CHOOSING A DOMAIN NAME HOW TO REGISTER AFTER REGISTRATION MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR DOMAIN NAME
The Name
The choice of name used in a Domain Name - such as nominet.org.uk - depends on many factors. In the case of a business or organisation the name chosen will often be the same as an existing brand name, the company's trading name, or a trademark; in some cases the choice of name represents a generic type of service that the company offers.
Each Domain Name must be unique, and .uk Domain Names are allocated by Nominet UK on a first-come, first-served basis. However, because Domain Names can include letters, numbers and hyphens, there are many different ways of distinguishing between similarly named companies, thereby creating unique Domain Names.
For instance, a company called Widget and Splodge could have the following Domain Name options:
widgetandsplodge.co.uk
widgetsplodge.co.uk
widget-splodge.co.uk
It is also worth considering that development of a business on the Internet can involve building a brand reputation around an entirely new name - as in the case of egg.co.uk.
Finally, Registrants should be aware that there are some technical restrictions relating to .uk names - for further information see the summary of the Domain Name rules
Unavailable Domain Names
Because most Domain Names are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, you may not always be able to register your first choice name. In this instance you should look at registering a similar name. Or, in the case of .co.uk Domain Names, if your name is already taken try registering it within a different Second Level Domain such as ltd.uk or plc.uk.
On rare occasions, a situation arises where two users want to register the same Domain Name and both believe they have a legitimate right to use the name. In cases where this involves .uk Domain Names, Nominet offers a mediative Dispute Resolution Service to try to bring about a mutually agreeable outcome.
