I know .CO has done a great job of branding itself as something other than a country code, along the lines of .Me.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

Brilliant effective marketing.

But I couldn’t help but notice that the major registrars promoting .CO domains don’t even mention that .Co is a ccTLD, or more precisely the country code for Colombia.

Here is what Godaddy.com, has to say about .CO:

“Co Is the first truly global, recognizable domain to come along in years”

“Understood around the world as an abbreviation for “Company,” “Corporation” and “Commerce”, .CO is easy to recognize, simple to remember and flexible to use. It offers international recognition in a fresh landscape where you can still choose the name you want, not just settle for what’s available.””

“.CO is meaningful, memorable and intuitive for people around the world”

“
  • .CO is relevant to individuals, businesses, and organizations
  • .CO gives businesses and brands the chance to create a worldwide footprint
  • .CO appeals to today’s socially-networked individuals and entrepreneurs
  • With industry-leading technology, enhanced security and unprecedented rights protection mechanisms – .CO is poised to become the world’s next premier web address”

Ok no problem with any of that but nowhere on Godaddy.com page promoting .CO do I see any mention of what .CO truly is which is a country code for Colombia.

Domainers are quite familiar with Domains, TLD’s, ccTLD’s but the general public, well they are pretty much completely ignorant on these matters.

I think some mention of what the domain extension actually is should be disclosed to the non-domainers who might be acquiring these domains.

I can see where a end user would register a .Co domain not knowing what is represented and down the line be upset he didn’t get that very basic information told to him.

I think its a legal problem waiting in the wings.

Network Solutions.com page on .CO domains likewise doesn’t say a word about .CO begin a country code:

“”It’s the beginning of the .CO era!

::Find the domain name you’re looking for when you use the newest domain extension. With a .CO domain name you will have more choices in branding your online presence with a truly global, recognizable and credible option for a Web address.

“”With a .CO, the possibilities are endless and new opportunities arise. Associated with the words “COmpany,” “COrporation” and “COmmerce,” it’s the perfect platform for today’s socially networked individuals and entrepreneurs to create .COmmunities, share .COntent, and to .COnnect, .COmmunicate and .COllaborate online.

What will you create with your .CO?

The Key Benefits of .CO

  • .CO is a truly global, recognizable and credible domain.
  • .CO gives businesses and brands the chance to create a worldwide footprint.
  • .CO is relevant to individuals, businesses and organizations.
  • .CO is meaningful, memorable and intuitive to use for people around the world.
  • .CO appeals to today’s socially-networked individuals and entrepreneurs.””
Once again a nice ad, nice promotion, but a mention somewhere on the page that the domain is the ccTLD or country code for Colombia would seem to me to be a necessity, a bare  minimal disclosure required to CYA (“Cover Your Ass”) from possible suits down the line.
I think registrars would lose a negligible amount of business if it mentioned somewhere on the page that the extension was the country code for Colombia but would avoid major possible legal bills down the line.

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