FAQs

This process is how any disputes for domain name ownership will be handled. The process is documented in the DotCoop Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (DCDRP). The provisions of this policy bind all domain name registrars for domain names in accordance with dotCoop's Agreement with ICANN and is incorporated into your Registration Agreement. A summary of that information is provided in the Dispute Policy on www.coop.

If you register a domain name that is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which the someone has rights, and you have no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name, and your domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith, mandatory administrative proceedings can be initiated by a trademark holder by filing a complaint with an approved dispute resolution service provider. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has been selected to provide this service by dotCoop. WIPO's mandate is to ensure neutrality and impartiality in the treatment of each case, provide a dispute resolution solution service that is easily accessible for Internet consumers and businesses alike, resolve disputes quickly and cost-effectively, and inspire trust in e-commerce. DotCoop will cancel, transfer, or otherwise make changes to domain name registrations as rendered by a WIPO ruling.

First, try to resolve the issue with the registrar directly. Registrars are required to have customer support mechanisms to assist you. The registration agreement that you have accepted from your registrar is a contract between you and your registrar, and therefore dotCoop does not normally intervene in such disputes. If the problem cannot be resolved directly with your registrar, visit the InterNIC Registrar Problem Report page. It provides additional suggestions, and a report form.

When the expiration date is reached, the name is inactivated. The name (site) will not be accessible on the Internet and will no longer be valid for email. Although the information on the name can still be seen on the .coop WHOIS, the DNS information will no longer be published to the Internet. Names that are not active will not be immediately affected but will not be able to be activated after expiration.

Transferring names will not be inactivated at expiration. If a transfer is not completed successfully that was in process at the time of expiration, then the name will be inactivated at that time.

As soon as a Renewal or Transfer is accepted for an expired name, the name will be re-activated. This will take about 24 hours to be completely accessible on the Internet. This option is only available for 45 days after expiration at the discretion of your registrar.

Your .coop name will be held for 45 days after expiration by your registrar. You can renew, transfer and otherwise continue to maintain your name after expiration, although it cannot be actively used until it is renewed.

After 45 days, your domain name will be released for purchase by other eligible organizations. You can also repurchase your name at that time if it has not been purchased by someone else.

The .coop registry allows for a 5-day grace period on adds. During that 5-day period, a refund will be given. After that time, no refunds are provided by the registry. Registrars may have different policies that may take precedence based on your registration agreement with the registrar. Please check directly with your registrar on their policies and procedures for grace periods.

The Redemption Grace Period (RGP) allows registrants to have an additional time period to renew a domain name that has expired at the discretion of the registrar. DotCoop does not support Redemption Grace Period Processing for registrants at this time.

"ClientRenewProhibited" is status information that is set by some .coop registrars so that registrants will need to specifically take action to renew their domains. Some domains are automatically renewed. Registrars then bill the registrants for these renewals. DotCoop prefers to allow registrants to make that choice and so registrars can ensure that process by setting this status. This does not mean that you cannot renew your domain! In fact it means that you actually have to take a specific action to do so.

Only cooperatives, cooperative service organizations and subsidiaries of cooperatives will be eligible to use the .coop domain name. It is the responsibility of dotCoop to ensure that organizations that register .coop names meet the .coop TLD Eligibility Criteria as noted below. If you are not sure if your organization is eligible, please contact support@nic.coop. Ineligible registrants forfeit the entire registration fee.

As the sponsor, dotCoop sets eligibility policies for registration for the .coop TLD based on the criteria defined in the agreement with ICANN. Eligibility criteria are specified in the Registration Agreement.

DotCoop will validate that all registrants meet the eligibility criteria as agreed to in the Charter using information from the Internet, cooperative references supplied byt the registrant and co-operative organizations around the world to verify the eligibility of registrants.

Individuals cannot purchase a .coop name. Domain names can only be registered by an eligible cooperative organization. Individual's names can be purchased by a cooperative or other eligible organization(i.e., carolynhoover.coop) with the permission of the individual. Please contact us at support@nic.coop with any questions on eligibility.

You will be informed of an appeals process if you feel this determination was made in error. You will have 30 days to initiate the appeals process. The names you have registered will remain in reserve until any appeals process is completed.

If you are determined to be ineligible for a .coop domain, you will forfeit the entire registration fee and the names you have purchased will be released from the reserved name system.

If you are not sure that you are eligible, please contact the registry at support@nic.coop to confirm your eligibility.

