There’s a big fight happening in the domain world. The .eco domain is up for grabs, and environmental organizations feel that they have a right to it, but so do other companies that are willing to pay top-dollar for the prized real estate. Who has the right to .eco?

The Green Coalition

Lead by Big Room, Inc., a mass of environmental groups are standing behind the company to fight for the .eco name. There are currently more than 50 groups behind Big Room including those that represent small environmental businesses, wildlife groups, the United Nations, activism groups, and major eco groups like WWF and Greenpeace. All of these groups believe that the .eco domain should directly correspond with companies and organizations that stand for all things eco – and not companies that are simply trying to add a bit of green to their image.

If companies that don’t have anything to do with eco-consciousness grab a hold of the domain name, they could give the term “eco” a whole new meaning. So, who’s going to get the .eco distinction? As of this writing, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers hasn’t decided.

Who .eco Will Go To

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers stands to earn a large chunk of money if the .eco domain is sold to the highest bidder, and not to those that feel they should be granted the name. In order for the aforementioned environmental groups to be given the .eco name, they have to prove to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers that they have a purpose that’s more important than money, and that’s going to be very hard to do.

The eco groups that are behind the Big Room coalition are arguing that .eco should be trustworthy, and that’s not going to happen if some major company (like an oil company, for example) snags the name.

Right now, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is considering putting the name up for auction, which would bring in the biggest amount of cash. There is a problem with letting the highest bidder grab a name like .eco. With the .org name, the same thing has happened – companies with the .org distinction can’t be trusted as they once were. So, what happens when a major company that’s anything but eco-friendly grabs the .eco name? People that are looking to trust an eco company will trust a company that’s anything but eco-conscious, that’s what. Yes, this is a sad world we are living in.

All eyes will be on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to see what companies or organizations wind up with the .eco designation. Let’s hope that there’s some common sense applied to what the coalition is asking for – otherwise, looking at a domain name will no longer be the one way that you can trust a company or organization.

What do you think? Should .eco belong to eco-friendly groups only? Or, should this domain go to the highest bidder?