# Info Puke

!!! warning
	This information might be outdated. Always check the most up-to-date
	information on the
	[official traficom site](https://www.traficom.fi/en/communications/fi-domains/fi-domain-applicants-and-users)
	.
	
## fi-domain name requirements

!!! INFO
	Make sure your fi-domain name is lawful.
	You can lose the domain name you have registered if requested by the owner
	of the infringed name or trademark. This will not be refunded.

Domain name holders are responsible for making sure that the domain name they
have registered is lawful. The domain name must not infringe a protected name
or trademark owned by another party. You can lose the domain name you have
registered if requested by the owner of the infringed name or trademark.

Each domain name is unique. In principle, you can choose your domain name
freely and domain names are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
However, you are responsible for making sure that your domain name is lawful.
If you register a domain name that infringes someone else's name or trademark,
you can lose your domain name.

Before registering a domain name, consult the public registers to make sure that
the domain name does not infringe someone else’s name or trademark protected
in Finland or within the EU.

Protected names and trademarks include:

- [names entered into the Finnish registers of trade, foundations or political parties](https://www.ytj.fi/en/index.html)
- [names entered into the Finnish trademark register](https://epalvelut.prh.fi/web/tietopalvelu/haku)
- [names entered into the Finnish register of associations](https://yhdistysrekisteri.prh.fi/?userLang=en)
- [trademarks entered into the trademark register of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)](https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/)
- [names of public body or its bodies](https://www.ytj.fi/en/index.html)
- names of diplomatic missions of foreign states or their bodies
- established names, secondary marks or trademarks referred to in the Business Names Act or Trademarks Act.

## How to choose a good domain name?

!!! INFO
	Consider carefully what kind of domain name is best for you. Before
	registering a domain name, make sure the permitted characters and
	the lawfulness of the domain name.

The domain name must not infringe a protected name or trademark owned by
another party. Domain name holders are responsible for making sure that the
domain name they have registered is lawful. Consult the public registers to
verify that the domain name you are about to register is lawful.

An fi-domain name may contain 2-63 characters. The permitted characters and the
restrictions in their use are further specified.

Permitted characters in domain names are

- letters a-z
- numbers 0-9
- hyphen-minus (-)

Permitted native language characters are

- letters å, ä and ö
- characters in the Sami languages spoken in Finland

A domain name may not begin or end with a hyphen-minus. The third and fourth
characters may not both be hyphen-minuses.

An exception to this is the ACE form (ASCII Compatible Encoding) of a domain
name containing native language characters å, ä or ö. In such case, the third
and fourth characters may both be hyphen-minuses.

### Tips for a good domain name

A domain name should be clear and contain as few technical restrictions as
possible. A good domain name:

- does not infringe any names or trademarks already registered by another party
- cannot be confused with another domain name. A name that is very similar to
  another name may lead to misunderstandings.
- matches your company name, auxiliary company name or trademark
- is distinctive and reflects your subject or service
- sounds clear also when spoken and pronounced in different languages. Replacing
  letters å, ä and ö with a and o, for instance, may change the name's meaning
  into something unflattering. Keep in mind the technical requirements
  concerning the Finnish and Sami native characters as well as hyphen-minus.
- may be used as an email address, if necessary. For example, the domain name
  citywastewatertreatmentplant.fi is too complicated to be used as an email
  address firstname.lastname@citywastewatertreatmentplant.fi.

It is very important to verify that the fi-domain name is lawful before
registering it. If your domain name infringes someone else's protected name or
trademark, you can lose your domain name.
Traficom can remove an fi-domain name from the domain name register at the
request of the owner of a protected name or trademark if the domain name is
identical or similar to the protected name or trademark.

## Native language characters in domain names

!!! INFO
	An fi-domain name may contain Finnish native characters (e.g. å, ä and ö)
	that differ from the Latin alphabet. The majority of software converts these
	characters into a form that is accepted by name server systems. However, not
	all software and keyboards support native language characters. We do not
	recommend to use a domain name containing native language characters as your
	primary domain name.

Internet name server systems can only process the traditional letters (a to z)
of the Latin alphabet. In order for name servers to accept native language
characters in domain names, the characters must be converted into another form.

Software, internet browsers and email programs that support national domain
names automatically convert them from plain text into a form that name server
systems can read.

However, due to technical restrictions, it is not recommended to use a domain
name containing native language characters as a primary domain name.

### Permitted characters in domain names

The permitted characters in fi-domain names are letters from a to z, numbers
from 0 to 9, hyphen-minus and the following native language characters:

![Kansalliset merkit](https://www.traficom.fi/sites/default/files/styles/media_image_lg/public/media/images/fi-kansalliset-merkit.png.jpg)

à, â, ä, å ...
... õ, ö ...

An fi-domain name cannot begin or end with a hyphen-minus. A domain name cannot
begin with characters xn--. The ACE form (ASCII Compatible Encoding) of a domain
name containing native language characters always begins with characters xn--.

### Rights to domain names containing native language characters

Fi-domain name holders have no priority to a domain name similar to their domain
name apart from native language characters (å, ä, ö). These domain names, too,
are granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

However, regardless of whether a domain name contains native language characters
or not, it can be considered identical to a protected name or trademark that
contains native language characters.

For example, both domain name åäö.fi and domain name aao.fi would be considered
identical to the protected name or trademark ÅÄÖ. Instead, if the protected name
or trademark were AAO, the only domain name considered identical to it would be
aao.fi.

### Technical restrictions of browser software

The latest versions of most browser software support domain names containing
native language characters. The most popular of them are Mozilla Firefox,
Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and Safari.

### Technical restrictions of email addresses

If domain names containing native language characters are intended to be used in
email addresses, the sender's email program must support such characters. The
support in many email programs is still insufficient, and therefore it is
recommended to check this directly from the manufacturer of the program.

Due to technical restrictions, it is not recommended to use a domain name
containing native language characters in an email address. Few email programs
support IDNs. Without IDN support, the domain name has to be used in an
impractical coded form. For example, info@ääkkönen.fi in coded form is
info@ xn--kknen-fraa=0m.fi.

### Keyboard support for native language characters

It can be difficult or even impossible to type fi-domain names containing native
language characters using a foreign language keyboard. Without keyboard support,
one solution for entering native language characters in Windows operating system
is Character Map program.