If an eligible registrant becomes ineligible to hold a .coop name because of demutualization, dissolution of the co-op or other means, then the registrant should notify dotCoop within 30 days and the name will be revoked and become available for repurchase by another eligible organization. DotCoop will also move to revoke names if notified by this change by outside parties using the standard manual verification process. .Coop domains registrations by ineligible businesses or individuals will be revoked after the Verification Process is completed.

A business must be at least 51% owned by a cooperative or cooperatives in order to be eligible.

Yes. Of course, if the principle is not relevant to that type of co-op then it would not be required. For instance, many buying co-ops do not require capital investment so that principal would not apply to that type of co-op.

Mutual insurance companies that operate on a cooperative basis are eligible for a .coop domain. Eligibility has to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Please contact support@nic.coop for more information.

Yes, you can purchase a name for your co-op as it is being formed. DotCoop recognizes the need to create your Internet identity as an integral part of the start-up of any company in today's world. However, dotCoop reserves the right to review your eligibility after an appropriate time and revoke your .coop domains with no refund if the organization that is created is not eligible as defined by our Charter. Generally, dotCoop reviews such registrations within six months of registration.

Registrars set the specific requirements for refunds since all payments are made to your selected registrar.DotCoop allows registrars up to a 5 day grace period for new registrations.The cancellation of the add transaction and any refund is handled strictly by your registrar.

Renewals and transfer payments cannot be refunded.

If your name is revoked because you are ineligible, you will not typically receive a refund of any of the registration fee. Registrar policies may differ.Please review information on your registrar's web site about refund policies. For further information, please contact the dotCoop Operations Center.

.coop domain names cost more because the .coop registry must verify that registrants are cooperatives or cooperative support organizations - the only businesses eligible to buy names in the .coop domain. By maintaining the integrity of .coop, the registry ensures that Internet users can rely on .coop sites as a trusted place to do business.

Because sponsored domains must verify registrant eligibility, the cost of domain names is typically higher. The cost of .pro, another sponsored domain, is $250-$300 per year. .coop names are priced as affordably as possible to allow cooperatives to get the names they need to maintain a strong web presence.

If an eligible registrant becomes ineligible to hold a .coop name because of demutualization, dissolution of the co-op or other means, then the registrant should notify dotCoop within 30 days and the name will be revoked and become available for repurchase by another eligible organization.DotCoop will also move to revoke names if notified by this change by outside parties using the standard manual verification process.

.Coop domains registrations by ineligible businesses or individuals will be revoked after the Verification Process is completed.

The .coop registry allows for a 5-day grace period on adds.During that 5-day period, a refund will be given.After that time, no refunds are provided by the registry.Registrars may have different policies that may take precedence based on your registration agreement with the registrar.Please check directly with your registrar on their policies and procedures for grace periods.

Yes, you can purchase a name for your co-op as it is being formed. DotCoop recognizes the need to create your Internet identity as an integral part of the start-up of any company in today's world. However, dotCoop reserves the right to review your eligibility after an appropriate time and revoke your .coop domains with no refund if the organization that is created is not eligible as defined by our Charter.Generally, dotCoop reviews such registrations within six months of registration.

Registrars are able to offer you registration through their registration sites.DotCoop has accredited these registrars to register .coop names.

If you have previously purchased a domain name, you can check your registrar's site on the procedure to purchase more names.You can also purchase names from any other .coop registrar.

Registration fees for .coop domain names are set by each Registrar and can vary based on options that are included with the domain name as well as the length of registration.Each registrar determines the prices and contractual terms it offers, as allowed by ICANN. When you register a domain name, you enter into a legal agreement between you and the registrar. Each registrar should post a copy of its registration agreement on its site. Registration under .coop will be more costly than unrestricted domains like .com, because dotCoop must verify the eligibility of applicants for .coop domain names.

Use the Whois or Domain search capability to see if the name you want is available for registration..coop whois contains information on all registered and reserved .coop domain names.

ICANN requires that each registry provide full WHOIS information for each domain name that is registered.

All changes to information about your .coop domain name must be submitted to your registrar. Contact your registrar if you have questions about updates to WHOIS information.

Yes. Many businesses use multiple web addresses to point to their website.So your organization can use both .coop and .com (or .org, etc.) at the same time to point to the same website.

Contact your registrar directly for this information using the procedures provided on their web site.Some registars do not have online access to your information and you can send instructions on the needed changes to your account following their instructions (email, fax, etc.) and they will perform any needed updates.

If you want to use only your .coop name for e-mails within your organization, you can have your ISP switch your e-mail to new mailboxes with your new .coop domain name at the end.They should overlap this with your old mailbox names for at least a week to avoid losing messages.It is a good idea to send out a message to everyone in your Address Book and let them know about your new e-mail address.

