HKNIC: Hong Kong Network Information Center

Evolution from HKNIC to HKIRC

The Hong Kong Network Information Center (HKNIC) was a non-profit public service organization governed by the Joint Universities of Computer Center (JUCC). The Joint Universities of Computer Center is a group of eight computer centers aided by the Hong Kong government. The main aim of HKNIC is to afford its members the information technology services and increase development for information technology.

The Hong Kong Network Information Center was formed in order to register domain names ending in .hk, the country code top level domain extension assigned to Hong Kong, such as the domain name xyz.com.hk. The .hk domain extension was introduced in 1990, and from 1992 the HKNIC handled the domain name registrations of Hong Kong until it handed over this power in 2002 to the HKIRC (Hong Kong Internet Registration Company). The HKIRC registers the domain names of Hong Kong at present through its auxiliary, the HKDNR (Hong Kong Domain Name Registration Company Limited).

The HKNIC used to accept the domain name registration applications through recognized Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Only those institutes which were officially registered were entitled to apply for the .hk domain name registrations with the HKNIC. They were registered on a first come, first served basis. As a policy, HKNIC does not allow overseas companies to register, unless they have an official office in Hong Kong. The eligible entities who were interested in securing Hong Kong domain registrations were governed by the HKNIC’s Domain Dispute Resolution Policy. Those intending to secure .hk registrations had to supply accurate information in their applications; moreover, they could not use the domain names for illegal and unethical purposes.

Any dispute arising with regard to domain name registration had to be solved in the appropriate court of law in Hong Kong. Under HKNIC there was no provision to settle the dispute out of the court of law through arbitration or mediation.

There were several disadvantages with the policies of the HKNIC. The HKNIC did not allow individuals to register, only one domain name could be registered and overseas firms who had no registered office in Hong Kong were not allowed to register. This in turn, limited the amount of .hk domains and businesses.

Currently, information regarding the registration of .hk domain names can be found at https://www.hkdnr.hk/. Available extensions include .com.hk, .org.hk, and .net.hk, just to list a few, and include available domains in English, pinyin, and Chinese characters.