Policy for Registering and Managing Internet Domain Names Outside NYU.EDU

This statement describes New York University's procedure for the creation, management, and appropriate use of non-NYU.EDU Internet domain names for computing. It establishes a framework for identifying and satisfying legitimate requests of this nature within the context of the educational and research missions of the University.

NYU prohibits people not associated with or authorized on behalf of NYU from registering domain names that implies a representation of or relationship with NYU.

Except as otherwise set forth in this Policy, all Internet domain names used in connection with NYU’s educational, research, and related activities must be registered by NYU, not by individuals or outside agencies, and published within the NYU.EDU namespace – whether they are hosted on NYU servers or non-NYU servers. In addition, except as set forth in this Policy, individuals may not register domain names that include trademarks owned by NYU.

Domain names outside the NYU.EDU domain name space may be obtained under specific and limited circumstances. Requests may be granted for NYU-affiliated activities that have purposes that are valuable and consistent with the educational, research, and operational mission of the University, thereby justifying the University’s effort to assign and manage the new name space.

Submission and Approval of Requests

Responsibility for approving requests is vested in New York University's Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Global University Information Officer (VP/CIO). As an operational matter, the VP/CIO delegates responsibility for executing the procedures outlined in this document to the NYU Digital Communications Group, the NYU-NET Network Operations Center (NOC), and Grossman School of Medicine Chief Information Officer.

Application to register a non-NYU.EDU domain name may be made via email to digital.communications@nyu.edu; at the Grossman School of Medicine, applications should be made to noc@med.nyu.edu. Requesters should include information as to their unit, school, and department within the University as well as a full description of the purposes for which they desire a non-NYU.EDU domain name. Any machines to be given such a name must be identified.

New York University's Digital Communications Group, in consultation with authorities in the unit of the requesting party and the NYU NOC, will review each request. An application for a non-NYU.EDU domain name will be considered if accompanied by a persuasive explanation of how its use is valuable and consistent with the educational and research mission of the University, thereby justifying the NOC's effort to assign and manage the new name space.  Only faculty and full-time administrators/staff of the University with the approval of their school, campus, or unit CIO or AVP may apply to the NYU Digital Communications Group for a non-NYU.EDU domain name. Students of the University are not eligible for this service.

The Digital Communications Group is the University's official entity for coordinating Internet-based information services, and the NYU NOC is the sole authority for Internet naming and numbering of all computers and other network-attached devices located within University facilities.

Application to digital.communications@nyu.edu is the only permitted avenue for requesting a network name outside the NYU.EDU name space. Domain names are officially assigned and registered with an Internet naming authority above the level of NYU; domain registrations must be performed by the NYU NOC itself, on behalf of the requesting party.

In a case where it is proposed to move the ownership or hosting of an existing domain from another organization to New York University, application must be made to digital.communications@nyu.edu in accordance with the approach described in this statement.

The NOC will apply for domain creation with the InterNIC, and NOC staff will be listed as administrative and technical contacts. The requesting party will bear the registration cost and will be listed as the billing contact. The NOC will provide primary and secondary name service for the domain.

Exceptions to Registration by NYU

Only under limited circumstances may individuals or groups directly arrange or have a third-party vendor arrange non-NYU.EDU names for computing resources attached to NYU-NET or hosted outside NYU by application to ISPs or other Internet naming authorities outside the University:

1. Student government;
2. Student media;
3. Student clubs;
4. Employees exercising their rights to speak about the terms and conditions of their employment pursuant to Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act;
5. University initiatives or research centers that are cooperative ventures with other universities or organizations where (regardless of who owns the domain) it is presented to the public as an equal partnership.

NYU individuals or groups in the above list should take care to ensure that the content, presentation, and branding of any such website makes it clear that it is not an official NYU offering, but – rather – an independent gathering of NYU community members. NYU logos and trademarks cannot be used on such sites. Questions can be directed to digital.communications@nyu.edu.

Guidelines for Use and Registration of Domains

NYU Identity should be applied in accordance with published guidelines as part of the external domains. The site, application, and any other elements of the web property should conform to NYU standards as published in the NYU Style Guide.

All NYU websites (regardless of their domain name) must comply with all applicable laws and regulations and NYU policies, including without limitation the NYU Worldwide Web Policies and Procedures and the NYU Website Accessibility Policy.

The requesting party will be held liable for any misuse of computers within the requested domain and for any violation of University acceptable-use policies, government regulations, or laws; such violations may be cause for discontinuation of support for the domain.

Alternatives

A non-NYU.EDU domain name may not be the only acceptable way to obtain a desirable, distinguishing Internet address. The NYU Digital Communications Group can discuss various alternatives within the NYU.EDU name space. Following the example given above, a URL such as http://www.nyu.edu/bigbang might be possible and in many cases will be encouraged.

Domain Maintenance and Expiration

It should be noted that Internet domain name registration carries with it an annual cost to the University. It will be necessary to confirm, on an annual basis, that each newly-created domain name is still desired and is in use.

NYU Digital Communications should be made aware if the domain sponsor is no longer interested in the domain and the site is moving. NYU may want to continue to own the domain to prevent third parties from purchasing and using the site for business purposes, soliciting the NYU community, or misrepresenting NYU. It is important for the domain sponsor to keep track of the domain expirations and prevent expiration from occurring where a third party could obtain the domain.

Findability and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Domains outside the NYU.EDU namespace will not be indexed by NYU’s Search service, will not be in NYU’s site map(s), and will not inherit the high reputation that Google attributes to the NYU.EDU domain for page rankings in its search services.