If you want to continue having your old mailbox active as well as your new .coop address, check with your ISP about setting up a mailbox redirect so that messages to your old email address are automatically redirected to your new .coop address.Your ISP may charge for this service.

You can also use your .coop name for e-mail even if you do not have a web site.Your ISP can talk to you about the services that they offer or you can check on the Internet for a service that makes sense for your organization at a very low cost.

The dotCoop registry does not allow changes to domain names after they are accepted by the registry.Check with your registrar for any different procedures.

To confirm what steps you need to take to activate your domains, review the information on your registrar's web site and apply the changes on the registrar's web site.Changes cannot be made by the registry.

These are domain names that have been set aside for the Community Names program or because of special consideration of that name by the registry.The registry may set aside names that have been registered in bad faith as defined in the UDRP or as directed in a Dispute settlement by WIPO.

Brandsafe names are held in reserve by non-eligible organizations because they are not actually able to register a name.The business or organization requesting a reserve using Brandsafe must hold a trademark on the name in question.The Brandsafe program prevents co-operatives from accidentally registering names that may result in a trademark suit.

These are names that ICANN requires be restricted from registration according to the contract that dotCoop has as Sponsor of the .coop TLD.These names are reserved to prevent confusion and problems in processing on the Internet.

Domain names in the .coop TLD should include only letters, numbers and dashes (-).Spaces and other special characters are not allowed.

Two-character names are initially reserved. Permission from the appropriate government and country code manager or the ISO 3166 maintenance agency is required for registration of these names in .coop.DotCoop will work with potential registrants to determine the availability of two-character names of interest.

Names that contain hyphens in positions 3 and 4 are also reserved for future support of IDN (International Domain Names.)

DotCoop also has certain names reserved based on requirements in our Charter from ICANN and to support the .coop Community Names program.Details on why a name is unavailable can be obtained from .coop whois or by e-mail to support@communicate.coop.

The .coop registry allows for a 5-day grace period on adds.During that 5-day period, a refund will be given.After that time, no refunds are provided by the registry.Registrars may have different policies that may take precedence based on your registration agreement with the registrar.Please check directly with your registrar on their policies and procedures for grace periods.

Yes, you can purchase a name for your co-op as it is being formed. DotCoop recognizes the need to create your Internet identity as an integral part of the start-up of any company in today's world. However, dotCoop reserves the right to review your eligibility after an appropriate time and revoke your .coop domains with no refund if the organization that is created is not eligible as defined by our Charter.Generally, dotCoop reviews such registrations within six months of registration.

.Coop does not support the independent registration of third level domains (e.g. level3.mydomain.coop.)Co-ops can created third level domains for their own internal system use but cannot set up domains to be used by external entities whether or not they accept a fee for the third level domain.

Contact your registrar or check the information on their web site about how to transfer a name to another co-op.DotCoop reserves the right to verify and deny the eligibility of the new registrant in case of a transfer, so please check on eligibility before the transfer is initiated with your registrar.

To transfer your name to a different registrar, contact the "new" registrar to find out their requirement to begin a transfer.

When you transfer a domain, you must renew the name for at least one year at that time. Although registrars can charge for handling your transfer, at this time .coop registrars charge no additional fees beyond their standard renewal fees. Registrars can set different requirements for the length of renewal required at the time of transfer.

In order to transfer a domain name between registrants, the new or gaining registrar must supply a "password" along with the transfer request to the old or losing registrar.Registrants may have access to this information or may need to request it from their old registrar.These passwords are called the Authorization ID by some registrars and Domain Secrets by other registrars.This is not your password for accessing your registrar account in most cases.

Verification is the process by which dotCoop determines whether an applicant is eligible to register a .coop domain name according to the .coop TLD Eligibility Criteria.

Verification is required because the .coop top level domain (TLD) is a restricted TLD. This means that only cooperatives and organizations serving cooperatives are allowed to register and use .coop domain names. dotCoop is responsible for ensuring that only eligible organizations are using this TLD.

This information is used to confirm the applicant's status as a cooperative.References or sponsors are usually cooperatives or cooperative organizations. They may be contacted if dotCoop has not been able to complete a verification using other processes and contacts.

If dotCoop cannot determine eligibility immediately, you will be asked to provide appropriate documentation demonstrating eligibility for .coop registration. If you are registering a domain for the first time, the domains will be put into a Pending status while this verification proceeds and cannot be activated until verification is complete.If your eligibility is being confirmed for existing domains, then your use of the domains is not affected while the verification process proceeds.

