Am I eligible?
To be approved to register and use a .coop domain name,
you must qualify under at least one of the following criteria:
- members of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) if otherwise
eligible;
- members of the International Cooperative Alliance(ICA) if otherwise eligible;
- organizations formed as and/or considered cooperatives under applicable local
law;
- associations comprised of cooperatives;
- organizations that are committed to the seven cooperative principles;
- organizations that are majority controlled by cooperatives;
- entities whose operations are principally dedicated to serving cooperatives; and
- for no more than 5,000 registrants, persons or entities whose use of a .coop
domain name would, in the opinion of the DCLLC Board, advance the interests of
the cooperative sector in general or would assist in the development of
cooperatives worldwide. (.coop Sponsored TLD Agreement)
In short, only cooperatives, cooperative service organizations and subsidiaries
of cooperatives are eligible to register a .coop domain unless specific
exception is made by application to dotCoop, the sponsor of the .coop TLD. DotCoop will review your eligibility at no charge to ensure your eligibility for a .coop domain prior to registration. Please contact us if you would like us to confirm your eligibility.
Cooperatives can register any domain name available on a first-come-first-served basis. However, all .coop domains are subject to the UDRP which deals with trademark and other use infringements.
Individuals cannot purchase a .coop name. Only eligible cooperative organizations may register domain names; however organizations may purchase a domain name of an individual (i.e., carolynhoover.coop) so long as the organization has permission from the individual.
Co-ops in the process of formation may purchase a .coop domain. However, the registration is subject to review under the
Verification Policy DotCoop can revoke your domain registrartion if the registrant organization is not an eligible co-op at the time of review.
Businesses that are not cooperatives can reserve their trademarked names through the Brand Safe program although businesses cannot activate or use these domains. These reserved names are subject to UDRP action by eligible cooperatives.