FAQs : GENERAL

  • What is a gTLD?

    gTLD stands for generic Top-Level Domain. The gTLDs form part of the Internet's global addressing system also known as the domain-name system (DNS). A gTLD is the technical term for the suffixes which appear at the end of Internet addresses and are used to route traffic through the Internet. Examples include .com, .biz, .tv or .uk

  • Who are ICANN?

    ICANN stands for the "Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers".  This is a not-for-profit private company that controls the domain name space and are controlled by consensus policy of all existing members. 

    These members include existing registries and registrars.

  • Why dotSCOT and not dotSCO?

    There are a couple of reasons for this.

    Firstly, the Government conducted a survey, and the results showed that most people actually preferred dotSCOT to dotSCO.

    Secondly, when reviewing the criteria for applying for a community bid, it was evident that points are given for the string chosen and whether any confusion might arise when using the name.  SCOT seems to refer only to the Scottish Community, whereas SCO can refer to other groups including the Santa Cruz Operation (an organisation that developed one of UNIX operating systems used on computers worldwide), and for The Scottish Chamber Orchestra.  Therefore SCOT provides a strong application to ICANN than SCO.

  • Who is behind the dotSCOT campaign?

    Scotnom Ltd is an apolitical private company established to campaign for and operate the dotSCOT top level domain.

    The team have all the specialist skills required to successfully apply for the name and to operate the resulting registry.

    For more information about Scotnom Ltd, visit www.scotnom.com

  • Can I pre-register a name now?

    At present, we are not taking any registrations for any name.  We recognise that there will be interest in a lot of more generic names but cannot make any sales until we have been granted the licence to operate the registry.

    However, to reward those who sponsor the campaign, sponsors will be able to register a dotSCOT domain name before they are released on public sale.

    If you are interested in sponsoring the campaign, please visit the sponsorships section of the site, or email us at sponsorships@dotscot.com