Global InformationNominet UK information
| Formation | 24 May 1996 [1] |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Legal status | Company Limited by Guarantee |
| Location |
|
Region served | United Kingdom |
| Services | ccTLD registry, cyber security |
Membership (2020/21) | 2500 |
Chair | Andy Green |
CEO | Paul Fletcher (effective February 2022) |
Elected Non-Executive Director | Simon Blackler |
Elected Non-Executive Director | Ashley La Bolle |
| Subsidiaries | Nominet US Inc. |
| Website | www |
Nominet UK is currently delegated by IANA to be the manager of the .uk domain name.[2] Nominet directly manages registrations directly under .uk, and some of the second level domains .co.uk, .org.uk, .sch.uk, .me.uk, .net.uk, .ltd.uk and .plc.uk.[3]
Nominet also manages the .wales and .cymru domains.[4]
As of February 2021, the .uk register held 10,922,477 .uk domain names.[5] This represents a year-on-year downward trend, when compared to February 2020, this is mainly due to the lapsing of the recently launched .uk domain names.[6]
Nominet was founded by Dr. Willie Black and five others on 14 May 1996 when its predecessor, the "Naming Committee" was unable to deal with the volume of registrations then being sought under the .uk domain.[7] Nominet is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It has members who act as shareholders,but without the right to participate in the profits of the company. Anyone can become a member, but most members are internet service providers who are also registrars.
Customers wishing to register a domain can approach Nominet directly but will generally register the domain via a domain registrar – a business entity authorized by Nominet to register and manage .uk domains on behalf of customers. Registrars for .uk domains were formerly known as "tagholders".
Nominet also deals with disputes about registrations of .uk domain names, via its Dispute Resolution Service (DRS)[8] which is similar to the UDRP system used for generic Top Level Domain Names,[further explanation needed] but with certain innovations such as a free mediation service.
In 2008 Nominet launched a charitable foundation, the Nominet Trust, and contributed some of its profits to it.[9] In May 2018 Nominet relinquished control over the organisation,[10] which was renamed Social Tech Trust[11] and announced a "strategic partnership with Social Tech Business".[12] By 2020 the income of Social Tech Trust had fallen to £99,000 from £5.6 million in 2018.[13]
In February 2021 over 140 members requested an extraordinary general meeting to vote on removing five board directors, including the chair, and to appoint Michael Lyons, former Chairman of the BBC, and Axel Pawlik, former Managing Director of RIPE NCC. The EGM was held on 22 March 2021 and the five directors were removed.[14] Rob Binns, a former Group Treasurer at HP Inc. and then CFO at The Access Group, was appointed as acting chair.[15][16]
- ^ "NOMINET UK - Overview (Free company information from Companies House)".
- ^ "IANA — .uk Domain Delegation Data". www.iana.org. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ "Rules of Registration" (PDF).
- ^ "Additional Domains". Nominet. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ ".UK Register Statistics - 2021". Nominet. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ ".UK Register Statistics - 2020". Nominet. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ Mansell, Robin; Mansell, Dixons Chair in New Media and the Internet Interdepartmental Programme in Media and Communications Robin (2002). Inside the Communication Revolution: Evolving Patterns of Social and Technical Interaction. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-829656-0.
- ^ "Introduction to .uk domain disputes". 30 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ^ "We are pleased to announce the creation of the Nominet Foundation". Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ "Cessation of Nominet Uk as a person with significant control on 9 May 2018". Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Summary – Open Tech Trust". opencorporates.com. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Nominet Trust becomes Social Tech Trust". Nominet. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "SOCIAL TECH TRUST - Filing history (free information from Companies House)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
- ^ McCarthy, Kieren. "Nominet faces showdown with British internet industry: Extraordinary vote called to oust CEO, board members". The Register. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Nominet EGM Result". Nominet. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ Field, Matthew (22 March 2021). "Nominet bosses voted out in row over rising pay". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 March 2021.