Individual Memberships
Individual memberships are only available for individuals in their personal capacity, not to businesses or organizations. The Associate Membership level is appropriate for new domain investors only or part-time investors making under $50k in annual revenues from domaining. Benefits are subject to change at any time without prior notice.
Thank you for your interest in the Internet Commerce Association (ICA). The ICA is a non-profit trade association dedicated to protecting the ownership rights of domain owners and advocating to ensure a bright future for the domain name industry.
We offer corporate and individual memberships. Individual members can join directly through the website. To join as a business, please fill out an application and we'll contact you.
Annual Membership
Individual
Associate Membership
$300 USD or $25 per month
Corporate
Gold Membership
Silver Membership
Bronze Membership
$10,000 - $24,999 USD
$5,000 - $9,999 USD
$1,000 - $4,999 USD
| Benefit | ASSOCIATE | INDIVIDUAL |
|---|---|---|
| Access to Policy Updates and Educational Materials | ✔ | ✔ |
| New Member Welcome on Discord and in the newsletter | ✔ | ✔ |
| Invitation to Exclusive ICA In-Person Meetups | ✔ | ✔ |
| Legal Benefit | ✔ | ✔ |
| Vote for Board Representatives (weighted) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Vote for Lonnie Borck Memorial Award Recipient | ✔ | ✔ |
| Directory Placement | Name | Name + Headshot |
| Access to AMAs (Ask Me Anything) and online member events | access to recordings, no live access | full access, able to participate in live events |
| Discounts on Conferences, ICA Events, etc. | ✔ | |
| $300 per year Join Now! | $600 per year Join Now! |
Corporate Memberships
Corporate memberships are intended for businesses and established individual investors, and the membership level should be appropriate to the business's standing in the domain name industry. Benefits are subject to change at any time without prior notice.
| Benefit | BRONZE | BRONZE+ | SILVER | GOLD | PLATINUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member Badge on Website | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Access to Educational Material, Email Updates, AMA (Ask Me Anything) and Member Calls | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Discounts for Conferences, ICA Events, etc. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Access to ICA Discord Channel | Member only | Member +1 Employee | Member +2 Employees | Member +3 Employees | Member +6 Employees |
| Introduction | Discord + Email | Discord + Email | Discord + Email | Discord + Email + Blog Post | Discord + Email + Blog Post |
| Directory Placement | Company Name + Logo | Company Name + Logo | Company Name + Logo + Short Company Description | Company Name + Logo + Medium Company Description | Company Name + Logo + Long Company Description |
| Newsletter Mentions | 1 Shared Newsletter "Sponsorship" | 1 Shared Newsletter "Sponsorship" | 2 Shared Newsletter "Sponsorship" | 2 Exclusive and 1 Shared Newsletter "Sponsorships" | 6 Exclusive Newsletter "Sponsorships" |
| Annual Member Promotions | 1 Promotion | 1 Promotion | 2 Promotion | 5 Promotion | |
| Logo Featured on ICA's Home Page | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| ICA Board Seat | Eligible | ||||
| $1000 per year Join Now! | $2,500 per year Join Now! | $5,000 per year Join Now! | $10,000 per year Join Now! | Contact Us Contact Us |
All membership levels include access to ICA email alerts, member webinars, and other important updates from ICA counsel and membership, the ability to vote in board elections, the opportunity to highlight your support of domain owner rights with ICA Member website badges, and recognition in the ICA Member Directory. Membership also demonstrates your commitment to the ICA Code of Conduct. Most of your membership contribution may be tax deductible, as described below.
Additional recognition, access, and benefits are available at higher membership levels. Corporate membership levels begin at the Bronze Membership level.
The ICA's success and future depend on your support. For any membership questions feel free to contact our Executive Director, Kamila Sekiewicz, at kamila@internetcommerce.org.
Submitting Your Membership Contribution
Monthly or annual PayPal subscriptions are the easiest way to join for most individual members. Corporate members can pay via PayPal, credit card, wire transfer, or checks. We'll provide all the details and options at the time of joining.
PayPal Account: info_ica@internetcommerce.org or through the Subscription buttons.
