What is the Dispute Resolution Process

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 the .coop Registration Agreement. A summary of that information is provided in the Dispute Policy.

What is the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)?

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. 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.

What should I do if I have a dispute with my registrar?

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 entered in with your registrar when registering your .coop names is a contract in which dotCoop isn’t a party. Therefore we do not normally intervene in such disputes, unless your registrar is in breach of their agreement with us -dotCoop. If the problem cannot be resolved directly with your registrar, visit the ICANN dispute resolution options page. It provides additional suggestions and forms to submit complaints.

What happens when a .coop name registration expires?

When the expiration date is reached, the domain will soon stop being active and the website or any emails associated with the domain name will stop being accessible.

There is a renewal grace period of 45 days with .coop. This means that even if your domain name expires it will still be available for you to renew within 45 days, at the regular renewal fee set by your registrar.

What happens to my name after expiration? Can I get it back?

Your .coop name will be accessible for you to renew via your registrar’s interface during the 45-day grace period. You can renew, transfer and otherwise continue to maintain your name after expiration, although it cannot be actively used until it is renewed.

At the end of this 45-day renewal grace period if your domain is not renewed it will enter a 30-day redemption period. Note that a registrar may charge you an additional fee for restoring your domain -i.e. for renewing it within the redemption period- on top of the regular renewal fee.

Finally, if after the 30-day redemption period the domain name is not restored/renewed then it will get deleted at the end of a 5-day period. Deletion of a domain name means that it becomes available again for registration by another eligible organisation.

You can of course re-register your name after its been deleted, if it has not been registered by someone else.

What is the Add Grace Period for .coop domains?

The .coop registry allows for a 5-day grace period on new domain name registrations. During that 5-day period, a refund will be given to the registrar for any domain deletions. After that time, no refunds are provided by the registry. Registrars may have different policies on refunding domains within the Add Grace Period, these will take precedence and they will be in accordance to the registration agreement between the registrar and the .coop registrant . Please check directly with your registrar on their policies and procedures for grace periods.

What is the Redemption Grace Period (RGP) and is it available on .coop domains?

The Redemption Grace Period (RGP) allows registrants to have an additional time period to renew a domain name that has expired. The Redemption Grace Period for .coop names is 30 days.

Who can register a .coop domain name?

.Coop is a restricted top level domain (TLD) that is only open for registration to cooperatives and other organizations meeting the .coop eligibility criteria. The aim of DotCooperation LLC (DCLLC) is to provide a namespace to the Global Cooperative Movement.

What are the .coop TLD Eligibility Criteria?

The following are the primary criteria for determining eligibility for a .coop domain name.

• The organization is a democratically controlled member owned cooperative, consistent with the International 7 Cooperative Principles; or
• Is an Association comprised of cooperatives; or
• Is an Organization that is majority controlled by a Cooperative; or
• Is an Entity whose operations are principally dedicated to serving Cooperatives.

DCLLC conducts audits of .COOP domain registrations and reserves the right to cancel or modify a domain name in accordance with their policies. Refer to the Verification Policy to learn about how the audits are conducted.

Who sets the eligibility criteria?

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.

How will dotCoop ensure that only eligible organizations purchase names in the .coop domain?

DotCoop will validate that all registrants meet the eligibility criteria for .coop using information from co-operative membership organizations, from online research, from documents or contact references supplied by the .coop registrants that would prove their eligibility.

Can an individual purchase a .coop name?

Individuals cannot purchase a .coop name. Domain names can only be registered by an eligible organization, a cooperative in most cases. However, an individual’s name can be registered and indeed there are examples of individuals in the co-operative movement who are using a theirname.coop, to blog about the co-operative movement and their contribution to it. Such individual name registrations can only be made by a cooperative or other eligible organization affiliated to the individual and with their permission only. Please contact us at support@nic.coop with any questions on eligibility for such special domains.

What happens if my registration is determined to be ineligible?

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.

What happens if an eligible registrant becomes ineligible?

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 verification process. .Coop domain registrations by ineligible businesses or individuals will be revoked once the Verification Process is completed.

What is a “majority owned” business in terms of eligibility?

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

Are mutual insurance companies eligible for .coop?

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

Can we buy a name if our co-op is not fully organized?

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 four to six months of registration.

Can I get a refund if I cancel my registration?

That depends on the terms and conditions of your registrar, where you purchased your domain name from. DotCoop allows registrars up to a 5-day grace period for new registrations. The cancellation of any transaction and refunds are handled strictly by your registrar.

Renewals and transfer payments cannot be refunded.

If my organization is determined ineligible for registration in the Verification Process, will I receive a refund?

