.sc Domains Statement
Scottish businesses currently being attracted by the offer of a "Scottish" domain name, .sc, should be aware that they may not be getting what they think.
The .sc suffix denotes the country code for the Seychelles and all web addresses ending .sc are controlled by the Seychelles Registry, Atlas (Seychelles) Ltd. As such they are subject to the rules of the Registry, including the fact that local requests for domain names get priority over international requests and that disputes are dealt with under the Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure (UDRP).
By contrast, domain names ending .uk - including the most popular, .co.uk - are registered with the UK national Registry, Nominet UK, under the rules of "first come, first served" as well as a Dispute Resolution Service, which includes free mediation to try and sort out disputes quickly and efficiently.
"There is currently no country code domain name for Scotland," explained Dr Willie Black, managing director of Nominet UK, and himself a Scot. "While there is nothing inherently wrong with having a web address which ends .sc, people should be aware what this means before they sign up."
For further help, contact Nominet's customer support team on 01865 332211 or see the web site at www.nominet.org.uk.