Co.nl & .nl

1. Is CO.NL operated by SIDN?

No. While the CO.NL domain name was indeed registered at SIDN (muchlike any .NL Domain), the service provided by CO.NL B.V. based on this domain name is totally independent from SIDN, the .NL Registry. Therefore, the registration of a CO.NL subdomain (as offered by CO.NL which is acting as Operator) should not be confused with the registration of a .nl domain name through SIDN, the official Registry of the .NL extension on the Internet. SIDN is not involved in any way with the registration or servicing of CO.NL subdomains by CO.NL B.V.

2. Is there a difference between CO.NL and other subdomains such as CO.UK or CO.JP?

Technically, yes. While CO.UK is a subdomain operated by Nominet Plc (the .UK Registry), CO.NL is a domain name with no other link with SIDN (the .NL Registry). However, CO.NL B.V. registered the CO.NL domain name to allow any interested user to use it as a third level domain. Therefore, from a practical standpoint, there is virtually no difference: http://www.abc.co.nl could go to the same page as http:// www.abc.co.uk <http://www.abc.co.uk> and emails at me[at]mydomain.co.nl will reach you as easily as with myotheremail[at]domain.co.jp. CO.NL is built in such a way that any other server (FTP, Telnet…) can be used as well.

3. What’s the use of CO.NL when .NL is working so well?

CO.NL is not meant to replace .NL. It can however be a valuable alternative in some cases. For example, studies show that customers used to a co.xx address in their own countries are more likely to look for any particular brand in an other co.xx suffix. As a result, using http://www.yourbrand.co.nl in conjunction with http://www.yourbrand.nl could increase your chances to attract traffic from the United Kingdom (co.uk), India (co.in) or any other of the 45+ countries that use a co.xx extension

4. Why is EuroDNS supporting CO.NL?

EuroDNS is a leading Domain Name Registrar, ranking in the top-10 in many countries (France and Belgium, among others). The company has always been looking to provide Internet users with more openness as well as innovative ways to provide their products or services with the local identity they deserve. By founding CO.NL in 2007, EuroDNS brought a new level of flexibility in the Dutch market, allowing customers worldwide to communicate with an address ending in .NL without any additional requirement. In 2013 CO.NL BV was founded and EuroDNS signed of on CO.NL’s independence.

5. Can I register a CO.NL with any SIDN Registrar?

Because CO.NL has no link whatsoever with SIDN, SIDN’s partners do not automatically allow registration in CO.NL. However, the list of Registrars accredited by the CO.NL operators is growing rapidly and already include key Dutch registrars. An overview of the currently accredited CO.NL Registrars can be found at www.domain.co.nl <http://www.domain.co.nl> .

6. Can I register a CO.NL with any ICANN Registrar?

Because CO.NL has no link whatsoever with ICANN, ICANN accredited Registrars do not automatically allow registration in CO.NL. However, the list of Registrars accredited by the CO.NL operators is growing rapidly and already include key ICANN Registrars.

7. How will CO.NL deal with my trademark rights?

While CO.NL is about openness, it should not be an opportunity for third parties to misappropriate trademark rights that one may have on a particular string of characters. To bring an additional level of protection to Trademark holders, CO.NL adopted a phased approach which was successfully executed in 2008/2009:
– Phase 1 is called Grand Father where any registrant of a .NL domain name will automatically be granted the rights to the corresponding CO.NL domain name. For a small premium, it is the easiest way to ensure your .NL will be accessible under CO.NL : no-one else will be able to register it if you take action in time.
– Phase 2 is called Sunrise and is open to any Trademark holder, from anywhere in the world. This is an opportunity for trademark holders to protect their assets in CO.NL before the general rules apply and allow for any given string of character to be used as a CO.NL domain name.

8. How will CO.NL BV ensure CO.NL stability?

On the technical side, CO.NL is backed by the whole OpenRegistry infrastructure with redundant hardware and state of the art connectivity. Created in 2011 as a subsidiary of Datacenter Luxembourg, OpenRegistry prides itself in the stability and flexibility of its operations which are currently used by major Fortune-500 companies. On the policy side, CO.NL is supported by key industry players such as worldwide law firm Deloitte/Laga which, as Sunrise Validation Agent, will give CO.NL the right tools to protect the Trademark rights of its customers. Lastly, because CO.NL is a domain name registered with SIDN, its stability remains indeed somewhat dependant on the Registry’s goodwill.
However, since CO.NL is used in full compliance with SIDN’s Terms & Conditions, this is not a threat either.

9. Is there any Dispute Resolution Service for CO.NL?

We can confirm that CO.NL disputes will be handled by under a UDRP-like system, provided by the Czech Arbitration Court. It will provide a quick and efficient way to deal with trademark disputes.

10. Is the price for the CO.NL service identical to a .NL Domain name?

No. Since CO.NL and SIDN have no relationship, the pricing structure for each service does not have to be identical. Registrars having signed the CO.NL Agreement are free to determine their own price for regular yearly registrations.