.eu domain names

Any European based companies bother with this?

[bouncybunny]

If I mainly trade in the United Kingdom, what are the advantages or otherwise, of buying the .eu version of my domain name?

I currently use the .com extension as the primary domain and 301 redirect the .co.uk version to the .com. But I am wondering if there is any point in getting the .eu version.

Any tips and experiences welcome.

[appi2]

I do the same as yourself, but also bought the .eu which is also 301'd to the .com
Only reason I bought it was to stop the pesky domainers.

Other than that .eu is pointless.

Apart from the European union site I've yet to see a .eu in the results.

Do this serch in google

inurl:eu

Doesn't look good does it?

[Quadrille]

The only reason to buy one, unless you are a multi-language, pan-European site, is to stop someone else getting it.

And that's the point of it; to give domain sellers a fear-motivated source of income.

But it's more like .info (99 cents at GoDaddy) than .com - does it really matter if your worst enemy gets it?

Not if you have the .com, it doesn't.

[bouncybunny]

Thanks folks.

So it's really not worth any more than a .info? Yuck!

[abmcelln]

<snip> Though might be a good idea to regsiter it, prevent others from using it.

[edited by: Webwork at 7:49 pm (utc) on Mar. 2, 2007]
[edit reason] Please avoid inserting geopolitics and cultural generatlizations into posts. Thanks. [/edit]

[hakanhaknuz]

It is a european tld instead of an u.s.a. tld.
If you dont buy it now you will be sorry in a few years..
Europe is not really in the hearts of european citizens, nowadays, but someday we (european countries) will be sort of like
the united states of europa. What importance will your .eu name have then.. You can say it will be our European Country TLD.
As for the moment you cannot compare .eu with .info beause its not the same.
.Info is selling really cheap and .eu still costs a decent amount of money. (it will be cheaper in the future...).
Only european citiens/companies are allowed to register names.
It is only because ogf the bad start .eu had, that we shall have to wait a few more years, before the benefits of having a .eu tld becomes clear to everybody.
Dont get me wrong I am not totally happy how things are going with the .eu tld, but these complaints are mostly directed to price waterhouse and coopers and eurid, as well as the dispute policie rules & court they have ..well i have made my complaints , pros and cons in other posts already. Just look for .eu

[jmccormac]

If I mainly trade in the United Kingdom, what are the advantages or otherwise, of buying the .eu version of my domain name?

Very little. The .co.uk would be your priority followed closely by the .com version of your domain name.

I currently use the .com extension as the primary domain and 301 redirect the .co.uk version to the .com. But I am wondering if there is any point in getting the .eu version.

If only to protect your brand, yes. Over 80% of UK and Irish businesses that applied for their .eu in Sunrise 2 did not get it. That destroyed any credibility that .eu ever had with the business community in the UK and Ireland.

As it stands, .eu ccTLD is a cesspit of failure due to the incompetence of EURid, the European Commission and its advisors. The majority of it, based on approximately 2M .eu domains mapped here, is under utilised. In terms of public recognition, it does not even figure much above the lesser known TLDs. While the smurfs in EURid might consider it to be a success, it means very little to the man on the Clapham Omnibus. The .co.uk and .com TLDs are the only ones that seem to be important.

Legitimate domainers are an essential part of any TLD. However .eu has been plundered by US, Canadian and Chinese domain warehousing operations using EU (mainly UK) front companies to such an extent that it has ceased to be a credible extension for European businesses. Therefore if you can get your domain in .eu and it hasn't been registered by any of these warehousers or cybersquatters, do it now!

A simple question - which do you trust more: a co.uk or a .eu?

Regards...jmcc