If you have a domain name that ends in .com.au, .net.au, .asn.au or similar, you have until Tuesday 20 September to prevent someone else from registering an identical name that ends in .au.
On 24 March this year, the .au Domain Administration (auDA), which is a non-government regulator, introduced a new system that allows anyone with a "verified connection to Australia" to register a new category of domain name that ends with .au. (instead of .com.au, .net.au, asn.au, etc).
For example, yourplumber.com.au could be yourplumber.au
auDA also decided that any Australian businesses with an existing domain name would only have until 20 September to reserve or register their equivalent .au domain name before it became available to the public.
Despite the The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman requesting auDA to extend this deadlne, it has refused.
You can avoid the risks of a look-alike .au domain name being used in scams or to steal business from you by taking a few minutes and spending the money to register it .
A business rival or anyone else who registers your .au domain name after 20 September could set up a website that pretends to be yours, engage in criminal activity by sending emails that appear to come from you, or demand a huge sum of money to sell it to you.
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