| Introduced | 1992 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | Estonian Internet Foundation |
| Actual use | Extremely popular in Estonia, now available globally |
| Structure | Registrations are taken directly at the second level, or at the third level beneath various second-level labels |
| Dispute policies | Domain Disputes Committee |
| Website | Estonian Internet Foundation |
.ee is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) of Estonia, operated by Estonian Internet Foundation.
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The top-level domain .ee was introduced in 1992 and was operated by EENet until July 2010. The administrator of .ee domain was the academic Endel Lippmaa. There was a limit of one domain name per legal entity, and registrations of additional names to protect trademarks were specifically denied because "The domain name has no trademark status". As domains under .ee were meant to be an institution's identification on the Internet (like the register code in the commercial register), registration of additional domains in the defense of a trademark or a name form is not possible.[1] Valid registrations were free of charge.
The new order of registration of .ee TLD became available on July 5, 2010. Estonian Internet Foundation took over .ee ccTLD registry functions from EENet. All existing domains registered before the transition must be re-registered during a 6 month transition period ending on January 5, 2011. New .ee domain rules allow unlimited number of domains to be registered by a single entity. Private persons can now register domains directly under .ee. Foreign entities can now register .ee domains although all domains must have an administrative contact with residence in Estonia and is usually provided for free by registrar. Domain disputes will be handled by Domain Disputes Committee. Registration services can be done through accredited registrars listed on Estonian Internet Foundation website.[2] Domains can be registered and renewed on a yearly basis. Registration fee for registrars is set to 18.2 Euros plus tax.[3]
The new order of domain registering was met with great controversy. The relaunch of the registry was at one point delayed to be reassessed.[4] When the relaunch was finalized, the annual fee for a .ee domain was announced to be 285 Estonian kroons (~24 USD) plus tax, which was met with wide criticism.[5] A list of shortcomings was presented in a public notice to EIS by Tõnu Samuel and Jaan Jänesmäe, mentioning that the .ee domain had become the most expensive TLD in Europe.[5] Their cause gained over 800 supporters on Facebook.[6]
The NGO Estonian Internet Community was founded partly as a reaction to the controversial domain reform with 22 founding members.[6] Its board is made up of Tõnu Samuel, Elver Loho, and Heiti Kender. Recently it noted on its blog that several of its members had lost faith in the possibility of any sort of compromise and had independently written e-mails to IANA asking them to step in to resolve the controversy.[7]
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