The names that you have registered will be immediately released from the Pending status for use by your organization.No further action on your part is required.

You will be informed of an appeals process if you feel this determination was made in error. You will have 30 days to initiate the appeals process. The names you have registered will remain in reserve until any appeals process is completed.

If you are determined to be ineligible for a .coop domain, you will forfeit the entire registration fee and the names you have purchased will be released from the reserved name system.

If you are not sure that you are eligible, please contact the registry at support@nic.coop to confirm your eligibility.

Documentation requested in a manual verification may include the following:

1. A copy of the organization's bylaws,
2. A copy of the organization's most recent annual report or the most recent past two years of audited financials or financial statements provided to members over the past 3 years,
3. A sample of the organization's membership application forms and/or membership materials, promotional, sales or informational material that reference the organizations status as a cooperative.

In addition, additional references other than your original cooperative reference may be requested if the original contacts could not help confirm your eligibility.

If the verification takes place during your initial registration, the names you have requested for your cooperative will be held in a Pending status. Your cooperative will not be able to use the names nor will other registrants be able to register these names.

If the verification is conducted as a "spot check" and your name is already active, your name will remain active unless dotCoop determines you are not eligible to register and use a .coop domain.

If your cooperative is selected for verification, the system will notify you immediately that the verification process is needed before your cooperative's requested names can be used. In most cases, an eligibility determination will be made within 5 business days. In situations where additional materials or review are needed, the verification process may take as long as 2-3 weeks.

If you would like an update on the status of your verification, contact dotCoop at support@nic.coop or +1-202-383-5453.

If non-English support is needed, please contact us first at support@nic.coop.

No. Verification is part of the cost of the .coop domain name.

Mutual insurance companies that operate on a cooperative basis are eligible for a .coop domain.Eligibility has to be determined on a case-by-case basis.Please contact support@nic.coop for more information.

Yes, you can purchase a name for your co-op as it is being formed. DotCoop recognizes the need to create your Internet identity as an integral part of the start-up of any company in today's world. However, dotCoop reserves the right to review your eligibility after an appropriate time and revoke your .coop domains with no refund if the organization that is created is not eligible as defined by our Charter.Generally, dotCoop reviews such registrations within six months of registration.

You can become a .coop TLD registrar if you are an ICANN-accredited registrar and submit an application to dotCoop that successfully addresses the Business and Technical Capabilities included in the application.Applicants must agree to all the terms presented in the .coop TLD Registrar Accreditation Agreement.

Currently, there is no charge for becoming a .coop registrar.All .coop registrars must establish a Deposit Account to cover their anticipated .coop registrations.

Yes, registrars will likely need to make customizations to address the verification requirements of the .coop sponsored TLD.These requirements are detailed in the EPP Extensions for the .coop TLD document.

Please contact dotCoop at support@nic.coop or by telephone at +1-202-383-5453 for more information on becoming a .coop registrar or look at the For Registars area on www.coop.

.coop is a new restricted Top Level Domain (TLD) sponsored by dotCoop and approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) on November 16, 2000 following a proposal submitted jointly by NCBA and Poptel and supported by ICA..coop was among only seven new TLDs selected from more than 180 that were proposed! Joining .coop are .biz, .name, .museum, .aero, info and .pro.The .coop TLD was launched on January 30, 2002.

Extensive market research shows that consumers trust cooperatives more than investor-owned businesses and prefer to do business with them. That's because cooperatives are motivated by the mission of providing quality goods and services to their member-owners, rather than meeting their investors' expectations for profits. Cooperatives are also committed to serving their communities. That makes them good corporate citizens.That means that cooperatives have a natural edge in the marketplace if they promote their cooperative status. Cooperative values sell.

For more information on how .coop can support the goals of your cooperative, see the information in about .coop.

A unique name on the Internet that relates to a specific IP address. Technically, a domain name is an addressing construct used for identifying and locating computers on the Internet. While computers use Internet Protocol (IP) numbers to locate each other on the Internet, people find them hard to remember. Therefore, domain names were developed to permit the use of easily remembered words and phrases to identify Internet addresses.

The Domain Name Server (DNS) is the hierarchical system by which easy-to-remember, human-friendly names like "ncba.coop" are associated with Internet locations.

DotCooperation LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCBA and is the actual sponsor of the .coop TLD that is licensed by ICANN. DotCoop sets eligibility and verification policies for use of the new domain and provides operational support.

