1. General Information

Hipposerve Digital Services Limited supplies a wide range of Top Level Domain Names (TLDs). Each of these have their own rules regarding usage that change regularly, and due to the large number of these it is impossible for Hipposerve Digital Services limited to provide full details of all of them.

We strongly recommend that customers check before purchasing a domain name that it is being used for the purposes intended and in the location intended. Domain names being used incorrectly may be revoked at any time.

All Domain names have  some fundamental rules which apply to all These are as follows:

Rules and Restrictions

• Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and hyphens. No other characters are allowed.
• Hyphens cannot be used at the beginning or end of the domain name.
• You can’t use a domain name that is already in use.
• Domain names are not case sensitive. e.g. www.mydomain.com is the same as www.MyDomain.com.
• You are strongly advised not to register a domain name that might be in breach of another company’s trademark, unless you can prove that you have the right to do so.

Length and format of domain names

• Minimum Length: Three characters plus the extension for all domain names.
• Maximum length: uk, com, org, net domains can be 64 Characters. All other domain extensions are limited to 63 characters (not including the extension).

Domain specific restrictions

Here we provide a list of restrictions for the most common domains registered with Hipposerve Digital Services Limited.

• Co.uk, me.uk, org.uk: These domains are perfect for all UK uses, from individuals to non-profit organisations. More information regarding the registration and use of these domains can be found on Nominet’s Website.
• Mobi: This domain extension was created for the mobile phone market. All websites using a .mobi domain name should be “mobile friendly” and confirm to the .mobi guidelines located at: https://dotmobi.mobi/. More information is also available in our article: What are the rules for registering .mobi domain names?
• Ltd.uk, plc.uk: ltd.uk and plc.uk domains are restricted to private and public limited companies, respectively. More information can be found in our article: How do I register ltd.uk and plc.uk domain names?
• Gov.uk, ac.uk: Government bodies can register gov.uk domains and further and higher education institutions can register ac.uk domain names through Janet, the UK’s education and research network. More information can be found in our article: How do I register .gov.uk and .ac.uk domain names?
• EU: Registrant must hold an EU citizenship or be a resident in an EU country – the European Union website has a list of EU member countries. More information can be found in our article:  What are the .eu domain name specifications?
• .com/net: In the case of a “.com” or “.net” registration, the following terms and conditions will apply:
  • Submission to UDRP. Registrant agrees to submit to proceedings under ICANN’s Uniform Domain Dispute Policy (“UDRP”) and comply with the requirements set forth by the Registry; these policies are subject to modification;
  • For the adjudication of disputes concerning or arising from use of the domain name, the Registrant shall submit, without prejudice to other potentially applicable jurisdictions, to the jurisdiction of the courts (1) of the Registrant’s domicile, and (2) where Hipposerve Digital Services is Located.
• .org: In the case of a “.org” registration, the following terms and conditions will apply:
  • Submission to UDRP. Registrant agrees to submit to proceedings under ICANN’s Uniform Domain Dispute Policy (“UDRP”) and comply with the requirements set forth by the Registry. These policies are subject to modification;
  • For the adjudication of disputes concerning or arising from use of the domain name, the Registrant shall submit, without prejudice to other potentially applicable jurisdictions, to the jurisdiction of the courts (1) of the Registrant’s domicile, and (2) where Hipposerve Digital Services is located.
• .info: In the case of a “.info” registration, the following terms and conditions will apply:
  • Registrant’s Personal Data. You consent to the use, copying, distribution, publication, modification, and other processing of Registrant’s personal data by Afilias, the .INFO registry, and its designees and agents, in a manner consistent with the purposes specified pursuant to its contract;
  • Submission to UDRP. Registrant agrees to submit to proceedings under ICANN’s Uniform Domain Dispute Policy (“UDRP”) and comply with the requirements set forth by the Registry. These policies are subject to modification;
  • For the adjudication of disputes concerning or arising from use of the domain name, the Registrant shall submit, without prejudice to other potentially applicable jurisdictions, to the jurisdiction of the courts (1) of the Registrant’s domicile, and (2) where Hipposerve is located, presently oventry, England.
  • Reservation of Rights. Hipposerve and Afilias expressly reserve the right to deny, cancel, transfer, or modify any registration that either registrar or Afilias deems necessary, at its discretion, to protect the integrity and stability of the registry, to comply with any applicable law, any government rule or requirement, any request of law enforcement, any dispute resolution process, or to avoid any liability, civil or criminal, on the part of the registrar and/or Afilias, as well as their affiliates, subsidiaries, executives, directors, officers, managers, employees, consultants, and agents. The registrar and Afilias also reserve the right to suspend a domain name or its registration data during resolution of a dispute.
• gTLD’s:The registration agreement for gTLD domains can be found on OpenSRS’ website.
• nTLD’s:The registration agreement for nTLD domains can be found on the ICANN website.

2. Additional Terms

Note. Domain names are not case sensitive. This means that an uppercase and a lowercase letter are considered to be the same (AAA.com. aaa.com, and AaA.com are all the same domain name).

This list is not exhaustive. We make every effort to ensure that our registration systems do not allow you to bypass these registration rules however there are some occasions where this may not be possible and our checking procedures may fail.

Clients are always advised to seek guidance if they are at all unsure about the domain name they have chosen and its validity.

Due to the variety of possible causes for the failure of the domain name validity checker, we cannot be held responsible if a customer attempts to register an invalid domain and that this request is subsequently accepted by our systems. Acceptance of the invalid order by our systems does not constitute acceptance of the domains registration by the relevant domain registry.

3. Generic Top Level Domain Registrations

Hipposerve Digital Services Ltd trading as Hipposerve (” Hipposerve”) will register domain names with various domain name registrars including but not limited to ResellerClub and  OpenSRS, and you enter into a contract with them for that domain registration. Hipposerve also may, in its sole discretion, accept applications to register and renew certain gTLD’s names in non-roman alphabet languages (e.g., Japanese, Chinese, and Korean).

For OpenSRS terms and conditions visit:
https://opensrs.com/wp-content/uploads/Tucows_ExhibitA.html

For ResellerClub terms and conditions visit:
https://uk.resellerclub.com/legal-agreements