - Update on August 1 2005

Home > Observatory and resources > News > The AFNIC protects the names of the French cities under .fr and .re - Update on August 1 2005
08/01/2005

Saint Quentin en Yvelines, August 1 2005

The AFNIC defined a specific procedure for the registration of reserved domain names corresponding
to the French cities names and has made, since May 17, 2005, a control of the requests for these registrations.

This control leads to the systematic rejection for a registration of a reserved term whose applicant does not bring the proof of his quality.

From August 1, 2005, a new procedure will be activated, in order to allow the registration of the names reserved
by the French cities or owners of a trademark registered before 1985 and renewed.

To make this possible, French cities or owners of a trademark registered before 1985
and renewed, will have to make sure -to be able to obtain the registration of the required domain name-
that they are able to provide to their registrar:

copy of the identifier in the INSEE directory (for French cities) or trademark number (for trademark owners);
the new “Specific Request for AFNIC Intervention” *
(document with restricted access to our registrars),
duly filled (domain name, petitioning organization, identifier – siren number , or trademark number),
dated and signed by a person entitled to represent the applicant (lastname, firstname, occupation obligatory)
(* This document will be available at .fr and .re registrars).

More information

Prohibited and reserved terms/
Information on the names of the French cities (with the official list of the names protected)

Article of the Naming charter related to the names of the French cities: For .fr –
For .re

Article of the Procedural guide related to the registration of a reserved terms
(including the names of the French cities)

About Afnic

Afnic is the acronym for Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération, the French Network Information Centre. The registry has been appointed by the French government to manage domain names under the .fr Top Level Domain. Afnic also manages the .re (Reunion Island), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Territories), .wf (Wallis and Futuna) and .yt (Mayotte) French Overseas TLDs.

In addition to managing French TLDs, Afnic’s role is part of a wider public interest mission, which is to contribute on a daily basis, thanks to the efforts of its teams and its members, to a secure and stable internet, open to innovation and in which the French internet community plays a leading role. As part of that mission, Afnic, a non-profit organization, has committed to devoting 11% of its Revenues from managing .fr Top Level Domain to actions of general interest, in particular by transferring €1.3 million each year to the Afnic Foundation for Digital Solidarity.
Afnic is also the back-end registry for the companies as well as local and regional authorities that have chosen to have their own TLD, such as .paris, .bzh, .alsace, .corsica, .mma, .ovh, .leclerc and .sncf.

Established in 1997 and based in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Afnic currently has nearly 90 employees.