On February 1, 2021, the Lebanese Domain Registry (LBDR) announced a major change of its policies for the registration and renewals of the “.lb ccTLD” domain names.
According to the new policy, the registration and maintenance of an “.lb” domain name will no longer be free, as it had been since the establishment of the LBDR in 1993.
The filing requirements for all new “.lb” domain name applications were revised as well, and the LBDR no longer requires the submission of a trademark certificate.
Previously, to register an “.lb” domain name, the applicant had to file a trademark under class 35 and, once registered, submit the registration certificate along with the other required documents to the LBDR. The current practice now only requires the submission of an application form and a legalized power of attorney.
The requirement stipulating that the applicant must have a postal address in Lebanon remains unchanged by the LBDR, however.
With that in mind, it is worth noting the LBDR will continue to protect domain names registered before February 1, 2021 based on a Lebanese trademark under class 35. Moreover, the LBDR will not permit the transfer nor registration of such domain names to third parties unless the domain expired and was parked for at least 365 calendar days from the domain registration expiry date.
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