Frequently asked questions

Pricing is set by the individual ICANN-accredited registrars from whom you will obtain your .ART domain. Based on our observations of the market, we believe that a typical one-year registration fee will be $15 – 25.

Annual renewal fees should be priced about the same.

.ART also offers .ART Inventory names (or premium names) that are described below.

VAT may be applicable in addition depending on where you are located, if you are a business, and other factors.

It means the point in time during which requests to register Domain Names will be processed from any eligible party on a first come, first served basis.

It is the start of the period when standard domain pricing as described above will be in place.

.ART seeks to make domains affordable for anyone who’d like to express their passion for the arts and obtain a .ART domain. General Availability starts at 10^th of May 2017 at 14:00 UTC.

Our Preferred Access Period (that closes on 9 May 2017) was an exclusive period that provided the opportunity to members of specific art communities to be the very first to choose and register their ideal domain names. Names purchased during this period will be able to be renewed at the General Availability rates in the following years.

Premium names are generic words or word combinations that are more highly sought-after because they might be: related to the artistic industry, short, memorable, or valuable in some other way. These names might have a predicted value that is greater than the domain name standard price. Using sophisticated analytics, .ART established an inventory of names with a predicted value that is greater than the standard price. These names have been placed in a special .ART Inventory of Names and Word combinations (further on – .ART Names Inventory).

More sought-after terms are generally priced higher across all domain name registries. .ART has undertaken a sophisticated big data collection and analysis of millions of word forms to develop predictive values for words and word groups.

The resulting algorithm values names based on several parameters including:

• Search popularity
• Word length
• Prior domain sales
• Frequency of selection in other domain zones
• Linguistic strength of association to arts and culture

The .ART algorithm assisted us in preparing our .ART Names Inventory and pricing logic. We believe that these criteria lead to a more accurate pricing of .ART domains, as well as identifying opportunities for registrars and registrants.

The renewal price for .ART Inventory names should be approximately $40-$50 depending on your registrar and how you might have purchased other services. The price will be the same low amount regardless of the price you paid for your initial registration.

There are a few reasons why the domain shows as unavailable:

• It might have been registered by someone else.
• If the domain is unregistered, .ART might have reserved this domain for appropriate use at a later date.
• Alternatively, ICANN prohibits the release of certain domain names for sale. This prohibition includes some common words that are barred for technical or policy reasons.

Even with these select prohibitions, there are several millions of word and number combinations available for registration in .ART.

If you wish to register a name that is ‘unavailable,’ please contact your registrar for additional information. Alternatively, you can reach us at enquiries@e.art.

It is probably because the domain for which you searched is a .ART Inventory name. Some registrars choose not to offer .ART Inventory names. It is typically a business decision on their side. In these cases, when you search for a .ART Inventory name on such a registrar’s website, it returns a result to say it is unavailable, whereas it might show as available with a different registrar.

The .ART domain registration policies are clear in that registrants must not violate third-party rights when registering a domain. It is up to you to manage this commercial relationship between you and your related parties.

Not necessarily. Between December 2016 and February 2017 the .ART registry ran an ICANN-mandated registration phase called the Sunrise period where trademark holders who had registered their trademarks with ICANN’s Trademark Clearinghouse had priority to register their domains in advance of the general public. In General Availability, domains are now registered on a first-come-first served basis. Therefore, having a trademark does not give priority on the registration. If another party has registered your trademarked name, you might have remedies at your disposal (described below in the FAQs).

In addition to traditional legal remedies, ICANN, the Internet Cooperation for Assigned Names and Numbers, has created two dispute resolution processes which can be used to address possible trademark infringements:

• Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS).

Link to a document: https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/urs/procedure-01mar13-en.pdf 

• Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). Link to a document: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/policy-2012-02-25-en

No. Owning the equivalent of the domain in a different top-level domain does not, on its own, give you priority. If you want to secure the .ART domain, the best thing to do is to purchase your desired .ART domain sooner than later to avoid it being registered by someone else.

No. Owning the equivalent of the domain in a different top-level domain does not, on its own, give you priority. If you want to secure the .ART domain, the best is to purchase the desired .ART domain sooner than later to avoid it being registered by someone else.

.ART domain registry policies are clear in that a domain name may not be registered or used to infringe another person’s trademark. It is the registrant’s responsibility to do the appropriate searches when registering or using a .ART domain. Infringement generally occurs when a party registers another’s trademark and takes some action such as holding themself out to be in the business of the trademark holder or trying to sell the name to the trademark holder at an inflated price.

No. Various registrars may take pre-registrations for the same domain name from different registrants. When the domain names go on official sale, they will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Therefore, there is a possibility that another registrar with the same pre-ordered domain name will register the name first, meaning your pre-order may be cancelled.

The majority of pre-registration models really are treated as an expressions of interest that allows the registrar to keep in touch with the interested person about the launch when the time comes. Handling of the pre-registration is within the purview of your registrar and entirely beyond our control. Registering your domain name as soon as possible is the best way to secure your desired .ART web address.

You can do so in the registrar dashboard of your account where you have your domain registered. If this option is not available in the dashboard, you will need to set it up with your web hosting company.

You can do so in the registrar dashboard of your account where you have your domain registered. If this option is not available in the dashboard, you will need to set it up with your web hosting company.

You can either get a professional web developer or use a website building tool. Also, many registrars are providing website building services.

Recent publications indicate that there are Google Search advantages to domains where the first and second-level names are sematically linked, such as impressionist.art. Following well-known and previously established best practices in setting up your .ART address and web page should avoid losing any ranking on Google.

Yes, it does. .ART functions like any other domain.

Means the top-level domain for the international arts and cultural community.

Means the point in time following which requests to register a Domain Name will be received from any eligible party on a first come, first served basis.

Means the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, with whom .ART has a contract to operate the .ART domain registry.

Is the .ART-specific period prior to General Availability where special restrictions to registering Domain Names apply.

Means a domain name that carries a higher than standard predicted value and domain registration fee.

Is an Applicant that has submitted a Registration Request that has been paid for in full and accepted by the Registry. A Registrant is the holder of a registered name in the Top-Level Domain Registry.

Means an entity authorized by ICANN to offer Domain Name Registration services and entered into a contract with the Registry for the provision of Domain Name Registration Services for the .ART TLD to Applicants, Registrants, and/or their respective agents.

Means the entity that is operating a top-level domain registry (such as .ART).

Means Domain Names that the Registry has reserved from Registration and may, at its sole discretion, later release for Registration or Allocation.

Means a top-level domain name registry (e.g .ART).

Means the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy established by ICANN for the resolution of disputes regarding the Registration of Internet Domain Names.

Means the Uniform Rapid Suspension System, a rights protection mechanism that offers a lower-cost, faster path to relief for rights holders experiencing the most clear-cut cases of infringement.