Auctions commenced this week for the more than 2,500 .CO domain applications that received multiple bids during the .CO Landrush. The auctions, will take place over the next four weeks, and are only open to people who applied for a particular domain name during the Landrush phase of the .CO launch.  That means, you can't "join" the auction now -- if you didn't already apply during the Landrush.  These are "closed" auctions, so they won't be generally promoted/publicized, but those bidding will know the key details.  

If you are participating in a Landrush auction, you should have already received an email from service@COauctions.co with the time and date of your auction.  If you haven't gotten your login information yet, please check your SPAM folder, as it may have landed there by mistake.  If you've checked, and you still don't have any auction notification, please email us at service@COauctions.co with your name and contact details and we will resend it!  If this is the case, please contact us immediately as auctions have already started and you don't want to miss out! 

Among the more than 2,500 domains to be auctioned, the three with the most applicants are Slots.co, Insure.co and Denver.co. Other notable .CO domain names up for auction include Mexi.co, America.co, Betting.co, Vitamins.co, UsedCars.co, Happy.co, Ebook.co and Jackpot.co.

On the eve of launching the Landrush auctions, we also published an Open Letter to .CO Domain Registrants.  The purpose of the letter was to reaffirm our commitment to protecting the rights of brand owners and domain investors alike, and to creating a safer, more secure online experience for the broader .CO community.  In particular, we wanted to educate both existing .CO domain name registrants and Landrush auction participants about our policies and safeguards to prevent domain name abuse and to resolve domain name disputes quickly and efficiently, including the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).  

For all auction participants, it's important to both understand your own rights -- and recognize and respect the rights of others by ensuring that the name you are bidding on will not infringe on or violate someone else's trademark rights.  Check with your attorney if you're not sure! 

You can learn more about the Landrush auctions at www.COauctions.co, where there are FAQs and tutorials on the site to help you through the process.  If you are one of the folks lucky enough to be participating in some of these hotly anticipated Landrush auctions -- Good Luck to You -- and Happy Bidding!