Contributions And Donations
The ICA is a volunteer-run organization that depends on contributions from the domain industry to fulfill its mission. Contributions of any amount are welcome.
One-Time Donations
Testimonials
In this interview, Nat gives his views on a number of topics including the ICA, new gTLDs and China. We also discuss the upcoming UDRP process review – a very important subject that all investors should be aware of.
I think the ICA does important work on behalf of domain name owners, especially people who own portfolios of domain names. When there are issues that pose threats to domain owners, Phil Corwin, the ICA’s counsel, takes action to protect the interests of domain owners. I understand that sometimes involves lobbying and it sometimes involves spreading the news about something that could be harmful to our business.
Participation in the Internet Commerce Association should be accessible and affordable to all who have an interest in joining. The ICA is a member-led organization that advocates on behalf of the domain industry. The greater the participation and involvement of members of the domain industry in the ICA, the more effective we can be.
I joined the ICA in 2012, before that, to be perfectly honest I didn’t know much about what the ICA did. After my first week as a contributor I was blown-away, soon I was on email strings covering issues that I had no idea we as domain investors were facing. That’s when I realize how important the ICA is and why every single domain investor should be a member and support the cause because really, in the end, you will be supporting yourself.
The only organization that is actively monitoring ICANN and various government entities on behalf of domain investors is the ICA. And not just monitoring, either. Phil Corwin is right there, in the trenches so to speak, often the only person speaking up when a policy or rule is proposed that is not in the best interest of domainers as well as everyday domain owners. Phil is a tireless crusader for domain investors and we are all very lucky to have him on our side.
Being smart is taking full advantage of the good luck that comes your way and not taking it for granted. That is why I consider it smart to support the Internet Commerce Association (ICA). The ICA is the only group that is focused on protecting the rights of domain name owners.
Other Ways to Help
We may also be able to accept donations of domain names. Domain name donations may have tax advantages that can be explored with your accountant. Please contact us if you are interested in donating a domain.
Volunteering your time can be just as valuable as contributing money. The ICA needs help with membership outreach, fundraising, social media distribution and administrative efforts. Consider putting your talents to good use by supporting the ICA.
Support those who are making the domain industry better for all of us by supporting those who support the ICA. Look for the ICA Member badge and consider directing your business to those businesses who support the ICA. For those businesses who already support the ICA, let them know that you appreciate their support. For those businesses you deal with who don't yet support the ICA, let them know that you prefer to work with businesses that are joining in the industry wide effort to protect our domain name assets.
How will my Contribution be Used?
As a volunteer-run organization, you can be assured that 100% of your contribution goes to pursuing the ICA's mission. Our lean-and-mean approach means that every dollar spent supporting the ICA is another dollar helping domain owners team to counter the IP community’s narrative against domain investors specifically, and domains generally, by setting forth accurate information about our industry and working for recognition and preservation of domain registrant rights. Any amounts collected in excess of our operating budget will be devoted exclusively to the projects and purposes as decided by members, such as commissioning white papers to support ICA positions, the creation of a domain defense fund, hiring of additional staff, etc.
Tax Deductions
ICA operates as a Business League under Section 501(c) (6) of the Internal Revenue Code. United States residents cannot deduct membership dues or contributions (such as donated domain names, or the proceeds of the auction of such names) as a charitable contribution for Federal income tax purposes. However, for U.S. tax law purposes, dues and donations to a business league (including non-cash donations) are generally deductible as a business expense, except for that portion that is devoted to lobbying and political campaign expenditures. ICA is required to provide its members with an estimate as to the percentage of members' dues that were devoted to lobbying expenditures during each tax years. ICA has typically devoted 5%-15% of it expenses to nondeductible lobbying expenses.
The above general information may not be relied upon as tax advice, and any affected ICA member or donor should consult with the member's own tax adviser regarding the proper treatment of their ICA support under the tax laws of the U.S. or any other nation. In particular, affected ICA members should consult with their tax advisers as to whether the excess of the auction sale price for a donated domain name, over the member's cost for the domain name, should be reported as income or gain to the member for U.S. Federal income tax purposes.