.edu Policy FAQ

Contents

1. How can the policies governing management of the .edu domain be changed?
2. Who serves on the Policy Board?
3. Are there any limitations on the content or use of the .edu domain?
4. If I am found to be violating Policy for the .edu top-level domain, what will happen?
5. When might I be notified of a Policy violation?

Questions and Answers

1.	How can the policies governing management of the .edu domain be changed?
	As specified in the cooperative agreement between EDUCAUSE and the U.S. Department of Commerce, policies will be reviewed periodically by a Policy Board. The Policy Board has the authority to recommend changes to the Department of Commerce for incorporation by amendment into the cooperative agreement with EDUCAUSE. To suggest policy changes or to comment on policy changes suggested by others, go to the EDUCAUSE .edu Policy Comment Forum.
2.	Who serves on the Policy Board?
	The Policy Board reflects the broad range of the U.S. higher education community and consists of the President of the American Council of Education (representing the executive leadership of U.S. higher-education institutions), the President of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (representing the executive legal staff of U.S. higher-education institutions), and the President of EDUCAUSE (representing the top leadership of information technology in U.S. higher education institutions.) The policy board will be staffed by the Washington, D.C., policy office of EDUCAUSE.
3.	Are there any limitations on the content or use of the .edu domain?
	Eligibility for the .edu domain is content-independent. EDUCAUSE neither places nor enforces restrictions on the content or use of the .edu domain. In particular, EDUCAUSE places no limitation on commercial use of the .edu domain. Holders of .edu domain names may, however, be subject to limitations, including commercial-use limitations, by federal, state, or local laws. Consult legal counsel regarding such limitations. Holders of .edu domain names are free to establish policies that limit or otherwise manage the use and content of resources within their own domain as they see fit, subject, again, to applicable laws and regulations.    Under the terms of Amendment 6 of the Cooperative Agreement between EDUCAUSE and the Department of Commerce, Policy requires that .edu names, other than those grandfathered, must reasonably represent the name of the Registrant, may not be deployed to identify any organization other than the Registrant, and may not be a “generic name”. You may also not transfer any .edu name to any other entity. “Transferring” includes selling, trading, leasing, assigning, or any other means of transferring.
4.	If I am found to be violating Policy for the .edu top-level domain, what will happen?
	Under the terms of Amendment 6 of the Cooperative Agreement between EDUCAUSE and the Department of Commerce, effective July 25, 2003: “If EDUCAUSE becomes aware of a violation of these Policies, EDUCAUSE will notify the Registrant in writing and, if the violation is not corrected within 45 days, will remove the registration of the such .edu name, taking the necessary technical steps to return the name to the pool of available names as soon as practicable.”
5.	When might I be notified of a Policy violation?
	Under the terms of Amendment 6 of the Cooperative Agreement between EDUCAUSE and the Department of Commerce, effective July 25, 2003: “Violations will be noted and dealt with regardless of how long such violations were in place prior to notification.”