By Gabriela Kennedy and Joanne Harland
Hong Kong Launches Second Level .HK Domain Names
The Hong Kong Domain Name Registry ("HKDNR") has announced that it will be launching second level domain names under the top-level country-code domain .hk in early 2004. Second level domain names will be generally available to the public after a Soft Launch Period, during which priority for second level .hk domain names will be given to applicants that satisfy certain requirements (see below).
There are no registration requirements for second level .hk domain names unlike for third level .hk domain names (which can only be obtained by entities with a local presence in Hong Kong). Second level .hk domain names will be available to any entity (including individuals 18 years or older) irrespective of their location. No supporting documents will be required when applying for a second level .hk domain name save where the domain includes words such as "bank" or "insurance".