If your name is revoked because you are ineligible for a .coop registration, you will not typically be refunded the .coop registration fee.  Please review information on your registrar’s web site about refund policies. For further information, please contact support@nic.coop.

What happens if an eligible registrant becomes ineligible?

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.

What is the Add Grace Period for .coop domains?

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.

Can we buy a name if our co-op is not fully organized?

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 four to six months of registration.

How do I buy my .coop domain?

Domain names can be bought by any ICANN-accredited registrar that has also been accredited by dotCoop LLC specifically for the registration of .coop names. You can find a list of .coop registrars here.

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 register names from any other .coop registrar and you can simultaneously hold .coop names with more than one registrar.

How much does it cost to register a name under .coop?

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 with your domain name registrar. Each registrar should give you access to the registration agreement via an online interface.

How can I determine if the domain name I want is available?

Use the domain search tool in the homepage to see if the name you want is available for registration. If it’s not available you can check who has registered it by running a WHOIS search, which will reveal the registration record of that domain.

What if I don’t want my information to be in .coop WHOIS?

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

How do I make changes in the information in .coop WHOIS?

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.

Can my organization use both .coop and .com or .org?

Yes. Many businesses use multiple domain names -in many different extensions- to point to their website. Your organization can use both .coop and .com (or .org, etc.) at the same time to point to the same website. Large organizations tend to register their name in every available extension to reinforce their brand globally and often defensively, to ensure no other entity registers their trademark.

What should I do if I cannot locate my login details to manage my .coop names?

Contact your registrar directly for this information using the process they will have published on their web site. You can do a WHOIS search of your domain name to determine who your registrar is and to access their website for more information.

 Can I change my domain name after my registration is complete?

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.

How do I activate my .coop domain?

To confirm what steps you need to take to activate your domains, review the information on your registrar’s website and apply the DNS changes on the interface provided by your .coop vendor. Changes cannot be made by the registry.

 Are there any restrictions on names I can register in .coop?

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).

Details on why a name is unavailable can be obtained by e-mail to support@nic.coop.

Can we buy a name if our co-op is not fully organized?

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.

Can I register a third level .coop domain?

.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 third-level domains to be used by external entities.

How can I transfer my domain name to another eligible organization?

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.

How do I transfer my name between registrars?

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.

What is an Authorization ID or Domain Secret?

In order to transfer a domain name between registrars, 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 password but if not their existing (losing) registrar should be able to supply it. 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.

What is verification?

.Coop is a restricted top level domain (TLD) that is only open for registration to cooperatives and other organizations meeting the .coop eligibility criteria. DotCooperation LLC (DCLLC), the sponsor of the .coop TLD, is required by its contract with ICANN to ensure that registrants meet the defined eligibility criteria. The aim of DCLLC is to provide a namespace to the Global Cooperative Movement.

Verification is the process of assuring that all organizations that register a .coop TLD name are eligible. It should be noted that .coop assumes no responsibility for trying to determine if the domain names that are registered are specific to the registrant business or organizational name. DCLLC does not consider trademark ownership or related naming restrictions but alerts registrants that registration of a particular name can be challenged through the DCLLC Dispute Policy which incorporates the UDRP. For dotCoop, the sole verification task is to determine the eligibility of the registrant to register a domain.

DCLLC conducts verification audits of .coop domain registrations and reserves the right to cancel, transfer or modify a domain name, in accordance with DCLLC’s Policies, or other legal requirements.

DCLLC will also conduct verification audits of .coop domain name registrations when claims of a domain name registrant’s non-compliance with DCLLC Policies has been brought to our attention.

Proof of Eligibility

While hundreds of thousands of organizations worldwide operate as cooperatives, the definition of a cooperative varies from country to country and from culture to culture. The following items serve as proof of eligibility or credentials, supporting the .COOP domain name Eligibility criteria.

• Proof of membership with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) if otherwise eligible; or
• Proof of membership with the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) if otherwise eligible; or
• Governance documents such as bylaws which show the organization operates as a democratically-controlled, member-owned entity; or
• Corporate filings showing the organization was formed as and/or considered cooperatives under  applicable local law; or
• A letter of reference from a verified cooperative or cooperative in good standing, which indicates that the organization is principally dedicated to serving the cooperative community.

Penalties for Falsification of Registration Self-certification

Each .coop registrant must actively accept the Registration Agreement of the registrar where they purchase their .coop domain. The DCLLC Registration Agreement is part of whatever agreement is provided by the registrar for .coop domains from that registrar and clearly notes that no refunds will be provided by DCLLC for registrants that are not eligible for .coop domains.

