Since the launch of the .eu internet domain registrations last month, more than 165,000 companies around the EU have made applications, with registrants in Germany accounting for over a third of the total number.

Latest statistics show that out of 166,232 applications so far, 34.7 percent were German, followed by Dutch with 15.6 percent and France with 13.4 percent.

Only one out of ten applications are from the UK, causing worries among British internet experts that competitors or so-called "cyber squatters" - people who buy up web addresses with the same name as groups or companies and sell them on - may target British brand names for their use.

"British companies must act quickly to ensure their online brands are protected across Europe. Applications are dealt with in the order they are received, so any delay could cause your brand significant damage if your trademarks and names are registered by another party," a spokesperson for domain name specialist NetNames told DomainInformer.

Registration for the .eu domain name is currently only open to trademark and prior rights holders in the European Union.

Applicants are required to submit documentary evidence of their right to the domain within 40 days of an application being made, a mechanism to prevent that two or more companies claim the right to the same web address.

A "first come, first served" policy for companies with equal claim to a specific domain name will be applied at the selection.

Costly judicial processes over brand names and the right to attractive web addresses may mount however, as a first forecast indicates that some names will be fought for.