.coop

.coop is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. It is intended for the use of cooperatives, their wholly owned subsidiaries, and other organizations that exist to promote or support cooperatives.

The coop TLD was proposed by the

The proposal was backed by many cooperatives and similar trade groups around the world, including the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). The technical infrastructure for the coop TLD was developed by the worker cooperative Poptel in the United Kingdom and became operational on January 30, 2002.

The domain's sponsoring organization is

Active coop domain holders are automatically included in an online coop directory[2] and registrants receive a periodic newsletter. Registrations are processed via accredited ICANN domain name registrars or their resellers.

coop domains are in use around the world; however, many co-ops, as businesses in the global community, also maintain domain names in other generic or country code top-level domains to identify themselves both as a co-op and as a business.

See also

• Domain name

References