Verification Fees

The cost of verification is included in the cost of .coop domains. DCLLC will not pay any charges for COD mail or other similar charges related to delivery of verification information to prove eligibility.

Community Assistance

In order to address varying standards as well as communication issues that could arise in dealing with global domain name registration, the DCLLC Verification process uses a variety of sources to assist in verification. These include:

• ICA Directorate Staff
• ICA member contacts
• Cooperative apex organizations
• Cooperative references provided by registrants

This assistance is very useful in dealing with varying criteria around the world, but DCLLC has sole responsibility for verification of registrants. Although registrars collect the data to assist in the verification process and DCLLC uses the above contacts to assist in confirming information on particular cooperatives, this does not mean that any organization providing information is guaranteeing the validity of the registration or has been in any way delegated the responsibility of verifying the eligibility of the registrant. This responsibility always remains with DCLLC.

Inquiry-Based Verification

DCLLC can initiate a review of a previously verified registrant based on inquiries from the wider Cooperative community that question the eligibility of that particular registrant. DCLLC will do an eligibility check and will update the status to Under Investigation to initiate the formal verification process, if eligibility is not confirmed. An email is sent to the Registrant Contact alerting them to the initiation of the verification process.

Verification Process

The process for verification is as follows. Throughout the process DCLLC uses its resources as well as any additional information and contacts provided by the registrant to determine eligibility. Please note that all emails noted below are sent to the Registrant Contact email.

1. During a random verification audit or a community inquiry-based verification, the verification process is initiated and the registrant receives an email by DCLLC asking them to provide confirmation or evidence that they are eligible for their .coop registration.
2. The registrant will have two (2) days to respond to DCLLC with the information required to determine their eligibility:
   a. A contact in another organisation that can confirm the registrant’s cooperative status (for example the contact in the apex organisation the registrant co-op may be a member of)
   b. A copy of the organization’s bylaws that reflect cooperative principles
   c. A copy of the organization’s most recent annual report or the most recent past two years of audited financials, which reflect cooperative principles
   d. The last two financial statements provided to members
   e. A sample of the organization’s membership application forms and/or membership materials which reflect cooperative principles
   f. Promotional, sales or informational material that reference the organizations status as a cooperative and reflect cooperative principles
   g. A copy of the cooperative act in the country of origin or other legal definition of a cooperative of the jurisdiction in which the applicant operates and to which it conforms
   along with the legal documents confirming cooperative organization within the country
   h. A listing of the organization’s board of directors with contact information.
3. If the registrant is found to be eligible, then the registrant status is set to Verified. An email confirming eligibility is automatically sent to the registrant by the system confirming this.
4. If DCLLC cannot confirm the registrant as eligible or the registrant fails to respond to the initial email by DCLLC requesting information, the registrant status is set as Able to Appeal.
5. The registrant is sent another email that notifies them that they have 30 days in which to provide the above or any additional information to help confirm their eligibility.
6. If DCLLC does not get a response to the Able to Appeal email request for information within the 30-day response period, an attempt will be made to contact the registrant via telephone. Since both valid email and telephone numbers are required at time of registration, if the email address and the telephone number are not operational then DCLLC will immediately delete the registration at the end of the 30-day Able to Appeal period.
7. If additional information is supplied within the 30 day response period, then DCLLC will reevaluate the eligibility decision. The registrant’s status will be set as Under Investigation and their domain will appear in the .coop zone file during any evaluation period. If it is then confirmed that the registrant is eligible, the registrant status is set to Verified. A confirmation of eligibility email is sent to the registrant.
8. If the information provided does not serve as sufficient information for DCLLC to confirm eligibility, then additional information may be requested. After all information provided by the registrant is reviewed and DCLLC determines that the registrant is ineligible, then DCLLC will notify the registrant of this determination by email
9. If there is no dispute by the registrant to this determination of ineligibility by DCLLC within 10 calendar days, the registration status is set to Refused and any names registered are revoked with no refund of registration fees regardless of any other grace period. An email notifying the registrant of the revocation is sent to the current registrant contact email address.
10. Once the registrant status is set to Refused, the registrant record is marked as deleted and the names that were registered by that registrant are available for registration by others.

Appealing a Denial of Eligibility

Registrants may appeal denial of eligibility. Eligibility appeals are governed by the DCLLC Dispute Policy. Disputes for eligibility reasons must be sent to DCLLC within 30 calendar days of the date that the registrant status was set to Refused and the notification of ineligibility was emailed. Once a dispute is initiated, the domain will be placed on reserve until the dispute is settled based on the processes defined in the Dispute. DCLLC will abide by the results of the Dispute Resolution Process and implement any decisions as directed from that process.

The 7 Cooperative Principles