Policy on registering a .plc.uk or .ltd.uk domain name?

[Azam.net]

I gather that most companies which register a .plc.uk or .ltd.uk domain name are limited companies. Is it essential for a company to be a registered limited company to get a .plc.uk or .ltd.uk domain name?

If so, why do most UK registrars allow these domain names to be registered without evidence of limited company status?

Don't want to register these domain names, use them, and then have them taken from us by Nominet for breaking any rules (no rules mentioned on Nominet site from my search).

Cheers :)

[Rob Holmes]

Hi,
I've had a quick squizz through Nominets T&C and don't see a direct answer to your question.

What I read between the lines is that they will let you register anything (as it's all done electronically I suppose they have no choice) BUT just because you can register a name does not mean you are legally entitled to use it.

Any complaints etc would be handled by Nominets Dispute Resolution Policy which is very clear on the misuse of domain names and what they call 'malicious purchases' .

Details on this and other domain issues can be found on our Domain FAQ's here http://www.matrixxhosting.com/domain-names-faqs-index.shtml

Hope this helps,

Rob

[microbe]

I think Matrixx is right - yes, you can register them, but it would only make sense to register the ltd if you are an ltd, and a plc if you are a plc.

At the end of the day, if you can, it makes more sense to register the .co.uk, because aside from .com that is the one people are most likely to remember.

[Ozzy]

As I used to be a domain registrar a few years ago, teh rules then were that you had to disclose the LTD or PLC company registration number on the "message" that gets sent to Nominet.

These applications were then checked against the Companies House records. In effect, you did used to have to be a Ltd or Plc company to register these domain names.

[Rob Holmes]

Hi yes - from reading a few other sites - this still appears to be the case.

Rob

[Azam.net]

Cheers for that. Appreciate it very much.

Thought about registering .ltd.uk or .plc.uk because .co.uk was gone, but will try looking for an available .co.uk - or maybe hang around for a .eu now that they have been given formal authorisation. Latest release date for .eu domains is mid-2006, but don't know if they'll stick to that. Original launch date was 2003. Typical EU bureacracy and inefficiency.

[autolycus]

and then have them taken from us by Nominet for breaking any rules (no rules mentioned on Nominet site from my search).

Cheers :)

Hi,

There are some quite specific rules related to .ltd.uk and .plc.uk domains.

I found the following at [urlhttp://www.nominet.org.uk/ReferenceDocuments/Rules/[/url]

---

Specific rules for the .ltd.uk and .plc.uk SLDs
10.1. Introduction

These are the specific rules for the .ltd.uk and .plc.uk SLDs, administered directly by us. They form part of and, in the case of conflict, take precedence over the Rules.

10.2. Requirements on Applicants

10.2.1. No Third Level Domain shall be registered in either the .ltd.uk or .plc.uk SLD unless all the requirements of this section are met.

10.2.2. Registrants in .ltd.uk are required to be private limited companies, and registrants in .plc.uk to be public limited companies, registered under the Companies Act 1985 as amended from time to time.

10.2.3. A Domain Name shall only be registered in the .ltd.uk or .plc.uk SLD if the applicant:

10.2.3.1. is a company of the appropriate type for the SLD; and

10.2.3.2. is not already the registrant of a Domain Name in that SLD.

10.2.4. No Domain Name shall be registered in either .ltd.uk or .plc.uk SLD unless the Third Level Domain can be derived from the official company name of the applicant using the algorithm in Clause 10.3 below. If the algorithm of Clause 10.3 below does not generate a name permitted by the Rules, your application to register a Domain Name within the .ltd.uk or .plc.uk SLDs will be refused.

10.2.5. Applications for Domain Names in the .ltd.uk and .plc.uk SLDs must state the full name of the company as registered and the company registration number, and the applicant must be prepared to provide proof of the company's incorporation.

10.2.6. If we become aware that the registrant company has changed its name, been dissolved, or otherwise removed from the Register at Companies House, we may transfer, cancel, suspend or amend the Domain Name in accordance with our terms and conditions and by sending a notice in writing to the last known registered office of the company, or without notice if the registrant company has been removed from the Register at Companies House.

10.3. Selection of Domain Name

10.3.1. The following algorithm is intended to assist you to convert your company name to a Domain Name capable of registration within either the .ltd.uk or .plc.uk. The steps must be carried out in the order given. All steps must be carried out, but some steps give the option of making no change. This algorithm is not guaranteed to generate a Domain Name capable of registration with us, i.e. the algorithm may only produce a name which is still in an inappropriate format or has already been registered, and in these cases the name will not be registered to your company.

10.3.2. The following terms or abbreviations are removed from the end of the company's name:

limited

public limited company

cyfyngedig

cwmni cyfyngedig cyhoeddus

ltd

plc

cyf

ccc
10.3.3. Each occurrence of the characters "&" and "+" is replaced by (the separate word) "and"

10.3.4. All punctuation marks are removed, including the following:

apostrophe

quotation marks

commas, full stops, colons, and semicolons

exclamation, question, number, and currency marks

parentheses, (square) brackets, and braces
10.3.5. Remove any marks on or around the letters, for example accents, leaving only the "base letter", i.e. the letter without any marks in or around the letter.

10.3.6. If at this point the name contains only spaces, no Domain Name capable of registration with us may be derived. Otherwise the remaining steps in this Clause 10.3 are to be carried out.

10.3.7. If the company name begins with any of the following words or phrases, they may be removed:

the
For the avoidance of doubt, this is done once only.

10.3.8. If the company name ends with any of the following words or phrases, they may be removed:

company

cwmni

and company

a'r cwmni
and any abbreviation of these (such as "co", "and co", or "cpy")

For the avoidance of doubt, this is done once only.

10.3.9. All spaces at the beginning and end of the Third Level Domain are removed and the gaps between words in the Third Level Domain are reduced (if applicable) to single spacing.

10.3.10. All remaining spaces must either be removed or changed to hyphens (one hyphen per continuous string of spaces). The remaining Third Level Domain must be compatible with section 5.2 of the Rules. For the avoidance of doubt the restrictions in sections 5.5 and 5.6 do not apply to .ltd.uk or .plc.uk domains, provided that there is at least one number or letter (but no hyphens) in the name.

10.4. We believe that the Rules in this section represent the way that Companies House interprets names in order to produce a unique match. In the event that they do not, or if the Companies House rules change in the future, the first successful applicant for a Domain Name will be registered.

10.5. If we receive an application to register a Domain Name which is identical to a Domain Name which, in accordance with these Rules, has already been registered, the application will be rejected.

HTH,
Dave.

[Azam.net]

David - thanks very much. Very kind of you to go the trouble of digging that up and posting it here :)

[VeryMark]

Don't forget .net, .info and .biz too, or putting "the" in front possibly. The search engine at www.simply.com is good for checking out multiple domains.