.cz
| CZ NIC | |
| Introduced | 1993 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | CZ.NIC |
| Sponsor | CZ.NIC |
| Intended use | Entities affiliated with the  Czech Republic |
| Actual use | Very popular in the Czech Republic |
| Registration restrictions | Businesses must provide tax registration number |
| Structure | Names can be registered directly at second level |
| Documents | Rules Juridical verdicts |
| Dispute policies | Problems |
| DNSSEC | yes |
| Registry website | nic.cz |
.cz is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Czech Republic. It is administered by CZ.NIC. Registrations must be ordered via accredited domain name registrars.
Before the split in 1993, former Czechoslovakia used domain .cs.
The maximum domain name length permitted is 63 characters, which may only be alphanumeric or the hyphen (-). Hyphens are restricted in that they may not be the first or last character, neither may they appear consecutively.[1] As of 2013, there are six domains which use the maximum of 63 characters.[2]
History
The .cz domain came into effect in January 1993, following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia.[3] In 2009, new European Union legislation came into effect, allowing the use of diacritics in second-level domains under the .eu domain only. Czech customers were among the most interested in the new domains, only Germans bought more, with the French in third. The .cz domain, operated by the CZ.NIC association, continued to only offer standard characters, citing insufficient demand and lower accessibility from abroad as reasons behind their decision.[4]
Over 850,000 internet sites had been registered as .cz by the end of 2011.[5] In 2012, the number exceeded one million.[3] The Czech Republic was therefore the 12th European Union member state with a top-level domain to top a million active domain names.[6]
At the end of 2011, CZ.NIC reported that ownership of all domains, 58% were by individuals, whereas those held by organisations accounted for a minority of 42%.[5] Domains were most popular in Prague, followed by Brno and Ostrava.[5]
References
- ^ "Rules of Domain Name Registration Under ccTLD .cz" (PDF). Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ "10 domains with the highest number of characters". CZ.NIC. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ a b Willoughby, Ian (21 November 2012). "Millionth internet site with Czech .cz domain name registered". Radio Prague. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ Borufka, Sarah (11 December 2009). "New EU regulation allows use of diacritics for certain web domains". Radio Prague. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ a b c "2011 Annual Report" (PDF). CZ.NIC. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ ".CZ Reaches One Million Active Domains". domainpulse.com. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2014.