The Founder Program was developed by NCBA with support from ICA and Poptel to allow leading cooperatives and cooperative organizations around the globe to contribute to the support of .coop. Founders contribute not only funds but also their expertise and knowledge of the cooperatives and cooperative organizations in their geographic area and business sectors. Founders understand the importance of .coop to their members as well as to the entire cooperative community and are excited about this unique opportunity. As one of the benefits of being a Founder, members of the Founder cooperative or organization were able to pre-qualify domain names prior to the world-wide launch on January 30, 2002.

For more information on the Founders see about .coop.

A host, also known as a name server, is a computer that uses special software. A host is generally located and maintained at an ISP or Web hosting company. It has your Web site in its memory and makes your Web site available to Internet users that type your domain name in their browser.

A host record is an entry in the dotCoop database of information that includes a host name and number, which are formatted like this: Host Name: NS1.ANYCOOP.COOP Host Number: 214.168.274.144 The Host Number is often called the IP address.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a non-profit, private sector corporation formed by a broad coalition of the Internet's business, technical, academic and user communities. ICANN serves as the global coordinator of the technical management of the Internet's domain name system and other Internet-related issues.ICANN has the exclusive authority to determine which top-level domains, or suffixes, registrars can provide to Internet users. Registrars are businesses that are accredited by ICANN to register Internet domain names. For more information about ICANN, see www.icann.org.

A company that provides services such as hosting your web site and providing you with e-mail support.

Some ICANN-accredited registrars have "resellers." The registrar provides its resellers with the tools, such as back-end systems and customer service, required to register domain names. Using its registrar's systems, the reseller then has the ability to sell domain names to whomever it wishes, such as the general public. In some ways this is akin to the affiliate programs that many online retailers have with other Web sites.

If a site that sells .coop domain names is not on our list of accredited registrars, it may be a reseller. If you look up a domain name in the .coop whois, it will display the name of the accredited registrar (not the name of its reseller) in the "Sponsoring Registrar" field.

Top Level Domains (TLDs) are extensions that appear at the end of Internet addresses. Existing TLDs include .com, .org, .net, .gov and a few others. Media reports suggest there are more than 28 million domain names registered under .com, .net and .org. There are two types of TLDs - sponsored and unsponsored.

Sponsored domains, such as .coop, are open only to a defined community represented by the Sponsor. Unsponsored and restricted domains, like .gov and .edu, can only be used by organizations that meet the eligibility criteria.Unsponsored and unrestricted domains, like .com, .org, and .net can be used by anyone. However, most non-commercial organizations use .org, and most commercial businesses use .com. to characterize their operations. .coop is a sponsored TLD, available only to cooperatives.

Verification is the process by which dotCoop ensures that organizations registering to use .coop domain names meet the .coop TLD Eligibility Criteria. .Coop is a sponsored top level domain (TLD) reserved for use exclusively by cooperatives and organizations serving cooperatives.

On the Internet there are sites that maintain Internet directory information - a listing of those individuals or organizations that have claimed Domain Names. These sites use a common program to make available to the public the 'owners' of domain names. The program and sites are known as 'WHOIS'. Some WHOIS servers keep Internet-wide directory information, while many have only local information.The local WHOIS directory for .coop is available on www.coop and is maintained by the registry operator. This information is also provided to www.internic.net as part of the ICANN support services for more general access. The public, including eligible cooperatives, will be able to determine if names have been selected and if so, who has licensed the name through the .coop WHOIS.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is an approved dispute resolution service provider that has been selected to provide this service by dotCoop. WIPO's mandate is to ensure neutrality and impartiality in the treatment of each case, provide a dispute resolution solution service that is easily accessible for Internet consumers and businesses alike, resolve disputes quickly and cost-effectively, and inspire trust in e-commerce. DotCoop will cancel, transfer, or otherwise make changes to domain name registrations as rendered by a WIPO ruling.

Zone files contain the information needed to resolve domain names to Internet Protocol (IP) numbers. A zone is a portion of the total domain name space that is represented by the data stored on a particular name server. The name server has authority over the zone - or the particular portion of the domain name space - described by that data.

The Zone File contains the active domain names in the .coop TLD.To become a participant of the program, please contact the Operations Center and a form will be emailed to you.

A Registrar is domain name specialist who is responsible for providing you with the means to manage and service your .coop account, the engine behind your name.

The Registry maintains the database of registered domain names for a specific TLD.DotCoop is the Sponsor of the .coop TLD and the Registry Operator is Midcounties Co-op(UK).

The Registry receives domain name system (DNS) information from Registrars, adds that information to a database and distributes the information in zone files on the Internet so that domain names can be found via applications such as the World Wide Web and e-mail.